In her fourth historical romance novel, Our Dear Miss H. Is on the Case, Violet Marsh sends her Georgian-era characters on a wildly entertaining adventure whose breakneck pace matches the speed of their daring curricle rides.
Miss Georgina Harrington, a brilliant antiquarian who must publish her work under her cousin Percy's name to be taken seriously, is elated to discover a valuable helmet in a barrow on her Essex property. Soon, however, both the helmet and Percy go missing, and Georgina heads to London to find them (while evading her brother's plans to marry her off) with help from her mischievous dog, a fluffy rooster, and Percy's annoyingly handsome best friend, Alexander.
Marsh brings her characters to the Black Sheep coffeehouse, the raucous, joyful establishment first introduced in Lady Charlotte Always Gets Her Man, with its motley but kind and whip smart assortment of owners and patrons, among them Alexander's cousins. Though Georgina is initially hesitant to trust her new friends, she gradually accepts their help, with results that prove both effective and hilarious, especially when more animals get involved. Alexander, whose father has always been ashamed of his son's clubfoot, has trust issues of his own. But as he and Georgina join forces, they open up to each other--and hope a dastardly plot against the monarchy doesn't foil their plans for romance. Fans of screwball comedies, English history, and independent women will find much to enjoy in Marsh's witty narrative--as long as they don't mind a few chicken feathers. --Katie Noah Gibson, blogger at Cakes, Tea and Dreams