The Tale of Hawthorn House: The Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter [Hardcover]

Susan Wittig Albert (Author)

Book Description

Series: The Cottage Tales of Beatrix P | Publication Date: September 4, 2007

A brand-new mystery in the endearing Beatrix Potter series from a national bestselling author.

During Sawrey's annual summer fte, Miss Beatrix Potter receives an unexpected visitor in the form of Baby Flora, left in a basket on her doorstep with a note, a sprig of hawthorn, and a scarab ring. All Beatrix knows about Flora's previous guardian is that she was a gray-haired woman, capable of scaling a brick wall in seconds.

An investigation reveals that the ring was pawned and reclaimed in Sawrey by a resident of Hawthorn House. The legendary manor is supposed to be vacant-and rumored to be haunted. Now Beatrix and her animal friends are left pondering the possible involvement of fairy folk in these utterly puzzling happenings.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Albert's charming fourth Beatrix Potter mystery (after 2006's The Tale of Cuckoo Brow Wood) finds our heroine unexpectedly in possession of a foundling child, Baby Flora. The reader knows the mysteriously twinkly Mrs. Overthewall stole Flora from her teenage mother, Emily, a maid at the gloomy and possibly haunted Hawthorn House, and left her on the Potter doorstep, but Beatrix—not having read the prologue—suspects the child of having gypsy origins. Capt. Miles Woodcock and his sister, Dimity, gladly give Flora a new home, leaving Beatrix to solve the mystery of her old one. Other thoughts of families and youngsters abound: Jemima Puddleduck broods over a nest of long overdue eggs; Reynard the Fox struggles with his unnatural fondness for Jemima; and the village gossips bring all their matchmaking powers to bear on Beatrix and the highly eligible Captain Woodcock. The whimsical blend of romance, mystery and nostalgia will keep cozy fans happily entertained. (Sept.)
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About the Author

Susan Wittig Albert lives in the Texas hill country and is the author of the China Bayles mysteries. She and her husband, Bill Albert, are also the authors of a Victorian-Edwardian mystery series written under the name Robin Paige, as well as more than 60 novels for young adults.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 322 pages
• Publisher: Berkley Hardcover (September 4, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425216551
• ISBN-13: 978-0425216552
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #624,167 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

My husband Bill and I live on 31 acres in the Hill Country of Central Texas, and have longhorn cows, sheep, geese, as well as the wild things that roam the meadows and woods. Our best buddies are our three dogs (Zach, Lady, and Toro) and our cat, Shadow. I'm a passionate gardener and am concerned about issues of global warming and energy depletion. You can find out more about the way I live in my new memoir, Together, Alone: A Memoir of Marriage and Place.

I've been writing professionally for nearly 25 years, after a stint in higher education as a faculty member and administrator. When I first started writing full time, I worked in the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys series--yep, you got it: I am both Carolyn Keene and Franklin W. Dixon! (How cool is that?) In the years I was writing young adult novels, with Bill or by myself, I wrote over sixty books. In addition, Bill and I wrote a series of Victorian/Edwardian mysteries together, as Robin Paige.

Now, I write three mystery series: the China Bayles herbal mysteries, the Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter, and a new series (starting in July, 2010) called The Darling Dahlias, about a Southern garden club in the 1930s. Writing is not only my work, but my passion. Truly a right livelihood, and I'm grateful to have found it. I am also a member (and the founder) of the Story Circle Network, a nonprofit organization that supports women who want to write about their lives.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Cute and Sweet, September 13, 2007

By 

Coppertop (Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Tale of Hawthorn House: The Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter (Hardcover)

This series of Susan Wittig Albert's is charming and sweet. It is definitely a cozy mystery and one that you will enjoy, although not the type that will keep you up at night to finish it. The entire series has ran much the same. While the characters are a lot of fun, the plot tends to be a bit slow and gets sidetracked on a lot of other little things. The use of the talking animals is not badly done (in fact it was one of the issues that original worried me about this series, but I found I actually enjoyed), but some of the animal sidelines get a little lengthly and irrelevant (Jemima Puddle-duck and the fox, for instance). This story involves no murder, rather an abandoned baby. These are a great starter series for a young mystery reader - there is absolutely nothing shocking in the story and it is all very clean. Albert certainly has fun alluding to the eventual marriage of Beatrix Potter to Will Heelis in this book as well. There is plenty here to enjoy, but it is definitely a warm mystery, not a scary or thrilling one. The plot does have an interesting twist at the end to add to the story, though, as throughout most of the book, you think you know who did what, but it turns out to be something different.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful place to dwell!, September 16, 2007

By 

Sandy Rhoad "Insatiable reader" (Branchville, SC United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Tale of Hawthorn House: The Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter (Hardcover)

If you are a fan of Beatrix Potter you have already read the first 3 books in this series AND have seen the film "Miss Potter"! If not I would suggest you begin with the open mind and heart of a child and read this book with the abandonment of conventional ideas. Animals speak, humans listen, mysteries occur, mouth-watering desserts are served and the villages will become home. I have reluctantly left the last book and wish to return. Jan Karon and Susan Albert have both created a haven for readers to dwell in and forget 9-11, Iran and money problems. You will love this style of writing if you remember to "let go and enjoy". Start with the first book - and when you are finished this series move on to the mystery series Ms. Albert has written. She is a writer worth the time and money.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enchanting Tale, September 30, 2007

By 

Judy Brown Eyes (Texas) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Tale of Hawthorn House: The Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter (Hardcover)

This is Susan Wittig Albert's fourth Beatrix Potter mystery (after 2006's The Tale of Cuckoo Brow Wood) and it's a charming addition to the series. Beatrix, to her profound surprise, finds a lovely baby girl left on at doorstep of her Tree Top Farm. Unbeknownest to all, Baby Flora was stolen from her teenage mother, Emily, by a stange old lady, Mrs. Underthewall. Emily, agast at the theft of her baby, and a bit muddled in the head, takes this as an omen, and decides to leave her life as a maid and runs off to London to begin a new and exciting life. Beatrix suspects the child of having gypsy origins and proceeds to investigate the abandonment of the baby. Capt. Miles Woodcock and his sister, Dimity, temporarily give Flora a new home, while leaving Beatrix to solve the mystery of her old one. Meanwhile, the animal characters also have issues and problems to solve. Jemima Puddleduck broods over a nest of long overdue eggs; Reynard the Fox, smitten by Jemima, struggles with his unnatural and unforseen love for Jemima; and the whole village is talking about a marriage between Beatrix and the highly eligible Captain Woodcock, and his sister, Dimity, and the highly unsuitable Major Kittdrige. Meanwhile, on a business trip to London, Beatrix accidently meets Emily and gets to the bottom of the mystery of the stolen baby. This charming book with its whimsical blend of mystery, romance and the cozy descriptions of English village life and Beatrix Potter's Tree Top Farm, will delight all cozy mystery lovers. I suggest that if you haven't read the other 3 books in the series, you begin with the first one and proceed happily through to the present volume.