The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place

Jayne Entwistle is a wry, spirited narrator, and her scratchy, warm voice is expertly matched to this dark comedy. When their headmistress and her brother die unexpectedly, the students of St. Etheldreda's school must think quickly, keep up appearances, and attempt to solve their murder before anyone is the wiser. The language of this story is almost Victorian, but Entwistle keeps events and characters clear, and her meticulous pacing is well suited to a murder mystery. Despite the gruesome deaths and the ensuing intrigue, Berry's wickedly hilarious group of intelligent, triumphant young women and Entwistle's range of emotions and characterizations make this piece a compelling listen. K.S.B. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine

Starred review from July 14, 2014
Readers with a penchant for dark humor will relish Berry’s (All the Truth That’s in Me) tongue-in-cheek murder mystery set in a late-19th-century British girls’ boarding school. The St. Etheldreda’s School for Young Ladies, run by stern headmistress Constance Plackett, may not be paradise for its residents, but the students get an unanticipated break from their dull routines when Plackett and her odious brother drop dead at the dinner
table one spring evening, apparently poisoned. Knowing opportunity when they see it, the girls hatch a scheme to dispose of the bodies and run the school on their own. Unfortunately, a killer is on the loose, and the girls could be the next victims. The pupils’ attempts to convince the public that everything is normal at the school make for some hilarious scenes, and their efforts to find the murderer result in surprising encounters with suspicious (but often quite appealing)
suspects. Romance blooms in unexpected places, and danger lurks around every corner in this delightfully farcical tale, full
of twists and turns. Ages 10–14. Agent:
Alyssa Eisner Henkin, Trident Media Group.