Gretel and the Case of the Missing Frog Prints

December 1, 2014
Bestseller Brackston (The Witch’s Daughter) melds folktale whimsy with a sardonic adult voice in the rollicking first of a new series set in 1776 Bavaria. Gretel, now grown up and living with witless older brother Hans in provincial Gesternstadt, funds her love of fine things by working as a private detective. When a messenger from Nuremberg dies after delivering a plea to Gretel for her services on behalf of another party, lawman Kapitan Strudel suspects Gretel of his murder, and sister and brother flee to Nuremberg. There Gretel discovers that priceless prints depicting frogs, created by client Albrecht Durer the Much Much Younger’s famous relative, have been stolen. A kinky art collector is killed, and Durer’s greedy nephew is suspected before Gretel can identify the perpetrators of both crimes. Along the way, talking mice and hobgoblins share clues, the world’s largest sausage explodes, and famous fairy tale characters make amusing cameo appearances. Agent: Kate Hordern, Kate Hordern Literary Agency.

February 1, 2015

When the messenger arrived on Gretel's doorstep, he was just able to pass on his missive before dying. Albrecht Durer the Much Much Younger has had his Frog Prints stolen, and he knows just the sleuth to solve this mystery: Bavaria's most famous PI. All grown up but still living with her brother Hans, Gretel jumps at the chance to check out the city of Nuremberg. Not even its annual sausage festival will get in the way of her search for the thief. With the not-so-helpful assistance of Hans, his school chum Wolfie, and some verbose mice, Gretel is determined to crack this case before the last bratwurst is consumed. VERDICT Brackston's (The Witch's Daughter) deft mystery (and series launch) set in 18th-century Germany dances a fine line between spoof and satire, with a hearty mix of fairy-tale lore thrown in. Larger-than-life characters are balanced with a smart plot that is sure to appeal to fans of Jasper Fforde's "Nursery Crime" series.

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