Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire are on Briny Beach when Mr Poe tells them that their house has been burnt down. They get put in the care of Count Olaf who is a very very distant relative who makes their life a misery.
I think this is a very exciting adventure book which is a woeful tale about the Baudelaires that has lots of different twists and turns. One of the reasons I like this book is that you think that they are going to be alright, but they just get themselves into another sticky situation.