Frenchman's Secret is the sixth book in the Punchbowl Farm series of novels by Monica Edwards

Monica Edwards

Monica Edwards was an English children's writer of the mid-twentieth century best known for her Romney Marsh and Punchbowl Farm series of children's novels.-Early life:...

, published in 1956 by Collins

HarperCollins

HarperCollins is a publishing company owned by News Corporation. It is the combination of the publishers William Collins, Sons and Co Ltd, a British company, and Harper & Row, an American company, itself the result of an earlier merger of Harper & Brothers and Row, Peterson & Company. The worldwide...

. Lindsey Thornton discovers a strange map in the diary which had been found in Black Hunting Whip

Black Hunting Whip

Black Hunting Whip is the first book in the Punchbowl Farm series of novels by Monica Edwards, published in 1950 by Collins - although the preceding novel in the series featured the same characters but was written before the purchase of Punchbowl Farm...

. In attempting to uncover its meaning the Thornton make friends with the West children from a nearby Mill and the search leads to disastrous consequences for the Mill ponds.
The book was illustrated by Geoffrey Whittam who returned to the Punchbowl Farm series of books for the first time since Black Hunting Whip

Black Hunting Whip

Black Hunting Whip is the first book in the Punchbowl Farm series of novels by Monica Edwards, published in 1950 by Collins - although the preceding novel in the series featured the same characters but was written before the purchase of Punchbowl Farm...

.
The Mill in the story was based on the real Cosford Mill in Thursley which was owned (at the time the story was written) by the Loarridge family who were friends of Monica Edwards. In the 1990s it was owned by Roger Taylor

Roger Meddows-Taylor

Roger Meddows Taylor , known as Roger Taylor, is a British musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He is best known as the drummer, backing vocalist and occasional lead vocalist of British rock band Queen. As a drummer he is known for his "big" unique sound and is considered one of...

, drummer with Queen

Queen (band)

Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...

.

Blurb from First Edition

It is the winter holidays at Punchbowl Farm. Dion is busy clearing the top copse and enlists everyone's help in cutting sticks, pulling stumps, and building a huge bonfire. The Jersey cow has her calf out in the valley. The rain comes to brim the lakes above the Mill House where some new friends, Ruth and Roy, have just come to live. There are interesting things to be done indoors and out, there are animals to look after, from ponies to bantams, and there is the wild wet country to enjoy. Then Lindsey finds an old map and begins to puzzle over the mysterious Frenchman's secret. Is there treasure still buried somewhere in the dam that holds back the water above the Mill House? Roy has some gunpowder; why not blow a hole in the dam and find out if there is anything there? Only a small hole of course. Much quicker than digging. The thrill of the treasure hunt that leads to this final bold move and the tremendous adventure that it causes, makes Frenchman's Secret one of the most exciting of Monica Edwards' stories.

Subsequent editions

• Children’s Book Club edition - January 1958
• Second impression - February 1959
• Crown edition - September 1960
• Armada paperback - 1965