Review

Promiss to be a series with legs-and tails. (_Publishers Weekly_) Endearing...resonates with charm...sleuth Beatrix positively shines. (_School Library Journal_)

Product 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.

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. As in 2004's The Tale of Hill Top Farm, Albert skillfully blends fact and fiction in her second Beatrix Potter tale set in the quaint English Lake District village of Near Sawrey. Beatrix is in the midst of renovating Hill Top Farm when she discovers the body of Ben Hornby, a local sheep owner who has recently had more than his share of bad luck. She suspects foul play and joins the local constable and real-life solicitor William Heelis in investigating the cause of Hornby's demise. Still reeling from the sudden death of her fiancé, Beatrix becomes more involved with her fellow villagers, in particular 11-year-old Caroline, who lives with her grandmother, Lady Longforth. Vivid descriptions of Sawrey and its environs, attractive human characters and unobtrusive animals with delightful personalities combine to create a mystery that's a stellar tribute to the famous children's author. As charming as the "little books" themselves, this is sure to delight Beatrix Potter fans and cozy lovers everywhere. (July 5)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School–In this second entry in a delightful and cozy mystery series, Albert hits her stride. Miss Potter is starting to make a life for herself, both on her farm and in the villages of Far and Near Sawrey. She's acquired a herd of Herdwick sheep, is remodeling the farmhouse, and is slowly recovering from the death of her fiancé. Nefarious and curious events begin to happen: the body of a local shepherd is found at the base of a cliff; a pair of badgers is missing, presumably to be used in an illegal badger-baiting fight; and rich Lady Longford is putting forward her own candidate to teach in the Sawrey School. The animals (who can talk to one another) have been joined by the redoubtable Professor Galileo Newton Owl and the stalwart Bosworth Badger XVII, hotelier and genealogist of the badger clan. The plot moves swiftly and surely, with deft characterizations and comic charm, culminating in a rally of Big Folk and animals to save the innocent and punish the guilty. As in the first Cottage Tale, Albert has included research resources, recipes, a glossary, a map, an author's note, and a particularly helpful cast of characters. Teens will enjoy this small gem of a mystery revolving around the sweet Miss Potter, her neighbors, and the charming creatures she holds dear._–Jane Halsall, McHenry Public Library District, IL_
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Publishers Weekly

At the start of Albert's enchanting third Beatrix Potter mystery set in England's Lake District (after 2005's The Tale of Holy How), Miss Potter discovers that her beloved Hill Top Farm is overrun with rats. In the nearby town of Far Sawrey, mild-mannered vicar Samuel Sackett also finds himself plagued with unwanted visitors: a cousin and his wife who have long overstayed their welcome. There are also rumors that a mysterious Mr. Richardson plans to build holiday villas on the shores of Lake Windermere, and he appears to be in league with Mrs. Kittredge, the beautiful new wife of the master of Raven Hall. Ridley Rattail, one of Hill Top Farm's resident rats, contrives to rid the farm of its unwanted rodents, but when his program backfires, he must seek a way to redeem the situation. Rich descriptions of the countryside and the imaginative rendering of the animal characters make this gentle tale a delight from start to finish. (July)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

In this third installment in the Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter, the Edwardian-era cozy series from the author of the China Bayles mysteries, Miss Potter seals her reputation for untangling intrigues in her Lake District village. While she waylays the schemes of two swindlers and joins village children in a search for the area's legendary fairies, whimsical subplots (a series staple) reveal interactions among canny, talkative, and occasionally even well-dressed members of the animal community. Readers inclined to judge such elements twee in a book for grown-ups aren't likely to warm to this series, but those who--like Albert's heroine--champion the benefits of "dreaming, imagining, creating, improvising, and fancying" will find themselves happily absorbed, to the point of forgiving the awkward manner in which facts about the historical Potter are plunked into the fiction. Extensive character lists and recipes to rumble the stomachs of anglophiles (bubble and squeak, sticky buns) flesh out this amiably realized world, in which lapses in good feelings and right behavior are always passing anomalies. Jennifer Mattson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

From Publishers Weekly

Albert's charming fourth Beatrix Potter mystery (after 2006's The Tale of Cuckoo Brow Wood) finds our heroine unexpectedly in possession of a foundling child, Baby Flora. The reader knows the mysteriously twinkly Mrs. Overthewall stole Flora from her teenage mother, Emily, a maid at the gloomy and possibly haunted Hawthorn House, and left her on the Potter doorstep, but Beatrix—not having read the prologue—suspects the child of having gypsy origins. Capt. Miles Woodcock and his sister, Dimity, gladly give Flora a new home, leaving Beatrix to solve the mystery of her old one. Other thoughts of families and youngsters abound: Jemima Puddleduck broods over a nest of long overdue eggs; Reynard the Fox struggles with his unnatural fondness for Jemima; and the village gossips bring all their matchmaking powers to bear on Beatrix and the highly eligible Captain Woodcock. The whimsical blend of romance, mystery and nostalgia will keep cozy fans happily entertained. (Sept.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Product Description

Miss Beatrix Potter finds the abandoned Baby Flora—and a scarab ring—on her doorstep. An investigation reveals that the ring was pawned and reclaimed by a resident of the vacant and supposedly haunted Hawthorn House. Now Beatrix and her animal friends are left pondering these utterly puzzling happenings.

From Publishers Weekly

At the start of Albert's delightful fifth cottage tale (after 2007's The Tale of Hawthorn House), Beatrix Potter, dismayed by the frosty atmosphere at home in London with her demanding parents, returns to Hill Top Farm in the Lake District, where she gets caught in a blizzard. As she catches up on local gossip, Beatrix learns of the demise of a longtime resident, Hugh Wickstead, killed by a falling tree limb in the woods. Was Hugh the victim of a curse after he unearthed ancient treasure? Of course, the animals have their own stories to tell, and Beatrix turns to them for help in the investigation. Familiar creatures pop up along the way, including Pickles, a fox terrier that belonged to Hugh and may hold the secret to his master's death. As Beatrix reconnects with village life, her 1909 book, The Tale of Ginger and Pickles, begins to take shape. Readers will delight in Albert's special blend of fact and fiction. (Oct.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Starred Review This whimsical, amiable, enchanting, gentle, and charming tale is the fifth (and best) in Sharon Wittig Albert’s series featuring Miss Beatrix Potter. It succeeds on many levels and for many audiences. Readers should not expect a traditional mystery as there is no murder; instead, there is a series of intrigues to be untangled by the tactful Miss Potter. The puzzles include the death of the antiquarian Hugh Wickstead (killed by a falling treetop), a fireball burning down a barn, the mysterious appearance of a long-lost sister of Mr. Wickstead, and a missing treasure. This is also a fantasy, with talking animals and dragons who seem to know more about the puzzles than any of the humans. In true old-fashioned style, the narrator is omniscient and regularly tells the reader information to which the book’s characters are not privy. This technique was used by Potter herself in her little tales and by Baum in the Oz books. There is also a real-life romance beginning to flourish between the two “real” characters, Beatrix Potter and her solicitor, Will Heelis. On yet another level, this is an engaging historical novel imparting much information about the life of Beatrix Potter in December 1909 in the village of Near Sawrey in the Lake District of England. Readers who begin with the open mind of a child will be well rewarded. --Judy Coon

Product Description

The latest delightful tale in Albert's Beatrix Potter series.

Out of spite for having his haystacks burnt, Mr. Harmsworth barricades a common path through his orchard-and Tabitha Twitchet and her Cat Council want answers. Reliable witnesses, including some Big Folk, say the arson was the handiwork of a lantern-wielding specter. The mournful ghost has a message-and Miss Potter, for one, hopes to figure it out.

Meanwhile in Sawrey, romance buds between the schoolmarm and a confirmed bachelor; Hyacinth Badger hopes to be the first female to earn the Badger Badge of Honor; and a rumor has Beatrix and the solicitor practically betrothed. But the matter of the barricade involves everyone-and Miss Potter and her friends might have to take matters into their own hands-and paws.

About the Author

Susan Wittig Albert grew up in Illinois and earned her Ph.D. at UC- Berkeley. A former English professor, university administrator and vice- president, she also writes the China Bayles mysteries. She and her husband co- author a series of Victorian-Edwardian mysteries under the name Robin Paige.

Kurzbeschreibung

Immer wieder hat Nola erotische Träume von einem Mann und wacht danach mit Kratzern am ganzen Körper auf. Der Werwolf Maksym Derenski erfährt von Nolas Träumen und hat den Verdacht, dass sein Feind Rhodry Monroe, Anführer der schottischen Werwölfe, hinter den Träumen steckt. Maksym heftet sich an Nolas Fersen, um über sie Rhodry ausfindig zu machen. Die immer drängender werdenden Träume ziehen Nola nach Schottland, nach Shavick Castle, dem Stammsitz der Monroes. Dort angekommen, wird sie von Rhodry in die Vergangenheit, in das Jahr 1818, gezogen, da sie seine Seelenpartnerin ist und er nur durch sie befreit werden kann. Rhodry und Nola schweben in großer Gefahr, denn Maksym und seine Häscher wollen Rhodry und seinen Clan sowohl in der Gegenwart als auch in der Vergangenheit vernichten ...