Set in a fictional coastal city in the late nineteenth century, it follows three children: Giuseppe, Hannah, and Frederick who work to solve each other's problems.

The idea for The Clockwork Three came to Kirby when he read a story of a boy named Joseph in a newspaper from 1873.

[3] Joseph got kidnapped from Italy and had to play a fiddle in English streets to earn money for his master, until he eventually escaped.

Hannah discovers that a man named Mister Stroop supposedly left the treasure in the suites at the top of the hotel.

Mister Twine promotes her to the chief of maids and gives her quite a bit of money for new dresses, a portion of which she gives to Giuseppe for his ticket.

Enraged, Stefano tries to kill Giuseppe, but he is saved by Yakov, who shoots Stephano in the head with his gun.

Publishers Weekly gave The Clockwork Three a starred review, saying "debut novelist Kirby has assembled all the ingredients for a rousing adventure, which he delivers with rich, transporting prose.

"[4] The website Kidsreads also gave the book a positive review, saying "With plenty of steampunk elements and more than a few hints of violence, The Clockwork Three is, in many ways, as dark and menacing as its hard-edged setting.