The Reverse of the Medal

Amazon.com

Ashore between cruises, Captain Jack Aubrey is persuaded to sink some money into an investment scheme. Soon this innocent decision enmeshes him in various criminal and even treasonous enterprises, which threaten to destroy his entire career. Bad luck? A deliberate plot? Read this latest installment of the Aubrey-Maturin saga to find out.

Product Description

In the early 1800s, the British Navy stands as the only bulwark against the militant fanaticism of Napoleonic France.

Captain Jack Aubrey, R.N., ashore after a successful tour of duty, is persuaded by a casual acquaintance to make certain investments in the city. This innocent decision ensnares him in the London criminal underground and in government espionage, the province of his friend Stephen Maturin. Is Aubreys humiliation and the threatened ruin of his career a deliberate plot? This dark tale is a fitting backdrop to the brilliant characterization, sparkling dialogue, and meticulous detail which OBrians readers have come to expect.

Customer Reviews:

Reverse of the Medal.......2007-01-09

Just one of an awesome series focusing on "Lucky" Jack Aubrey and his friend, Dr. Steven Maturin (sp?). Series is a robust and rich historical men-at-sea and -at-war yarn that covers many years in the late 1700 to early 1800s. Ah-HA! (inside joke). Simon Vance's voice is excellent and each character is distinct.

Excellent addition to an excellent series........2006-12-04

This series is an absolute treasure, and I can't recommend it highly enough. I do, however, caution you on a couple of things. O'Brian is difficult to read. Well, that's not quite fair, it's not difficult, it's slow to read. Paragraphs can go on for a page and a half or longer, and that makes it difficult to digest all that happened.

Whatever you do, don't give in to the temptation to skip sections because they seem like long descriptions. If you take the time to read them, they seem to always offer some gems of wit and a sly turn of phrase; plus, O'Brian can resolve an entire dilemma or introduce a battle and the aftermath in a couple of sentences.

Looked at from a certain point of view, it actually enhances the story because you have to think about what you just read.

Read them all and read them in order. I can't speak to the rest of the series, but up until now it is superb.

Turning Point in the Aubrey/Maturin Novels.......2006-07-15

For those who are new to Patrick O'Brian- stop reading this review now, it might spoil some aspects of earlier novels. This volume of the Aubrey/Maturin Series is most definitely not a `stand alone'. There are a few of the previous books that you might manage jumping into without reading earlier books, but to do so in this one would be a mistake. Try the first novel, "Master and Commander", and you'll be well rewarded for your efforts. All in good time. . .

In "The Reverse of the Medal" Patrick O'Brian takes us devotees of Captain Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin back to England, as the H.M.S. Surprise returns from her long pursuit of an American frigate in the South Pacific. Following a brief interlude in the Caribbean, and a surprise from Jack Aubrey's past, the pages fly by the Surprise cruises on what may be her final chase through the Atlantic. In one of O'Brian's more bittersweet passages you will be thrilled by the naval maneuvering, but also saddened by the ship's impending doom: for the past two novels or so, the Surprise has avoided being sold out of the service by being sent to the South Pacific and now she is returning to that same fate- just a reminder for those who haven't read O'Brian in a while. Meanwhile Stephan Maturin is plagued by doubt and worries regarding his highly independent and volatile wife, Diana. For his intelligence activities in Malta have given rise to certain rumors that have traveled back to home, to the detriment of his domestic happiness. On top of this, Andrew Wray, the traitor who has been working against Maturin since "Treason's Harbour" and earlier, has been fanning the flames of Diana's anger in order to destroy Maturin.

The actual homecoming to England fascinated me more than usual this read around- in the past I just read through it, getting on to the more interesting sections of plot. However, now that I am personally on a military tour far from home and family, it amazes me how Aubrey and Maturin deal with their homecoming. Jack takes to hiding from his creditors in the Savoy, and continues to write letters to his wife. Stephen is dealt a shocking blow and manages it fairly well, although he relapses into the habit of laudanum. What would be considered a devastating homecoming by today's standards is to these men nothing out of the ordinary. It is just another facet of history and life during the early 1800's that O'Brian effortlessly brings to life- despite the fact that he is writing over 150 years after the fact.

What really stirs the plot for the series, however, is Jack Aubrey's usual ability to find trouble while ashore. This time the opportunity is provided to him at the hands of Wray and his sinister machinations. What seems an advantageous investment opportunity becomes a nightmare for Jack Aubrey, and results in a trial during which his name is smeared, he is financially fined and much worse. Jack Aubrey is dismissed from the service, and pilloried. This much you'll read from the back of the book, so nothing spoiled; but how these sections are written are absolutely some of O'Brian's best chapters. While Jack is being crushed under the legal landslide he can barely understand, Stephen comes to the fore- and as usual it involves his work in intelligence; this time arrayed to help his friend in need. I found Maturin's interactions with Joseph Blaine and the `thief-taker' they hire really developed the espionage aspect of the series. Blaine becomes a more fully developed character than the mysterious role he has taken in the past.

Not much more can be said without spoiling the excellent conclusion to the story, and I have no desire to do so. The final chapter will end and trust me, you will be immediately reaching for the next novel in the series, "The Letter of Marque".

You might also enjoy trying the novel "A Conspiracy of Paper" by David Liss if you like this novel a lot. It involves some similar topics: early stock trade and corruption, as well as the pratices of England's 'thief-takers'.

A Remarkable Series of Books.......2005-08-06

I have been an avid reader for many years, but I have never ever read novels of such sheer delight as the Patrick O'Brian series.
I could not put them down. They became a part of my everyday life...at times I laughed out loud and uncontrollably, at others I virtually wept, sobbing as I read the pages to my (grown up) children.
I tried to eke them out--make them last--but as in Dr. Maturin's case, (you'll have to read the books to understand), I had to have them.
What do I do when I finish my last book? It doesn't bear thinking about! I suppose I'll just start all over again...

Friends at a crossroads.......2005-07-12

If you've come this far in the series, then we are old friends. And that's how I felt when reading Reverse of the Medal: among old friends. And all of them at a crossroads in their lives. The Surprise is at a crossroads. Stephen is at a crossroads in his own life, and, of course, so is our good friend captain Jack Aubrey.

I'm not into summing up the plot, so here are the good and bad of this book, one of my favorite in the series.

Good:
1) The final voyage home of the Surprise is pure, exquisite beauty on a golden platter. I've been sailing before, but I've never sailed like the Surprise in the first half of the book. Everything was perfect and wonderful, and sets up perfectly the sorry events that happen later.
2) Stephen rises to the occasion. So often he's the nutty professor, choosing not to take sides and maintaining a respectful distance. I like to see him when he's taking action. One particular scene where he gets a little angry is particularly satisfying (no spoilers here!).
3) The pain we feel when Aubrey is exposed before the ungrateful, inhuman masses is perfectly brought about by O'Brien's show-don't-tell style. Aubrey becomes a somewhat Christ-like person, if you'll forgive the analogy. He's so basic and without guile that he becomes as admirable as he is pitiful. And the realism of Aubrey's eventual predicament in a certain courtyard is fascinating in its realism.
4) O'Brien has never failed to give the satisfying ending. This book was no exception. I really can't wait to see what happens next in the book - a little unusual for the series, this slight cliff-hanger.
5) the re-emergence of a character from another book, and the things he brings to the table is a fun twist that lifted my soul.
6) There was a really neat, Master And Commander tactic used during a sea-chase that I couldn't figure out until I DID figure it out, and then I was floored. It is in regards to what the crew was doing - and doing badly - during the chase.

Bad:
1) As with all the books, it is often difficult to keep the scenes placed properly as I read. One minute the main character is talking to person X, the next he is waving goodbye to person Y in another country (ok, not that bad, but you get the idea). I can live with it - the story is fantastic and the characters are a part of my family now.
2) Regarding number 6 above - I wish we could get more of those moments in the coming books. I really do love the sea battles and tactics. It seems throughout the series that you get almost all of that in the first 2 books and scattered here and there.

There you go - keep reading!

Teleny (The Reverse of the Medal) (Wordsworth Classic Erotica)

Average customer rating:

It depends on what you're looking for
Erotic Excellence
A complete edition at last
Victorian fun in a bizarre book

Teleny (The Reverse of the Medal) (Wordsworth Classic Erotica)
Oscar Wilde
Manufacturer: Wordsworth Edition
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Erotica | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Customer Reviews:

It depends on what you're looking for.......2006-06-15

Spoilers follow...

Before you read this book, consider what you want to get out of it...

Gay erotica? Only if you can happily read through the first half where all the sex is heterosexual.

Mixed gay/het erotica? Perhaps a good choice. However, a lot of the sex is gross. I mean sickening, not kinky. Ex: diseased prostitutes, dispassionate sex without mutual attraction, a ghastly injury, etc. There are two (het) rape scenes, both very grim. Even fans of rape erotica may not enjoy these scenes.

A good story? I didn't like any of the characters, especially the narcissistic narrator. Love is at first sight--aka for no obvious reason. The first half of the book (70 pages) is the narrator whining about his unwanted attraction for another man. The plot doesn't develop until the second half.

Historical picture of an era? Yes. Read this if you like books that paint vivid pictures. The era and people are captured nicely. Descriptions are rich without being overlong. Love gushes with flowerly prose. Everything gross is described so well you share the nausea with the narrator.

A great classic novel? Maybe. I hope this wasn't Wilde, because I like him better than this book, which is more gloomy than clever.

Note: The book has a lot of French phrases. With 2+ years of high-school French I was able to understand about half of them. You can follow the story without the French, if you have to.

Erotic Excellence.......2001-07-24

Teleny is undoubtably the finest example of an erotic novel that I have ever had the pleasure of reading. It flows smoothly and easily throughout the plot without becoming redundant or boring. The passion and conflicting emotions portrayed in these men are both riveting and timeless. I particularly enjoyed the subtle way in which sex and death, the two great constants, were so skillfully entertwined. The permanence of death serves to highlight the immediacy of our need to live life to the fullest extent. This is not a creampuff romance. It is a story of a passionate driving need to reach out and touch another human soul.

A complete edition at last.......2000-07-26

For anyone who has slogged through the artificial and self-conscious world of Victorian 'erotica', Teleny will seem both familiar and surprising. Written around 1893 by several anonymous writers of uneven ability, the novel claims our attention for two reasons. While the possibility that one of its writers was Oscar Wilde, an idea that grows more intriguing as one reads on, will probably remain its primary draw, it is also one of the first books to transcend its pornographic trappings and explore the emotional life of its protagonist. This progressive point of view, and the appropriately unaffected prose used to tell the tale, validate Teleny's position as the fountainhead of the modern approach to gender and sexuality in literature. Editor John McRae has succinctly summed up the circumstantial evidence of Oscar Wilde's authorship in his scholarly introduction to the only complete reprinting of the original text. This is not a case where the cheap edition just substitutes pulpier paper--for half the price you get half the book. Nor is Teleny for the weak stomach or the faint of heart. On the way to plumbing the depths of our human origins in our animal bodies, the book describes some extreme behavior. Readers who are offended by graphic descriptions of body parts and vividly imagined sex acts should look elsewhere. ON the other hand, those who would enjoy erotica more if it paid more attention to the sensuous and subjective experience may find something to celebrate.

Victorian fun in a bizarre book.......1998-11-07

"Teleny" has long been an outlawed book and in many senses still is. The fact that it is only published by the occasional gay press is symptomatic, and only its presumed author has rescued this book from oblivion I fear. Its subject matter obviously excludes the book from the mainstream of literature, though in my opinion it is well worth reading for any open-minded lover of literature (as the unusual heterosexual female reading this book I think I can afford to say this). "Teleny" is a bizarre and confused book (due to its diverse authors) but never quite lets go of the storyline. The Victorian coyness of the many euphemisms used is quite touching in so explicit a book, and as a story "Teleny" is quite charming and tragic. The style may not be consistent, it is never banal and often witty (how otherwise could anyone even think it was Wilde's?). It is definitely the sort of book that if you start reading it -unless you're a prude- you'll finish. However, if you want to read this book because you think it is Wilde's, and you like his work, you'll find it is never quite up to his standards. If on the other hand you like Wilde and think he was fascinating, read this book: whoever wrote it gives an interesting outlook on the darker side of that famous life. If you love Wilde and are gay, well, read this, you won't have had so much fun reading a literary pornographic novel for a long time.

Teleny or the Reverse of the Medal (Illustrated gay erotic classic)

Average customer rating:

Homoerotic novel, erotically illustrated

Teleny or the Reverse of the Medal (Illustrated gay erotic classic)
Oscar Wilde , and Anonymous
Manufacturer: Mondial
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Classics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 1595690360

Book Description

The homoerotic novel Teleny is an important antithesis to the prudish idealism of the neo-classic and neo-romantic lyric love poetry of the fin du siecle. It is a work of unmasking the cynical double moral standards of the Victorian era: The love of Camille and Teleny is shattered by social reprisals. The book was published in 1893 in 200 copies by Leonard Smithers who praised it as being "the most powerful and cleverly written erotic romance which has appeared in the English language" during that era, "a book that will certainly rank as the chief of its class."

Download Description

Groundbreaking work of gay erotica, love and obsession, offering a glimpse of how Victorian homosexuals viewed themselves. Primarily about the love affair between Teleny and Des Grieux, Teleny is also groundbreaking in its character of Briancourt, a dandy who threatens to out the narrator. First published in 1893 by Leonard Smithers, believed to be written by Oscar Wilde, with several others chipping in.

Customer Reviews:

Homoerotic novel, erotically illustrated.......2006-03-27

Teleny is a homoerotic novel and important antithesis to the prudish idealism of the neo-classic and neo-romantic lyric love poetry of the "fin de siècle". The book about the gay love between the rich Camille and the struggling, but sexy pianist Teleny was published in 1893 in 200 copies. The partially very graphic text is accompanied by tasteful erotic linocuts by Uday K. Dhar (New York).

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The Reverse of the Medal

Manufacturer: Recorded Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette

General | Books on Cassette | Audiobooks | Formats | Books

ASIN: 0788701452

Product Description

Eleventh book in the series finds Captain Jack and the ship's surgeon ,Stephen Maturin, aboard the HMS Surprise in pursuit of an elusive privateer.

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The Reverse of the Medal
Patrick Obrien
Manufacturer: Recorded Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000KDJKYY

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The Reverse of the Medal
O'Brian Patrick
Manufacturer: Collins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000M66Y7K

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The Reverse of the Medal
Patrick O'Brian
Manufacturer: Collins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Historical | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0002227339

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the Reverse of the Medal
Patrick O'Brien
Manufacturer: W. W. Norton
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000IV7NIS

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The Reverse of the Medal (11)

Manufacturer: Borders/Recorded Books, LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: CD-ROM
ASIN: 1402570716

The Reverse of the Medal (Master and Commander Series)

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The Reverse of the Medal (Master and Commander Series)
Patrick O'Brian
Manufacturer: Easton Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Leather Bound
ASIN: B000KW93MO

Product Description

Brand new! LEATHER BOUND book accented in 22kt gold!

Book Description

The author of Peter Rabbit and other tales, Beatrix Potter is still, after a century, beloved by children and adults worldwide. In this first Cottage Tale, Albert introduces Beatrix, an animal lover and Good Samaritan with a knack for solving mysteries. With help from her entourage of talking animal friends, Beatrix sets out to win over the human hearts of Sawrey, where she's just bought an old farm--and plans to stay.

Customer Reviews:

A clever cozy series.......2007-09-05

I'm so happy to have discovered the Beatrix Potter mysteries. What a gem! The writing is clever, the characters - both human and animal - are thoroughly engaging, and the author's physical descriptions of the Lake District where the book takes place is first-rate. I love mysteries that take place in small English villages with characters that are so real you feel as though they could walk off the page and enter your life.

The mystery itself is not deep or involved, but the author's engaging writing of English village life more than makes up for it. This is the ideal book to read on a weekend afternoon with a cup of tea and a scone.

Beatrix Potter buys a farm..........2007-09-05

It's England in 1905, Beatrix Potter has purchased Hill Top Farm in Near Sawrey in the Lake District. Local farmers are upset that the farm is now owned by an outsider and a woman at that. On arrival, Beatrix Potter finds the woman she was to board with, Abigail Tolliver, has died unexpectedly and foul play is suspected. Beatrix rents a room at Belle Greene and begins to get a feel for her farm from Mr. Jennings who she hopes will stay on to run it for her. But the town is uneasy with Miss Tolliver's death, a missing painting, a theft at the school, a head teacher that seem bent on mischief and mayhem, and now a London woman owning a local farm.

Since the book is based on an actual historical figure, Beatrix Potter, the story must fit into the spaces in her life not covered by her diaries, writings, letters, and other documentation. I haven't read much about Potter and knew little of her except for her children's books and her love of nature, biology, and science. I was enchanted by the story. The character of Beatrix Potter is rich in contradictions and yet steeped in the traditions and strictures of her time. Albert has given us a woman who yearned for love, independence, and growth but who felt obligated to obey her parents every whim at the expense of her own happiness. Yet, Potter's mind is quick, concise, and her courage, especially when needed by others, is unfailing. I hope to be able to take advantage of some of the suggested resources listed in the back of the book to learn more of Beatrix Potter's life.

The story is a wonderful mix of characters including animals as well as humans. The point of view shifts from the animal views to those of humans with distinct and interesting contrasts for the same events. The mystery is low key and while the solution is fitting and satisfying it's not so much the mystery as the wonderful insights into small town mores and society. This is truly a town filled with believeable people living their lives in 1905 England.

Reading the story is a quite trip in time and a delightful vacation in another place with people you may end up caring about as if they were your own neighbors.

Book also contains a Historical Note, Glossary, List of Resources, and recipes for Tatie Pot, Sponge Cake, Elsa'a Grape's Gooseberry Sauce, Bertha Stubbs's Rhubarb and Strawberry Tart, Gingersnaps, and Mrs. Stokes's Treacle Pudding.

Cute but Slow.......2007-03-09

Beatrix Potter, successful author, has bought a farm in the Lake District of England. She loves the area and is hoping to use it to set up an independent life from her parents.

She expects peace and quite in the village of Near Sawrey. But on her first visit, she realizes that's not to be.

Miss Tolliver passed away rather unexpectedly on her birthday. Her death was a shock to all, and the village is buzzing. Additionally, things seem to be disappearing around the village, and Miss Potter gets caught up in the middle.

All this is on top of the personal problems Miss Potter faces. She's still reeling from the death of her fiance just a few months before. And, while she may own Hill Top Farm, she must figure out a way to live there while keeping the current farmers there to run it for her.

I went back and forth on whether I enjoyed the book or not. The pacing is slow, and at times I was ready for things to speed up. Yet at other times I got caught up in events and couldn't put the book down.

The characters were interesting. I especially like the portrayal of Beatrix. I completely believed her temperament from the little I know about this period of her life.

Since the book is about Beatrix Potter, there are lots of animals in the story. While they can't communicate with humans, they can talk to each other and actually play an important part in the story. It's handled in a believable way but might bother those who don't like that kind of thing.

There were parts that were enjoyable, but on the whole it was an average read.

Delightful English Cozy Mixes Beatrix Potter's Animal Tales with Murder.......2006-07-30

"The Tale of Hill Top Farm" is a delightful debut story in an engaging new mystery series by veteran mystery writer Susan Wittig Albert. Ms. Albert has done a fine job of blending biographical information from the life of Beatrix Potter (author of "The Tale of Peter Rabbit" and other children's tales) with a compelling murder mystery of her own imagining.

This story introduces the reader to the real Lake Country Village of Sawrey, along with a large host of imagined village inhabitants. As the story opens, one of the village's middle-aged spinsters is found dead in her cottage on the day right after her birthday. The venerable Miss Abigail Tolliver seemed healthy enough at her birthday celebration, and when the village doctor pronounces that she passed due to heart trouble, the local gossips are quick to suspect that Miss Tolliver was poisoned. When Miss Beatrix Potter arrives in town to survey her newly purchased farm, she finds herself looking for answers to the mystery surrounding Miss Tolliver's death. Other strange goings-on in the village include the loss of the Parish Village Register, which contains the church records of the village, and the mysteriouos disappearance of a large sum of money donated to repair the village school roof. The village animals also get involved in trying to solve these mysteries.

Just like the Peter Rabbit stories, all the village animals can talk, but not all the humans can understand them. The animals in this story are embued with much personality, as are the village locals.

I have thoroughly enjoyed Ms. Albert's China Bayles series, and I expect that this series will be one to savor as well.

Another engaging cozy........2006-03-28

Susan Wittig Albert (and her husband) are no strangers to creating characters that live and breathe. This author has yet again managed to create a very engaging story along with her quirky characters. In this series her animal characters are just as believable and enjoyable as the human characters are. I am planning to read it as one of our family read aloud stories, even though I just finished reading it and am looking forward to the next installment of this series.

The Tale of Hill Top Farm: The Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter (Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter Mysteries)

Average customer rating:

Very Charming
I love this series.
Cute Country Tale
Beatrix Potter vs. the Crabbe Woman
A Special Type of "Mystery"

The Tale of Hill Top Farm: The Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter (Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter Mysteries)
Susan Wittig Albert
Manufacturer: Berkley Hardcover
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

British Detectives | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

General | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

Historical | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0425196348
Release Date: 2004-09-28

Book Description

The author of Peter Rabbit and other creature tales, Beatrix Potter is still, after a century, beloved by children and adults the world over. In this first Cottage Tale, Albert introduces Beatrix, an animal lover who has just bought a farm in England's beautiful Lake District. As Beatrix tries to win over the hearts of her fellow villagers, her animal friends set out to solve a mystery all their own.

Customer Reviews:

Very Charming.......2007-06-16

An historical yet fictional cozy mystery account of Beatrix Potter's life. After purchasing a farm in the charming english countryside in 1905, Beatrix's characters come to life and help their human solve the mystery. A must have for any Beatrix Potter fan and a definite keeper.

I love this series........2007-03-05

I love all the books in this series. This is as good as the others. Can't wait for more.

Cute Country Tale.......2006-01-04

This book was listed as a mystery and, although it begins with a suspicious death, this is not a whodunit. Rather, The Tale of Hill Top Farm is a country tale that follows the life of Beatrix Potter and the townsfolk. There is a very interesting group of people in the book and they are all fictional (with the exception of Beatrix and William Heelis). Basically, Beatrix purchases the Hill Top Farm in the small village of Near Sawrey, and the book follows her interactions and struggles. It is weird - at first - to read a fictional book starring a real-life person; plus, the small animals in the book have spoken lines. The animals talk to the humans, but they can't be heard except to other animals. While some reviewers were put-off by the talking animals, I thought it was a sweet addition, and the animals actually help move the plot along. The story is rather `slow' in the sense that there is no action, really. This is a character-driven book in the small country, so you won't zip through this book at the same pace as an adventure or typical mystery. The book reminded me (a bit) of the Mitford series by Jan Karon, but without the religious messages. Overall, the book is very charming and I'll continuing reading the series.

Beatrix Potter vs. the Crabbe Woman.......2005-11-16

I have read the entire series of "Victorian Mysteries" written by Mrs. Albert and her husband under the name of Robin Paige and have found most of the books in that series to be quite good. I was particularly impressed with the entry in that series that featured Beatrix Potter and so I was sure that I would really like this new series that would revolve entirely around the famous author of children's books.

This series is based on Potter's real life purchase of Hill Top Farm in England's Lake District and features not only a captivating set of villagers but also an eclectic group of mystery solving animals. Both the people and the animals of the village are a gossipy bunch and both tend to make mountains out of molehills and spread inaccurate speculation. In the case of this book however these things may be a virtue for although there are several little mysteries running along as secondary plot lines all of the mysteries are quite shallow and could use any weight that the village grapevine might add to them.

It seems to be the style of this author to use the first book in a series as an introductory volume that introduces her readers to both the characters and setting of the series. That is certainly what she has done here for if the depth of the mystery content of this book were a creek one could wade across it without getting the top of ones feet wet. One of the main mysteries in this book for example is that an entire two pounds has gone missing and its disappearance has the ever-domineering Miss Myrtle Crabbe on the warpath. I'm sorry but this is just not the kind of despicable crime that would get the attention of Sherlock Holmes, or even Agatha Raisin for that matter. Now that the setting and characters have been introduced I have high hopes for the next entry and am expecting to find a little bit more meat in that book's mystery stew.

As usual however, Mrs. Albert has a delightful writing style and her ability to create characters that are fanciful but still realistic never ceases to amaze. Her animal characterizations are so good that they rival those of Beatrix Potter herself and include an owl with a recipe book for cooking rat and a cat that is afraid of heights. Add to that a couple of art thieves, a missing Parish register and a mouse that drinks champagne and what you get is a delightfully fun warm fuzzy mystery of the cozy variety. With just a spoonful or two more of actual mystery I think that this author will again have found the recipe for success.

A Special Type of "Mystery".......2005-10-09

The Tale of Hill Top Farm is the first of a series which centers around the imagined life of Beatrix Potter, famed author of The Tale of Peter Rabbit and many other beloved children's books. The facts of her life are adhered to: her growing literary success; her difficult and cold upper class parents; the death from a sudden onset leukemia of her fiance and editor; her purchase of a small farm in the English Lake Country. But, the events surrounding the "mystery" are Susan Wittig Albert's contribution - the excellent description of the countryside and the times (later 1800's), the people, the speech patterns,etc. are done "in the manner of" Beatrix Potter...and well done.

Accustomed as we are to rip-tide quick action packed thrillers, it takes a bit to switch to Ms. Potter's/Ms. Albert's 19th century charm and pace. Don't be put off by the need to "switch gears"...it is a pleasure to have a different pace to a mystery. And the characters, including animals a la Potter, are wonderful.

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