The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey

Reynard “Reynie” Muldoon is on his way to his friend Kate Wetherall’s farmhouse, where she lives with her secret agent father, Milligan. Reynie has not seen Kate or his other two best friends—George “Sticky” Washington and Constance Contraire—in six months. The friends are all meeting up to take part in a surprise organized by Mr. Benedict, the eccentric genius who first brought them together. When Reynie nears the farmhouse, he sees a peregrine falcon circling overhead. He finds Kate in the barn; she is practicing the “old escape artist’s trick” of training herself to regurgitate things like keys (9). She has not quite mastered the skill.

While Kate and Reynie wait for Sticky to arrive, they exchange news and discuss Mr. Benedict’s surprise. Reynie confesses that he has felt distant from the other three children since they have been apart; he has been worrying that he is the only one who misses his friends. Kate assures him that she has missed them all terribly, but she has been very busy. She introduces Reynie to the peregrine falcon, Madge, whom she is training. Kate confesses that her life has been quite dull recently; she misses their adventures. Reynie feels the same way.