SOLVED. Book about a young boy sent to live with a group of old people who turn out to be master criminals [s]

[Katie]

I read this book in Primary school and cannot remember the name or author and any possible names I come up with yield nothing in google searches.

The book starts with a young boy being sent to live with a group of old people (they may have been ladies only). I'm not sure why he was sent there. They gave him his own room in a tower and he had an intercom on the wall that he could communicate with them with.

He finds out accidentally that these old people are a group of organised criminals who sneak out at night to rob places.

At some point he sets up a fruit stall with (I think) a horse they give him (or a donkey maybe) on the side of the road. There's this neighbourhood bad guy who ruins his fruit stall. He drives a yellow car, I think.

At some stage he convinces the old people to allow him to come with them when they burgle. He's a small boy so he can fit through windows and open up for them. They agree.

He gets caught and sent to juvi. There is some weird kind of animal testing going on for cosmetics (stuff like bunnies getting shampoo put in their eyes) and he is somehow brought to that place and they start to do tests on him. The old people manage to break him out.

I think at one stage they rob the bad guy with the car. I seem to vaguely remember something about a sliding bookcase hiding a room behind it.

I keep thinking that the title of this book has something to do with the word "lag" (I think a play on the meaning of it being a convict). The Lags of Lag Hall keeps coming up in my mind. "Lag hall" is possibly somewhere in the title, if it isn't The Lags of Lag Hall. I think they call their house Lag Hall. I've searched on many book websites such as amazon for this title and have come up with nothing.

I am desperate to find out what this book is called, not only because it's been annoying me trying to remember the name but also because I really want to re-read it!

[caracal-eyes]

Sounds like Harry and the Wrinklies.
Summary: "When Harry's sent to stay with his great-aunts at Lagg hall, he thinks he is in for a really dull time. But Auntie Florrie, Aunt Bridget and their elderly friends aren't quite as Harry expects them to be. Aren't they too old to be driving fast cars and climbing trees?"

[Emlen]

"Harry and the Wrinklies" by Alan Temperley, I think. A Google search for "lag hall novel" turned it up.

[Katie]

YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING! I don't know how I got that title so wrong :P I cannot thank you enough, I now know the title so I can buy it and relive happy childhood reading memories. Forever indebted to you both