Miss Blaine’s Prefect and the Golden Samovar
Book 1 of 4 in Miss Blaine’s Prefect
Fifty-something Shona is a proud former pupil of the Marcia Blaine School for Girls, but has a deep loathing for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, which she thinks gives her alma mater a bad name.
Impeccably educated and an accomplished martial artist, linguist and musician, Shona is thrilled when selected by Marcia Blaine herself to travel back in time for a one-week mission in 19th-century Russia: to pair up the beautiful, shy, orphaned heiress Lidia Ivanovna with Sasha, a gorgeous young man of unexplained origins.
But, despite all her accomplishments and good intentions, Shona might well have got the wrong end of the stick about her mission. As the body count rises, will she discover in time just who the real villain is?
Reviews
“Wojtas’ debut is every bit as light-hearted, level-headed, inventive, hilarious, and altogether enchanting as its heroine, who richly deserves another jaunt through time and space.”
Kirkus (starred review)
“This is a delightful addition to the ranks of comic crime, mixing sharp observation with a lightness of touch.”
Laura Wilson, Guardian
“A thrilling and fast-paced tale of time-travel, murder, mayhem, matchmaking and manners … written with verve, lightness of touch and joie de vivre … unadulterated fun.”
Alistair Braidwood, Scots Whay Hae
“A hefty dose of Jane Austen stylings and Stella Gibbons satirical wit … Like a sliver of sponge cake on a dainty tea plate, Miss Blaine’s Prefect… is light, fluffy, sweet and delightfully insubstantial.”
Scotsman
"If you read one new author this year, make it this one - the crème de la crème of crime fiction debuts."
Al Guthrie
"Anna Karenina written by P.G. Wodehouse."
Linda Cracknell
"I loved this book. Shona is a unique sleuth whose mission made for most entertaining reading."
Alex Gray
"Knowing, original and very funny that rare thing, a successfully comic crime novel."
Simon Brett
"Miss Blaine's Prefect is a triumph a sparky, witty rollercoaster ... that had me in stitches. Can't wait for the next adventure."
Angus Roxburgh
"What a refreshing change to have an older protagonist the characters jump right off the page It's full of real laugh-out-loud humour suspense, fantastic characters, and [I was] transported back in time."
It's All About the Books
"Laugh-out-loud funny and a real charmer of a book a dazzling array of characters that truly come to life in this outrageous and irresistible comedy."
Live and Deadly
"Marvellous [a] laugh-out-loud farce Readers will appreciate the skill with which Wojtas mirrors Spark's style."
Publishers Weekly (starred review)
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