Turtledove

I've just read this one. It's a competently written Nancy Drew analog, and will produce one historical figure article and quite a few hist refs and lit refs, including a king. The characters are likable and lively, even if a few fall into one-note stock character ruts. Definitely better than her husband's attempts to write detective stories. Sadly, the quality takes a nosedive about 70% of the way through, introducing a villain who dresses up as a ghost and would have gotten away with it if it hadn't been for those meddling grad students. The archaeological bit, which produces the aforementioned new references, promises to reveal a cagey secret history a la Dan Brown, but this is forgotten as the relevant artifacts turn into a mere macguffin for the lamely melodramatic chase climax. Even more irritating, a teasing moment seems to foreshadow a direct appearance by Prince Charles, which ultimately doesn't happen.Matthew Babe Stevenson (talk) 20:07, July 26, 2019 (UTC)

He's a tough one to pin down, that prince. Turtle Fan (talk) 21:43, July 26, 2019 (UTC)

Book unavailable[]

I created the articles for this novel, but no longer have access to the book. I used to get it, and The Case of the Toxic Spell Dump, and Thessalonica, delivered to my home town in Southern Jefferson from a Los Angeles university library, but that library has apparently withdrawn from the greater California cross-county network in the past 2 years.Matthew Babe Stevenson (talk) 18:48, 3 October 2022 (UTC)