The Tale of Hilltop Farm

As I've mentioned, I love mysteries, and I love children's books, so I've been wanting to read Susan Wittig Albert's Cottage Tales for a while. I finally bought the first one this weekend and read the whole thing yesterday morning.
If you aren't familiar with this series, Beatrix Potter is one of the main characters (thus the children's lit connection). Other characters include her pets, Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle the hedge-hog, Josey & Mopsy the rabbits & Tom Thumb the mouse, and the local cats & dogs. The setting is Near Sawrey, England, where, in this first in the series, Miss Potter has just purchased Hilltop Farm. Upon arriving in Near Sawrey to inspect her new purchase, Miss Potter find the local lady she was to stay with has died rather suddenly, and the villagers are speculating about the cause of death. Add to this a missing parish registry, a stolen envelope of money and some very disgruntled tenants and Miss Potter is quickly disabused of her visions of tranquil village life.
A wonderfully fun cozy mystery, this will have very little appeal to teens, but great appeal to fans of mysteries or of Beatrix Potter. Like so many of the other popular series with "real" detectives, this is a great combination of historical fact - Potter really did buy Hilltop Farm in 1905 and eventually moved there - and fun fancy. I'm making a trip to the local library for the next volume in the series tonight!

What I'm Reading: The Trouble With Magic by Madelyn Alt
On My Bookshelf: The Tale of Holly How by Susan Wittig Albert (or it will be after I get to the library...)