Magical creatures and mystery abound in this lighthearted whodunit fantasy. Princess Lyss can't wait another second to meet the griffin that's joining her father's royal menagerie, so she ditches her lessons and heads for the stables. But the griffin isn't the only new creature she finds. A boy is hiding--or at least trying to--in the griffin's stall. The boy is Devin, the griffin's trainer, and he's refusing to leave his beloved Tam. Lyss agrees to help him. But their arrival coincides with the revelation that someone is stealing creatures from the king's menagerie. Devin is an obvious suspect, though Lys believes someone else is to blame.

Determined to clear Devin's name and put a stop to the endangerment of any more animals, she turns to her favorite magical creatures for help.