Kindle Price: $4.99

Promotions apply when you purchase

These promotions will be applied to this item:

Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. For details, please see the Terms & Conditions associated with these promotions.

Read with our free app
You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.
Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions

Buy for others

Give as a gift or purchase for a team or group.
Learn more

Buying and sending eBooks to others

  1. Select quantity
  2. Buy and send eBooks
  3. Recipients can read on any device

These ebooks can only be redeemed by recipients in the US. Redemption links and eBooks cannot be resold.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Amazon book clubs early access
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access

Join or create book clubs

Choose books together

Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Explore Amazon Book Clubs

Follow the author

H.Y. Hanna
+ Follow
More books from this author
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Curse of the Scarab (Big Honey Dog Mysteries Book 1) Kindle Edition

by H.Y. Hanna (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 186 ratings
See all formats and editions
Missing puppies. Deadly secrets. Serious slobber.
All Honey the Great Dane ever wanted was a peaceful life - walking her human, checking Peemail at the park - but when neighbourhood puppies start disappearing, life takes a sinister turn. Why are dead scarab beetles found after each disappearance? Do the strange markings on a gravestone really spell out an ancient Egyptian curse? And what about Max, the Pit Bull with a murky past, who seems to be hiding secrets of his own...can Honey risk everything and trust him or will it cost her the chance to save the puppies?

Perfect for fans of animal fiction, dog stories and classic mystery series like Nancy Drew and the Famous Five. Kids & dog lovers of all ages will enjoy this action-packed mystery filled with suspense and humour!

  • Moonbeam Children's Book Awards 2014 - GOLD Medal Winner
  • Children's Literary Classics Book Awards 2014 - GOLD Medal Winner
  • Readers' Favorite International Book Awards 2014 - SILVER Medal Winner
  • The Wishing Shelf Independent Children's Book Awards 2013 - Finalist

Collect the other books in the series:
- A Secret in Time
- Big Honey Dog Mysteries HOLIDAY COLLECTION
Read more Read less
Previous page
  1. Reading age
    8 - 11 years, from customers
  2. Book 1 of 3
    Big Honey Dog Mysteries
  3. Print length
    243 pages
  4. Language
    English
  5. Grade level
    3 - 6
  6. Publication date
    December 6, 2013
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  11. See all details
Next page
Add a debit or credit card to save time when you check out
Convenient and secure with 2 clicks. Add your card
All 3 for you in this series See full series
See included books
Total Price: $14.97
By clicking on above button, you agree to the Kindle Store Terms of Use

Editorial Reviews

Review

MOONBEAM CHILDREN'S BOOK AWARDS 2014 - GOLD MEDAL

THE WISHING SHELF INDEPENDENT BOOK AWARDS FOR CHILDREN 2013 - FINALIST

READERS' FAVORITE INTERNATIONAL BOOK AWARD 2014 - FINALIST

"Dog lovers young and old will love this rip-roaring, bark-serious adventure... highly recommended" ~ Midwest Book Review

"...a delightful cast of characters, each with their own endearing personalities. With playful puns and creative twists on age-old clichés Hanna artfully addresses such moral topics as prejudice and stereotypes, gossip and rumors all rolled up into an page-turning mystery." - Literary Classics Book Reviews

"I just adored this mystery. Ms. Hanna did a remarkable job describing every dog to perfection and I loved all their individual personalities. Although this is labeled as a children's book, rest assured even adults will enjoy going on Honey's spine tingling adventure." - Night Owl Reviews (Top Pick)

"I've read a few books marketed for middle-grades or younger this year and I have to say that this is hands down the best suited for those ages. It has a great plot, some truly well-rounded characters (with more depth than what I find in most adult novels these days), a fantastic storyline and a climax that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Not only was this book highly entertaining but there are some great messages in it. I could easily see this transitioning to the big screen and that's not something I say very often."- Cory Balboni for LitChick Hit List

"There is a magic to speaking to children and H.Y. Hanna has completely captured it."- Patricia Reding for Readers' Favorite

From the Author

Don't forget to check out the Big Honey Dog Mysteries HOLIDAY COLLECTION - a 3-in-1 box set of the Halloween, Christmas & Easter mysteries ata discounted price! OUT NOW in both ebook & paperback. Go to: hyhanna.com/holiday-amazon

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00EWNHDX8
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Wisheart Press; 2nd edition (December 6, 2013)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 6, 2013
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2353 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 243 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 186 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
H.Y. Hanna

H.Y. Hanna

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

USA Today bestselling author H.Y. Hanna is the author of over 30 mystery novels, many of which have been translated into several languages. She is known for books filled with suspense, humour, and clever twists, as well as quirky characters and cats with big personalities! Her stories are often set in the historic city of Oxford, where she studied and lived for several years, as well as the beautiful English Cotswolds. After trying her hand at a variety of jobs, including advertising, modelling, teaching English and dog training, Hsin-Yi returned to her first love: writing. She worked as a freelance writer for several years and has won awards for her poetry, short stories and journalism. Hsin-Yi was born in Taiwan and has been a globe-trotter all her life, living in a variety of cultures from the UK to the Middle East, the USA to New Zealand… but is now happily settled in Perth, Western Australia, with her husband and a rescue kitty named Muesli.

You can learn more about Hsin-Yi and her books at: www.hyhanna.com And don’t forget to join her newsletter to get updates on new releases, exclusive giveaways and other book news—as well as her free Sampler Library! Go to: https://www.hyhanna.com/newsletter

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
186 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Jujuberry37
5.0 out of 5 stars One roller coaster of a mystery
Reviewed in the United States on October 15, 2013
Verified Purchase
The fun starts when Honey, finds herself on the tail end of a very unfortunate guest, trying to share her doggy bed one morning. Poor Honey, her human Olivia has deserted her to go who knows where, leaving her with a Pet Sitter and a precocious Great Dane pup called Bean. Honey relishes her peaceful life with her human, so when Bean gets into mischief the moment she arrives, it doesn't bode well for the rest of the week. When Bean goes missing mysteriously, Honey can't help but try to find her. Bean may be annoying, but she is just a helpless pup after all and it turns out, she isn't the only one missing. There are pups missing all over the neighbourhood. Honey enlists the help of a hilarious cast of doggy friends, and they uncover some very mysterious clues that eventually leads them into great peril.

Honey and her friends must pool their collective knowledge of the human realm, in order to decipher the clues to solve the whereabouts of the missing pups. This was a true roller coaster ride as Honey and her friends decipher hieroglyphs, interpret a riddling parrot and confront sworn enemies as the clues to a mystery steeped in Egyptian mythology are revealed.

My favourite lines are when the dogs are talking to each other, expressing frustration in a variety of doggy ways. Here are just a few examples..

"Oh for kibbles sake"

"Holy liver treat"

The dog's sworn enemies are referred to as "Sardine-breathed sand poopers" He He, can you guess who.... Priceless, but my absolute favourite line is when one of the dog's brings a huge bone to honour one of their fallen. Another dog asks,

"Is that from a dinosaur or something?"

The other replies,

"It's one of my 2009 batch. Well-rotted, Fishy, with a hint of cabbage. Sharp on the nose but rich in texture."

I had equal amounts of laughing out loud and gasping in horror as the mystery is solved. I thoroughly enjoyed The Big Honey Dog Mysteries and I am looking forward to the second book. I would recommend it to 10+ as there were some violent moments between the dogs and the villain that children younger than 10 may find scary.

5 Stars to H.Y Hanna's debut novel.
Helpful
 Report
Mathochist
5.0 out of 5 stars Great bedtime reading
Reviewed in the United States on March 29, 2014
Verified Purchase
My partners and I like to read books to each other at bedtime, and we often choose books aimed at juvenile readers (or "young adults"). This one was just perfect. We enjoyed it very much, and look forward to starting on the next one in the series as well.

The central theme of the book is, of course, the rescue of the puppies that have gone missing. But an important secondary theme is prejudice. By the end of the story, many of the characters learn that their breed-based negative assumptions were far from true.

The author of these books lives in Australia, so expect to see some British-style spellings, phrases, and cultural references. She has included a glossary of British terms used in the second book ("A Secret In Time"), which will be especially helpful for American children.

One small word of caution (and a couple small <SPOILER> s): There is a little bit of violence, and in particular one scene that we found a little disturbing to read. In this scene, a cruel man at a dog shelter abuses one of the dogs in the story. Most readers over age 9 (the age this book is aimed at) should be able to handle it, and the vast majority of the book is not like that. There is also one noble death, and some reference to the cruel realities of one dog's past, when he was forced by humans to fight. But there is only that one scene that directly portrays pointless, cruel violence. If you are reading the book to a younger (and/or more sensitive) child, you might just want to skip that bit.
3 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
kice
5.0 out of 5 stars Looking forward to more Big Honey Dog Mysteries!!
Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2013
Verified Purchase
Ok... so... is it bad that I spent the entire second half of my work day yesterday secretly reading this book via my work computer and Android phone?? (which, BTW, I LOVE how the Kindle apps allow you to pick up reading on one device right where you left off on another!)

Anyway, I just couldn't help it! Even more embarrassingly, I managed to not only finish the book by evening, but loved it so much I forced my husband and my dog to listen to me read aloud as I started it over again that night. One page in and they were just as hooked as I was.

What a wonderful book! I love how the author preserved a witty writing style, even while simplifying her technique to keep it appropriate for a Children's book. I laughed (a lot), I cringed, I felt the suspense, and despite my best efforts at holding them back, I even shed a few tears. The characters (and settings) were so well built that I felt an immediate understanding of not only what they looked like and how they acted, but what they were feeling.

As an adult reading a children's book, my only regret is that it was over too soon. My fault for reading too fast! Lucky for us there is a whole series planned. Can't wait for Book Number 2!
8 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
animalsandmagic
4.0 out of 5 stars A Funny Egyptian Based Dog Mystery
Reviewed in the United States on October 26, 2013
Verified Purchase
Overall I really liked this book. The puppy, Bean, was a very realistic and funny character and the personalities of the dogs were all true to what is normal for the various breeds presented.
Before beginning this book I had expected it to be a typical dog mystery where the dog is the hero and leads its owner or partner to the criminal. I was a bit surprised by how little focus any of the books human characters received, but I loved this fact. I also had not expected, but also really liked, how much mythology was presented.
There were a few things I had a hard time understanding, such as how Anubis, in this book is not presented as a man with the head of a Jackal as is normal, making things just a little confusing for me, this was very minimal and did nothing to make me enjoy the book any less.
The only thing I didn't enjoy was the way the dog, first introduced as Newbie, talked. I just found this to be annoying as he kind of talks like a snake and when he had larger speaking sections I often had trouble following what was being said because of all the s's.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
Marie Helene Racine
5.0 out of 5 stars It was fun, easy to read and cute.
Reviewed in Canada on October 13, 2013
Verified Purchase
I am a fan of Honey the Great Dane having myself a female Dane fawn with a black mask who's born the same day and month of Honey.
I watched all the video and go on Honey's blog several times a month.

My daughter read this book even that she isn't perfectly biligual. We live in Canada
and our primary language is French.

What I adore was that Honey is the narrator of this strory. We have a Dane point of view.
2 people found this helpful
 Report
Louise
4.0 out of 5 stars Un très bon moment
Reviewed in France on November 3, 2013
Verified Purchase
une histoire palpitante et du vocabulaire anglais simple. Un livre qui se dévore tout seul quand on aime les toutous.
Report
S. D.
5.0 out of 5 stars Hugely enjoyable!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 13, 2013
Verified Purchase
This book was great fun. It has suspense, adventure and lots of comedy and will appeal to a broad range of readers of all ages though it's mainly aimed at children. It's written from the dogs' point of view, but although H Y Hanna gives the dogs human "voices," feelings and motivations, they are always dogs. She's obviously a dog lover because the dog behaviour is beautifully observed. I loved the imaginative little touches like dogs leaving "pee mail" for each other on lamp posts - that's exactly what they do! The story is well written and it's fast-paced, with every chapter ending on a gripping cliffhanger - so even less keen readers will be eager to turn the page to find out what happens next. It's a wonderful debut from a very talented author, and I look forward to future books in the series.
Report
ashley collins
5.0 out of 5 stars the curse of the scarab
Reviewed in Australia on December 19, 2015
Verified Purchase
this book contains a great and exiting rush of adrenelin about a amazing mystery were puppies that are under 16 weeks are disappearing.
Report
penny reynolds
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on September 18, 2015
Verified Purchase
great book
Report
Report an issue

Does this item contain inappropriate content?
Report
Do you believe that this item violates a copyright?
Report
Does this item contain quality or formatting issues?
Report