Count Karlstein lives in a large castle with his two young orphaned nieces, Charlotte and Lucy,  but although Count Karlstein is wealthy and powerful, he is not admired. In fact, Count Karstein has evil plans for All Souls' Eve, when he will fulfill a bargain with Zamiel the Demon Huntsman. Even little children have heard horrible stories of Zamiel, who haunts the woods and claims his prey at midnight. The story begins when Hildi, the maidservant at Count Karlstein's castle, overhears that the two nieces are to be locked in the woods and sacrificed to Zamiel!

To save their lives, Charlotte and Lucy will need Hildi's help, along with some distractions from a traveling trickster, assistance from the nieces' former teacher, and rescuing by Hildi's brother Peter, who has escaped from jail for poaching and is supposed to be hiding from Sergeant Snitsch. This children's Gothic thriller brings together a large cast of characters in an amusing and delightful story with a satisfying ending for (almost) everyone involved.

The best part of this story for me was that I listened to the audiobook recording by Jo Thurley and a Full Cast. I love the audiobook recordings with Full Cast support because each character is voiced by a different actor, and sound effects are used to bring the story to life.

For a thrilling experience, read Count Karlstein by Phillip Pullman or listen to the audiobook!