A grungy convenience store in a run-down northern town is the unlikely starting point for a puzzling mystery.

Cole, a quiet, reliable, overlooked young sales assistant, suddenly fails to turn up at work one day, leaving very little for the police to go on - a couple of cats with peculiar names and a cryptic postcard.

The mystery only deepens when Cole turns up in Monaco and Tuscany with an eccentric uncle and a different name.

Why on earth are they interested in Tuscan cattle, or how the Romans organized their military camps?

And how is all this linked to the layout of some of Europe's most famous and beautiful cities?

Through their investigation into the roots of ancient European architecture, Cole finds himself on a journey towards meaning, purpose and adventure.

The Secret Blueprint is a free companion novella to The Accidental Alchemist.