God Save the Queen! ; - 1st Edition/1st Printing

Sir Henry Gossinger scandalizes his family when he rewrites his will and leaves everything to his devoted butler, whose bizarre death places the butler's sweet young granddaughter in the middle of a murderously tangled web. 20,000 first printing. $20,000 ad/promo.

Nothing is what it seems to be in this wickedly amusing mystery from the author of How to Murder the Man of Your Dreams. Whether the action marches along in a stately country home or spins off in the bustling streets of London, there is no letup in the story's wit, charm and intrigue. Flora Hutchins has grown up at once-magnificent, 12th-century Gossinger Hall under the loving care of her grandfather, the meticulous head butler, known for his scrupulous handling of the family silver. But imagine the consternation that ensues when the elderly Sir Henry Gossinger (recently married to the distinctly lower-class Mabel Bowser) announces that he intends to leave Gossinger Hall to this treasured servant. Mabel is moved to nasty thoughts, a cousin is outraged and, when the butler's body is found head-down in a medieval toilet, it sets off a sharply etched chain of events that includes Flora being exiled to London?her flat paid for by Sir Henry and Mabel. Questions abound: Who is the mysterious woman shadowing Flora? What is the importance of a long-missing 18th-century tea strainer? And above all, why was the estate to be left to the butler? Flora and Vivian, Sir Henry's seemingly worthless nephew, seek solutions and form an endearing bond. Cannell sorts through all ancient and modern enigmas, fashioning a sterling cast for a royal romp.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

The author's penchant for the absurd (How to Murder the Man of Your Dreams, 1995, etc.) reaches full flower in this off-the-wall take on English aristocracy. Its focus is Gossinger Hall, dating from the 12th-century, where Sir Henry Gossinger, plebeian-born wife Mabel, and permanent houseguest cousin Sophie Doffit are in residence, along with a staff headed by aristocratic butler Hutchins, whose gentle care is lavished on the silver collection--a center of attention for tourists and tour buses--and on his orphaned 18-year-old granddaughter Flora, his charge from age three. Outside chores are handled by odd-job man Mr. Tipp, whose forebears, like Hutchins's, go back generations at the Hall. Heir to it all is Sir Henry's nephew, 30ish Vivian--that is, he's heir until the day Sir Henry, seemingly intent on righting an old wrong, announces he's leaving Gossinger Hall to Hutchins. Before the day is over, the butler is found dead in the ancient outdoor privy that's part of the Hall's history, and Flora soon finds herself occupying an empty store and apartment in London's Bethnal Green. There, a besotted Vivian keeps a protective watch on Flora as the two sort out the ancient theft of a silver tea strainer and discover, eventually, what really happened to Grandfather. A farcical fairy-tale, written in determinedly Wodehousian style, that overplays its wry tone, silly plot, and likable characters to the point of tedium. -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Cannell, known for the way she turns the British mystery on its ear, succeeds winningly in her latest offering. Gossinger Hall, in the middle of Lincolnshire, is the home of Sir Henry and his wife, Maud, who's been making her way up through the British class system. Gossinger Hall has been served faithfully by Hutchins the butler, who lives on the premises with his orphaned granddaughter, Flora. But when Sir Henry decides to leave Gossinger Hall to Hutchins, the butler winds up facedown in a twelfth-century privy. Flora, with the help of Sir Henry's heir, a young man named Vivian, are soon on the trail of the killer, but too soon, the killer is on Flora's trail. The hallmarks of Cannell's mysteries are her larger-than-life characters and the unexpected (and occasionally off-the-wall) twists that her plots take, and this book is no exception. Follow the clues and have a laugh at the same time. Ilene Cooper

Barron's second Jane Austen mystery (folling Jane and the Unpleasantness, LJ 4/1/96) takes place in the English seaside resort of Lyme Regis. This time, Jane's memoirs recount her romance with a clergyman under circumstance that call upon her sleuthing abilities. Historical fiction at its best.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.