MISS SEETON RULES

Away with the petty intrigues of the Kentish village of Plummergen and its equally petty rivalry with neighboring Murreystone. After besting Murreystone in a school essay contest, Plummergen is due for a visit from none other than Princess Georgina, darling of the royal family and all England, to congratulate the winning essayist and accept a bouquet at her hands. Who better to escort the inconsequential young winner than retired schoolteacher/Scotland Yard consultant Miss Emily Seeton, the Battling Brolly (Miss Seeton Undercover, p. 248, etc.) -- and who more likely than Miss Seeton to end up providing unwitting cover for a quartet of kidnappers (calling themselves Catesby, Rookwood, Keyes, and Winter -- quiz time for British historians) who have their eyes on Georgy Girl? Naturally, as soon as Miss Seeton is freed from her arrest for high treason, she's able to draw a sketch that sets the Yard on the trail of the abductors; and naturally, she soon falls into the villains' clutches herself, sharing an impromptu cell (don't worry: it's got all mod cons) with the Princess, who's just as woolly in her way as the indomitable Miss Seeton. Before the final heraldic flourish, there'll be a pair of homicides (one sabotaged auto, one exploding privy) and another revelatory drawing whose clue is based on a deliciously dim-witted pun. Grave, charming, and foolish -- the sort of case that suits Miss Seeton down to the ground.