JULIA STUART is an award-winning journalist and the author of two previous novels, The Tower, The Zoo, and the Tortoise and The Matchmaker of Perigord. She lives in London.
""Cracking a Julia Stuart novel is like opening the door of an old-fashioned English tearoom. A bell tinkles merrily, and you enter a cozy world all the more inviting for being slightly claustrophobic."" —The Washington Post ""With the wit of P.G. Wodehouse, the cunning of Agatha Christie, the tartness of Angela Thirkell and the Schadenfreude of Ruth Rendell - as well as her own startling originality of imagination - Stuart has blessed readers with a novel that's endlessly entertaining and ultimately tender. Even Mink's rescuer, dour old Queen Victoria, might have been amused."" —Richmond Times-Dispatch ""Quirky characters, a feisty protagonist, a clever mystery and the requisite historical tidbits combine for an amusing read."" —Kirkus Reviews ""A delicate yet kooky romp. . . . As Mink investigates, she finds something surprising: a group of people filled less with malice than with a desire for love in a world that offers little of it. Their longing gives them a zany wisdom that helps Mink find her own place in the world."" —Oprah.com, ""Book of the Week"" ""The enchanting aspect of Julia Stuart's confections of books about English legends is that she does her historical homework, then tarts it up to poke the aristocracy in the eye."" —The Washington Times ""Fans of Stuart’s novel The Tower, the Zoo, and the Tortoise will find the same wit on display. ."" —Publishers Weekly