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Isaac Turner Investigates #2

De verboden atlas (De avonturen van Isaac Turner)

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Isaac en Hattie hebben in deel één Londen gered en het tijdmysterie opgelost. Daarom zijn ze in Parijs, waar ze bedankt worden voor hun prestaties. Net als Isaac aan zijn speech wil beginnen, wordt er een schot gelost. Isaac en Hattie zien nog hoe een jongen vlucht, maar voordat ze bij hem kunnen komen, is hij in het niets verdwenen.


De politie ontdekt dat een beroemde kaart, getekend door koning Lodewijk XVI, gestolen is uit het nationaal archief. Een kaart die volgens sommigen de sleutel is tot het vinden van een aantal verloren schatten van Versailles. Isaac en Hattie gaan op onderzoek uit, en worden meegetrokken in een ondergrondse wereld. In de catacomben onder Parijs gaan ze op zoek naar vergeten plekken, een vermiste zus, en een kaart die een lang bewaard geheim zal onthullen.

304 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 28, 2025

11 people are currently reading
104 people want to read

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Sam Sedgman

33 books70 followers

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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
Profile Image for Leesdromen.
167 reviews11 followers
April 23, 2025
Really liked this second book in the Isaac Turner investigation series. Love to go back on a adventure with Isaac and Hattie!

I liked to read more about the history, the City, it catacombs! Loved that there where new people in this book and loved Leon!

So excited for the next boon (February 2026⌛️)
Profile Image for Tim.
1,276 reviews31 followers
April 6, 2025
'I didn't know France invented the Metric System,' said Isaac.
'But of course,' said Eveline. 'Why do you think it works so well?'


I have this feeling that The Forbidden Atlas was good, but that it can't entirely live up to its predecessor. I don't know how or why, and maybe I'm wrong - I was distracted a bit while reading the book, so it might be that I'll take more of a liking to it during a re-read.

Sedgman has put a lot of effort in building the setting (Paris), that much is clear, and it was fun to see where Isaac and Hattie wind up; they visit places all over the city, nearly all the tourist hotspots are mentioned and - this being an adventure and mystery novel - the catacombs play an important role, of course. I also loved that the author insists on using French when saying where the characters are, and there are quite some French phrases in the book as well. Nice!

It might be due to the distraction, but I hadn't figured out who the real instigator of all the trouble was, so that surprised me. On the other hand, though, the main antagonist in this book - Carmen - never felt as a real threat. The way she acts never made me take her seriously, and since Hattie, Isaac and Leon are nearly always one step ahead of her, I was never nervous of them losing to her. She's always lagging behind a bit. That could have been handled a bit better.

Leon is a fine character but not all too interesting. His sister Samira did surprise me at one point (but again, maybe I just wasn't thinking hard enough about this). Patricia, Hattie's mum, was a fine addition.

Sedgman has divided this book into twenty chapters, one for each arrondissement of Paris. That's original! At first, I thought it had something to do with the metric system, but that wasn't the case. In general, the book isn't focused on any measure or anything, which was something I had been expecting at first. But the idea of the Forbidden Atlas itself was worked out well.

7.5/10
Profile Image for Vivian Teo.
Author 11 books22 followers
April 22, 2025
In the thrilling follow-up to The Clockwork Conspiracy, Isaac Turner and his friend, Hattie, are invited to the National Archives in Paris to be honoured for their role in preventing a global disaster. A gunshot rings out during the event, and amid the chaos, a priceless artifact is stolen. An encounter with the thief thrusts Isaac and Hattie into a high-stakes quest to uncover a hidden treasure linked to the stolen item. But they quickly discover they're not the only ones on the hunt.

This entertaining tale brims with action, suspense, and intrigue as the protagonists traverse the streets of Paris and its eerie underground catacombs, all while evading a relentless assassin. The story unfolds like a thriller movie with puzzles to solve and codes to break, reminiscent of The Da Vinci Code and the movie National Treasure, but tailored for upper middle-grade and early young adult readers (I like how realistic it is that Isaac and Hattie had to cleverly navigate their parents’ oversight to unravel the mystery!) This is such a fun read and I’m eagerly anticipating the next instalment of the Isaac Turner Investigates series!

I highly recommend this series to those age ten and older. Thank you for Definitely Books Kids for sending this newly released title over for my review.
Profile Image for Nicola Michelle.
1,877 reviews15 followers
March 14, 2025
It was great to be back with Isaac as he tackles another mystery. It’s fraught with danger, trickery, overcoming and the strength of friendships as we travel to Paris and uncover the mystery of hidden treasure.

It was a well woven and written story and didn’t fail to entertain from the start. This series is definitely developing and building on itself from the first, it was great to get to know these characters more in this one. I can’t wait to see where it will lead next.

A super exciting and compelling mystery and one many young audiences will love.

Thank you to the author and publisher for this book on NetGalley in return for my honest thoughts and review.
Profile Image for Rebecca Evans.
79 reviews
February 1, 2025
I thought this was even better than the first in this series The Clockwork Conspiracy. This time, Isaac and Hattie are in the beautiful city of Paris. Whilst attending a high-profile event where a theft and a shooting takes place, they end up on another action-packed adventure to find some long-lost treasure and make some new friends along the way.
Sam Sedgman cleverly uses history and places to bring this book to life!
I can see this being a hit in our library!
Thank you, @NetGalley_UK, for this advanced copy.
Profile Image for Rachel Riley.
4 reviews9 followers
December 8, 2025
Loved how this story captures the feeling of being truly seen, the way certain people recognize parts of you that the rest of the world misses. It adds a quiet emotional spark to all the adventure, making the journey hit a little deeper.
Author 2 books50 followers
January 28, 2025
I received an eARC from the publishers through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. It has not affected my opinions.

THE FORBIDDEN ATLAS is another thrilling adventure full of intriguing facts and an exploration of systems that run the world that we often give little thought to.

THE CLOCKWORK CONSPIRACY was one of my favourite reads of 2024, a book I endlessly shoved at people since January of that year, so I was very much looking forward to the sequel. Luckily for me, it very much lived up to my expectations. I raced through this tale set across Paris.

Where THE CLOCKWORK CONSPIRACY looks at time and the standards around that, THE FORBIDDEN ATLAS explores the world of map making. From trap streets to how globes are made, this book is full of fascinating insights into maps and their history. I love how this series is focusing on the world around us, prompting readers to think about elements of everyday life that we might otherwise overlook.

I particularly enjoyed the cameos made by the Systeme Internationale (SI) in the form of the original metre and a fancy party at the BIPM (the body that oversees measurement science across the world.) They were very nice ways of linking the story to the exploration of measurement science in the first book.

Beyond the nerdery (which I adored), this book is also a thrilling adventure across Paris. Isaac and Hattie, along with new character Leon, are racing against an assassin to find a hidden map first - a map that leads to treasure and danger. There are so many puzzles layered into this book and plenty of puzzle solving from our intrepid heroes. It's a pacy tale full of action, with some heart stopping moments (as someone who's claustrophobic, the catacombs sequences were terrifying!) and a highly satisfying reveal about the hidden location.

I was so excited to see Hattie got to narrate this book alongside Isaac! It was so nice to see her thoughts and her grit, often literally pulling Isaac onwards when he started to overthink things. They're a very nicely balanced team.

There are some really nice visual touches to the book too. Each chapter starts with an illustration of a key scene and the chapter headers have little measurement scales on them that increase with each chapter (and yes, as soon as I get my hands on a physical copy, I will be measuring the scale to work out the increments.)
Profile Image for Helen.
405 reviews18 followers
June 13, 2025
I was kindly sent a copy of this book by @bloomsburychildrens in exchange for an honest review. They also very thoughtfully sent me the first book in the series so I was able to fully enjoy the adventures of Issac and Hattie and understand more of their latest escapades in France. Like the first book there is a great pace to the story and I loved the locations described in the book, especially the catacombs beneath Paris. We are introduced to a new young character called Leon who worked well and I hope we will continue to see him feature within later books in the series as well. I think the only things that I had slight issue with were how easy it was for the children to go off investigating and how lax the parenting was but I’m sure this won’t be an issue for the books actual intended target audience! I should also comment on how much I liked the artwork throughout both books - I think the illustrations will really help more reluctant readers to get into and appreciate these stories. I would definitely be interested in continuing to read the rest of the books as they unfold - the third book is due for release in February 2026.
39 reviews2 followers
April 26, 2025
Something about the Isaac Turner Investigates series hits a reading spot within that puts Isaac’s and Hattie’s adventures in a special place for me. I couldn’t help but be absolutely ecstatic when I saw this was my next read from Bloomsbury. This is a wonderful series that showcases the magic of humans and children without using magic at all, and before I dive into the review, that had to be said.

After The Clockwork Chronicles, I have to be honest, I didn’t know where this series would head next. My mind, unimaginatively, drew the conclusion that the series would focus on clocks and the next adventure would be in Prague or Canada to fulfill this. However, from page one, I was wondrously surprised to find there is no common trope except Isaac and Hattie’s incredible minds. The narrative of this novel, while still threaded with the nerdy elements of Isaac’s interests and the power of Hattie’s character, is completely different, and I ADORED it!

The addition of new characters, like Leon, and the further dive into characters like the duo’s parents, makes for such a brilliantly full world, and there’s no cast of characters I would’ve rather explored Paris with. Each of them brought out the best in one another, and that’s one of the things that makes this series continually powerful to read. I have yet to meet one character that I have not enjoyed (even the baddies!).

Now, onto the setting, I LOVE PARIS! The city holds the memories of a few special occasions for me, so it was sensational getting to see it in a new light that didn’t purely rely on the tourist destinations. Even though children may not yet tire of novels set in Paris being set solely at the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre, the parents supporting them with their reading may have, but Sam Sedgman has captured the flame of Paris so purely, I’d be almost 100% sure even a Parisian would adore it!

Without giving anything away, what I will say is, I cannot wait for this series to continue! The twists and bends of both of the series so far, combined with the now marvellously evidenced ability of Sedgman to make a novel feel both familiar and different, have me SO excited for book 3 in the Isaac Turner Investigates series. I’m intrigued to see where it takes place. I recommend anyone and everyone of all ages 8+ (and yes, I’m looking at parents and adults here) preorders/purchases this book. This is an intergenerational novel that all the family can love and adventure within. Now, I’m off to go look at flights to Paris…
413 reviews6 followers
January 31, 2025
I so wanted to read this having loved The Clockwork Conspiracy which I read because I loved The Adventures on Trains books. Was I disappointed? No! Could it follow the Clockwork Conspiracy and keep up the adventure? Absolutely it could!

Isaac and Hattie are in Paris with Hattie's mum and Isaac's dad to collect an award for saving the world from those that wished to change time, by destroying the main clocks across the world.

But just as they are being introduced, a warning is heard and a shot rings out. The bodyguard (Omar) is shot supposedly protecting his boss Balthazar Blaise.
Diggory tells Isaac and Hattie to run. But they get out of the auditorium and see a boy running away...did he shoot Omar, they chase him but he gets away after a struggle. But Hattie has something he drops, can they find him from a receipt?
More importantly, why would a boy want to shoot Blaise?
They do find the boy, named Leon but his sister is missing which is why he was at the Archives that night but he swears he did not shoot, he was there for something else...something that could help him find Samira, his sister.
Follow the children on an adventure through Paris's catacombs on the search for a lost treasure connected to the item Leon stole. But they're not the only ones looking for it. When they find the 'key' they can find the treasure. But the treasure is housed in something which could cause problems across Paris. Samira knows this and so do those who are also looking for the treasure.
Flipping brilliant! Isaac and Hattie learn yet again how important friendship is, and so does Leon.
I so want these books in school! KS2 perfection.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury books for the ecopy.
616 reviews8 followers
February 25, 2025
Thank you NetGalley and Bloomsbury Children's Books for this eCopy to review

I just finished reading The Forbidden Atlas by Sam Sedgman, and I have to say, it was an thrilling sequel to The Clockwork Conspiracy! From the moment Isaac Turner and his friend Hattie found themselves in the midst of an assassination attempt at the French National Archives, I was hooked.

The story takes you on a thrilling chase through the rooftops and catacombs of Paris, hunting for an ancient treasure map that holds dangerous secrets. The way Sedgman describes the hidden parts of the city is so vivid, I felt like I was right there with Isaac and Hattie, uncovering clues and dodging ruthless treasure hunters.

What I loved most about this book was the blend of mystery, adventure, and historical intrigue. The characters are well-developed, and their friendship adds a heart warming touch to the high-stakes plot. I was kept on the edge of my seat!

Overall, The Forbidden Atlas is a fantastic read that I would highly recommend to anyone who loves a good adventure.
Profile Image for Leslie.
204 reviews4 followers
March 28, 2025
4.5 - What a delight! Fast-paced and well-researched adventure mystery for middle grade readers. Isaac and Hattie are back with a new mystery to explore. While accepting thanks for another mystery solved, someone is attacked and an important document is stolen. It sets off a search for the thief-attacker. The story travels throughout Paris - past and present - where rich and quirky history is unearthed. There are some legitimately heart-pounding scenes - especially in the Catacombes! - that had me racing through this book. Yes, the heroic pair gets through a lot of scrapes with a few surprisingly convenient revelations, but I don't mind. It was such a fun, clever book. Highly recommend for readers 8+ who love exploring.
Profile Image for Farah G.
2,043 reviews38 followers
January 21, 2025
The last thing you expect to happen at a celebratory event for high flyers is for the lights to go out. But that is just what happens when Hattie and Isaac's efforts are being recognised in France.

And while the sound of gunfire is understandably considered the result of a possible high profile assassination attempt, it turns out there is in fact something very different underway. And what that means is that Isaac and Hattie are off on an entire new adventure...

This is an excellent and lively sequel to the previous book and should be a great hit with the target readership. It gets 3.5 stars.

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
1 review
January 5, 2026
Great book, but unconventional style for the usual mystery genre by giving the perspectives of the criminals involved in the mystery too. Got way more interesting as it went along - jaw-dropping plot twists and climaxes!

Learning about the Paris catacombs was also extremely intriguing and fantastical - I'd love to have joined Isaac, Hattie and Leon at the Mirage party! Without the danger, of course.

Now I want to revisit Paris, as a flâneur this time, and leisurely wander the city's streets and boulevards; the idea of finding curious little bookshops or art shops in the nooks and crannies of Paris is very appealing to me!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Steph.
1,448 reviews87 followers
February 24, 2025
Honestly, this is just incredible. It’s clever; it’s pacey; it’s got amazing characters. I loved the mystery - it feels so rich. I loved how Isaac and Hattie use their wiles about them. I love that they want to do good. I loved Leon. The bit at the end with the ‘what’s true and what’s fiction’ always brings me such joy. As a lover of As Above So Below, this felt like a kids version of that very adventure. AND I CANT WAIT FOR THE NEXT OND.
Profile Image for Snarhooked.
383 reviews1 follower
June 17, 2025
Even better than the first in the series. Loved all the nuggets of information that were included, brilliant for inspiring curious readers.

Lots of action but also mysteries to solve. I felt the pacing was better in this book and the characters had enough setbacks that events seemed more believable.

An inventive and really enjoyable story that was enthralling and kept me guessing.
Profile Image for Carla Whitehead  .
9 reviews
August 6, 2025
The Forbidden Atlas is a delightful book rich in history and imagination. As an adult reader who enjoys a good puzzle, I found myself drawn into the books world of secret maps. Though aimed at younger audiences, the storytelling has plenty of charm that holds up for grown - up readers too. It stirred my own childhood sense of wonder while satisfying my adult craving for mystery and meaning.
Profile Image for Mrs Walsh.
852 reviews6 followers
March 11, 2025
A good book overall but I just couldn’t get in to it the way I got in to the original. I wasn’t a fan of how it kept jumping around. Some great twists but I did get the bad guy!
96 reviews2 followers
June 30, 2025
No ethical billionaires!!! Loved this, possibly his best one yet
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Nobu.
21 reviews
August 1, 2025
Fun read, I like how the mystery unfolds
247 reviews1 follower
December 23, 2025
Een avontuur van twee 'helden'. Het duurde lang voor ik er echt in kwam. Voor mij is het niet echt een boek waar ik van genoten heb. De schrijfstijl past niet zo bij mij denk ik.
11 reviews
July 19, 2025
4.5*
a nice and quick story a perfect goldilock book compared to Lord of Shadows.
The new characters were interesting but i did see the twist of Blase being evil, but still a good read, can;t wait to read the third book when it arrives in bookshelves in February next year!
Profile Image for Annette Langedijk.
320 reviews2 followers
June 15, 2025
“Ergens in dat web, verscholen in een smal straatje dat recht van noord naar zuid liep als de vouw in een plattegrond, straalde de etalage van een antiquariaat een warm geel licht uit. De weerspiegeling ervan danste als een vuurvliegje in Carmens ogen.”

Een nieuw avontuur van Hattie en Isaac. (Al kun je het prima lezen zonder de vorige gelezen te hebben!) Deze keer speelt het zich af in Parijs.

“We zijn niet te laat,” zei de vader. Hij veegde de waterdruppels uit zijn baard.”Ik was de paraplu vergeten, niet de tijd΅

Terwijl ze bedankt worden voor hun heldendaden van het vorige verhaal valt het licht uit, wordt er een moord gepleegd en iets gestolen. Hoppa! Meteen midden in de actie. Ik hou ervan!

Hattie en Isaac gaan op zoek naar een verloren gewaande schat van koning Lodewijk de XVI. Daarvoor hebben ze een kaart nodig van het gangenstelsel onder Parijs, genaamd De Verboden Atlas. Bij die zoektocht ontmoeten ze Leon, die ook op zoek is naar de schat. En naar zijn verdwenen zus Samira.

“Het weer was onstuimig geworden en toen hij voorzichtig langs de tropische planten in de kas sloop, hoorde hij de wind gieren. Hij draaide de sleutel om die in het slot van de glazen deuren naar het dakterras zat. Daarachter zag hij de ornaje en witte gloed van Parijs.”

Wat hebben de moord en de verdwijning met de schat te maken? En wie is toch die mysterieuze ‘Carmen’?

Een heerlijk spannend avontuur vol mysteries. Ik heb hier weer zo van genoten! En achterin nog een bonus-mysterie! Helemaal leuk! Nu snel mee naar school nemen, want er waren een paar leerlingen die niet konden wachten tot ik het uit had!
Profile Image for Jacaranda21.
308 reviews
March 24, 2025
Issac and Hattie are in Paris when they happen upon another adventure. Great pace to the narrative, Issac and Hattie’s inquisitiveness and logical thinking help them on their quest to locate the forbidden atlas. Liked Leon as an additional protagonist. Great illustrations to accompany the short chapters.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews

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