Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

In 1897 England, Princess Alexandrina, Mink, is devastated by the death of her father, the maharaja, and also by the debts he left behind. She and her beloved remaining servant, Pooki, are offered a house near Hampton Court Palace and soon find themselves among diverse neighbors, including the obnoxious General-Major Bagshot. After Pooki cooks pigeon pies for a picnic, and the general dies of arsenic poisoning, Mink begins questioning everyone to clear her maid before Pooki is arrested and hung. It seems each resident of Hampton Court has secrets, including missing children, illicit marriages, and love affairs. Stuart combines vivid historical detail, layers of intrigue, and plenty of humor in this intelligent mystery that will appeal to Agatha Christie fans as well as those who enjoy G. M. Malliet and C. S. Challinor.--Alessio, Amy Copyright 2010 Booklist

Publishers Weekly
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Near the outset of Stuart's zany first mystery, a late Victorian historical, Princess Alexandrina of Prindur (aka Mink), the daughter of an Indian maharajah, faces eviction from her father's London house after her debt-ridden parent's death. Mink staves off the creditors for a year until getting a reprieve from the queen, who offers her a "grace-and-favour residence" on the grounds of Hampton Court Palace. Over the reservations of her maid, Pooki, who believes the palace to be haunted, Mink accepts, only to find herself in the midst of a murder inquiry in which she has a personal investment. During a picnic at the palace's Pond Gardens, a guest expires after eating an arsenic-laced pigeon pie that Pooki prepared. Fans of Stuart's novel The Tower, the Zoo, and the Tortoise will find the same wit on display. A noblewoman, for example, praises H.G. Wells's Martians for sparing Hampton Court "as any right-thinking monsters would." Agent: Grainne Fox, Fletcher & Company. (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

In 1897 England, Princess Alexandrina, Mink, is devastated by the death of her father, the maharaja, and also by the debts he left behind. She and her beloved remaining servant, Pooki, are offered a house near Hampton Court Palace and soon find themselves among diverse neighbors, including the obnoxious General-Major Bagshot. After Pooki cooks pigeon pies for a picnic, and the general dies of arsenic poisoning, Mink begins questioning everyone to clear her maid before Pooki is arrested and hung. It seems each resident of Hampton Court has secrets, including missing children, illicit marriages, and love affairs. Stuart combines vivid historical detail, layers of intrigue, and plenty of humor in this intelligent mystery that will appeal to Agatha Christie fans as well as those who enjoy G. M. Malliet and C. S. Challinor.--Alessio, Amy Copyright 2010 Booklist

Publishers Weekly
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Near the outset of Stuart's zany first mystery, a late Victorian historical, Princess Alexandrina of Prindur (aka Mink), the daughter of an Indian maharajah, faces eviction from her father's London house after her debt-ridden parent's death. Mink staves off the creditors for a year until getting a reprieve from the queen, who offers her a "grace-and-favour residence" on the grounds of Hampton Court Palace. Over the reservations of her maid, Pooki, who believes the palace to be haunted, Mink accepts, only to find herself in the midst of a murder inquiry in which she has a personal investment. During a picnic at the palace's Pond Gardens, a guest expires after eating an arsenic-laced pigeon pie that Pooki prepared. Fans of Stuart's novel The Tower, the Zoo, and the Tortoise will find the same wit on display. A noblewoman, for example, praises H.G. Wells's Martians for sparing Hampton Court "as any right-thinking monsters would." Agent: Grainne Fox, Fletcher & Company. (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.