The Pigeon Pie Mystery: A Novel [Hardcover]

Julia Stuart (Author)

Book Description

Release date: August 7, 2012

Julia Stuart returns in her follow-up to the bestselling The Tower, the Zoo and the Tortoise with this clever murder mystery set in Victorian England, brimming with her signature charm and fabulous characters.

When Indian Princess Alexandrina is left penniless by the sudden death of her father, the Maharaja of Brindor, Queen Victoria grants her a grace-and-favor home in Hampton Court Palace. Though rumored to be haunted, Alexandrina and her lady's maid, Pooki, have no choice but to take the Queen up on her offer.
     Aside from the ghost sightings, Hampton Court doesn't seem so bad. The princess is soon befriended by three eccentric widows who invite her to a picnic with all the palace's inhabitants, for which Pooki bakes a pigeon pie. But when General-Major Bagshot dies after eating said pie, and the coroner finds traces of arsenic in his body, Pooki becomes the #1 suspect in a murder investigation.
     Princess Alexandrina isn't about to let her faithful servant hang. She begins an investigation of her own, and discovers that Hampton Court isn't such a safe place to live after all.
     With her trademark wit and charm, Julia Stuart introduces us to an outstanding cast of lovable oddballs, from the palace maze-keeper to the unconventional Lady Beatrice (who likes to dress up as a toucan—don't ask), as she guides us through the many delightful twists and turns in this fun and quirky murder mystery. Everyone is hiding a secret of the heart, and even Alexandrina may not realize when she's caught in a maze of love.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for The Pigeon Pie Mystery

"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

"Stuart’s third (The Tower, the Zoo, and the Tortoise, 2010, etc.) continues her exploration of famous English historic sites. Quirky characters, a feisty protagonist, a clever mystery and the requisite historical tidbits combine for an amusing read."
 - Kirkus Reviews

"Stuart combines vivid historical detail, layers of intrigue, and plenty of humor in this intelligent mystery that will appeal to Agatha Christie fans as well as those who enjoy G.M. Malliet and C.S. Challinor.” -Booklist

"This mystery is 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

"Fans of Stuart’s novel The Tower, the Zoo, and the Tortoise will find the same wit on display. A noblewoman, for example, praises H.G. Wells’s Martians for sparing Hampton Court “as any right-thinking monsters would." -Publishers Weekly

"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

Praise for The Tower, the Zoo, and the Tortoise

“[A] hilarious love story . . . This book will steal your heart.” —People

“History buffs, animal lovers, and simply the tenderhearted will swoon over this captivating story . . . Sweet and enchanting.” —Entertainment Weekly, Grade A

“Imagine a funny, poignant book, full of delightful and wacky characters, then add a bit of English history, and you’ve got The Tower, the Zoo, and the Tortoise . . . This is Carl Hiaasen for the Tower of London.” —NPR, “Best Books of 2010”

“Delightfully zany and touching . . . With her deft and charming style, Stuart brings this comic story to a satisfying and heartwarming end.” —The Washington Post

“The Tower, the Zoo, and the Tortoise unfolds with an airy whimsy . . . Great fun . . . For all that [Stuart’s] setups are ingenious, she never loses sight of the humanity of her characters . . . Both original and memorably enjoyable.” —The Denver Post

“A marvelous confection of a book.” —The Washington Times

“A Beefeater, his wife, and their nearly 180-year-old tortoise live in the Tower of London, and if Stuart’s deadly charming sophomore novel (after The Matchmaker of Périgord) is any indication, the fortress is as full of intrigue as ever . . . the love story is adorable.”
—Publishers Weekly

“Stuart’s attempt to combine current reality with the ghostly past is a brilliant premise . . . . Remarkably funny . . . Stuart is obviously fascinated by the multiple histories that inhabit the tower, and her research flavours the novel well.” —The Globe and Mail

About the Author

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.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday; First Edition edition (August 7, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385535562
• ISBN-13: 978-0385535564
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 1.3 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (76 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #197,103 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Julia Stuart is a British author and journalist. Her first novel, published in 2007, was The Matchmaker of Périgord. Her second was published in 2010 as Balthazar Jones and the Tower of London Zoo in the UK, and The Tower, the Zoo, and the Tortoise in America. The latter is a New York Times and national bestseller.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars All very cozy September 6, 2012

By Susan Tunis TOP 100 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

An old adage goes, "you can't judge a book by its cover." But can you judge it by its title? The title of Julia Stuart's The Pigeon Pie Mystery screamed cozy mystery to me, a genre I'm not especially fond of. But I ignored the obvious because I'd absolutely loved Stuart's previous novel, The Tower, The Zoo, and the Tortoise. That feel-good delight was my introduction to Stuart's work, and it bore no resemblance to a traditional cozy. I had faith in Ms. Stuart.

And what did I get? A traditional cozy. The Pigeon Pie Mystery was exactly what the title proclaimed it to be, without any distinguishing flourishes or embellishments. Set in Britain at the tail end of the 19th century, it is the story of the Princess Alexandrina (AKA Mink), the daughter of the Maharaja of Prindur. Already exiled from their ancestral home, Mink's situation becomes significantly more dire after her father's death under scandalous circumstances. Her long anticipated engagement disintegrates, and she and her maid Pooki must accept the Queen's charity in the form of a dreary grace-and-favor home at Hampton Court Palace. As both lady and maid adjust to their changed circumstances, readers are introduced to the extensive cast of quirky characters that call the community home.

And it is all of these neighbors, and those who serve them, that become the suspects when Mink's most odious neighbor dies under circumstances highly incriminating to her maid. As with all cozies, Mink becomes an amateur detective, determined to solve the crime and save Pooki. And will she find love along the way?

I found The Pigeon Pie Mystery to be perfectly average, which was a huge disappointment. It was utterly lacking the immense charm of the author's prior novel. I never really warmed up to the characters, and consequently had little investment in the romantic subplot. This novel's humor fell way flat. I mean, the maid had big feet? The mystery was adequate, I suppose, but it felt like it took ages and ages for the mystery plot to get going. First there was the world-building of the Victorian setting, the exposition of the protagonist's background, the introduction of dozens of secondary characters, sub-plots about pet monkeys that never really did go anywhere... Enough already; I'm getting old!

Others have suggested this surfeit of information is because The Pigeon Pie Mystery is merely the first of a series to feature Mink and Pooki. If that is the case, I will be disappointed. I'm afraid Ms. Stuart's name on a book's cover is no longer enough of a draw. Next time I will look a bit closer before I leap.

12 of 16 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Taken from the viewpoint of a mystery novel reader. June 30, 2012

By J. Lesley TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

Since I was not familiar with any works previously written by this author I chose the book based on the fact that the title seemed to suggest it was a mystery novel. After finishing the book I did a little research and found that this seems to be the first mystery the author has attempted. As an avid reader in the mystery genre and someone who really enjoys historical period mysteries, I found this one fell quite short.

The novel is set during the reign of Queen Victoria, specifically in 1897-98, and centers around characters who are members of the British upper class, but who have fallen upon hard economic times. They have been given grace-and-favor living accommodations at Hampton Court Palace by Queen Victoria. There is a very long list of unusual and eccentric characters from both upper and servant classes. Among these characters is HH Princess Alexandrina, daughter of HH the Maharaja of Prindur - now deceased, and her Indian maid-of-all-works, Pooki. After accepting the offer of a house within the grounds of the palace, Mink (as the Princess has been called since childhood) was invited to an annual picnic on the grounds. Pooki was instructed to make pigeon pies as their offering to the foodstuffs. One specific pie had been set aside for Major-General Bagshot who became ill at the picnic and later died. Pooki is definitely Suspect Number One.

Mink decides to investigate how the Major-General died, but that doesn't come until approximately page 170 out of a 340 page book. The mystery did not seem to be the important focus of this novel to me. Instead it zeroed in on all the many unusual characters and circumstances involved. I kept wondering if the author was somehow trying to parody or satirize historical mysteries. I didn't know whether or not to take the novel seriously. I'm sure it was written to be humorous, but I have to admit that the humor fell flat for me and I was never even tempted to chuckle, much less laugh. In taking the book strictly from the viewpoint of a mystery reader I must say it was not a success. Perhaps if there is a sequel, and there is a hint in the novel which leads me to think there may well be a second book planned, I can only hope that the crime will be better plotted and planned and the outcome will be much more satisfactory.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Lovely! September 10, 2012

By F T

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Definitely an enchanting book I will be reading more than once...or twice. So clever and well written(unlike this review...)I consider it a delicious literary delight.