JOHN DOUGHERTY lives in London. A supply teacher with plenty of experience of classroom activities in primary education, he is also a singer-songwriter with one CD already available - and has appeared on TV when his living room was designed in a Gothic style by Laurence Llewellyn-Bowen. In 2004, he also ran the London Marathon to raise funds for a charity to help children in care. This is his third book for the Young Corgi list. His first, ZEUS ON THE LOOSE, was shortlisted for the Branford Boase Award and JACK SLATER was shortlisted for the Ottaker's Children's Book Award, pre-publication.

Jack Slater is an official Monster Investigator - licensed to hunt out monsters who turn up under beds and terrorize small children (and his parents!). Armed with a high-power torch (monsters hate the light), a pocketful of spare batteries and a much-loved teddy (there is nothing monsters hate more than a favourite childhood toy), he sets off down to Monster Underworld when news reaches his ears that the monsters are on the march. They're getting organized and no-one, not even the Prime Minister in Downing Street, is safe any more...