Miss Tonks Turns to Crime (Thorndike Press Large Print Paperback Series) [Large Print] [Paperback]

Marion Chesney (Author)

Book Description

Series: Thorndike Press Large Print Paperback Series | Publication Date: May 1994

When Lady Fortescue's hotel for financially insolvent aristocrats burns to the ground, poor Miss Tonks decides to steal something from her rich relations that will help get the hotel back on its feet.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Meek and mousy Miss Tonks bravely sets out to steal from her wealthy but overbearing sister to get the needed funds to resurrect the hotel she runs with her compatriots. Though they despair of her ability to do so, Miss Tonks returns not only with the goods but with her niece Cassandra as well. Cassandra is fleeing her domineering mother's attempts to marry her to Lord Eston and sees her aunt's single, independent lifestyle as attractive. This second volume of Chesney's latest series, "The Poor Relation," combines zany characters with light-hearted romance and a well-developed scenario to produce an engaging Regency, despite the silly title. Followers of Chesney and Regency readers will enjoy.
- Leslie A. Bleil, Western Michigan Univ. Lib., Kalamazoo
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 206 pages
• Publisher: G K Hall & Co; Lrg edition (May 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0816158983
• ISBN-13: 978-0816158980
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,838,370 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A perfect entertainment, June 24, 2008

By 

Roger Long "longrush" (Port Clinton, OH USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Miss Tonks Turns to Crime (The Poor Relation, Book 2) (Hardcover)

Marion Chesney knows the exact recipe for writing entertaining novels. Start with an intricate plot and thrown in humor and jeopardy. Add a dose of romance. Set it all in a fine atmosphere, filled with interesting and authentic details. Invent diverse characters, filled with contradictions. It's as simple as that. The result is this book--and a good many others by Ms. Chesney.

In most novels I read and like, it is the plot or the atmosphere or the characters that dominate--but not in a Chesney book. The elements are so nicely balanced and intertwined that they become one. Few novelists can accomplish that.

Timid Miss Tonks, a poor relation, must steal something valuable to save the hotel she has with others, a hotel called the Poor Relations, oddly enough. As a highwayman (were there highwaywomen?) she is a failure, but is rescued in strange fashion, setting off a bizarre series of events. Miss Tonks' niece, Cassandra, while no beauty is a charming and frank young woman whose future seems ruined when she joins her aunt in London. All this is set in the Regency, i.e., the early nineteenth century when Bonaparte threatened Europe and when George III had gone so mad that a regent ruled England.

I was fascinated by the atmospheric details of London during the period, by the prejudices, the caste system, even by the chamber pot under the bed and who was supposed to carry it out in the morning. The book is like a journey back in time--and I hated to see it end.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Miss Tonks triumphs!, February 12, 2011

By 

Calypso007 "myz" - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Miss Tonks Turns to Crime (The Poor Relation, Book 2) (Hardcover)

This was my favorite in the series of The Poor Relations books. Miss Tonks, who in the first of the series, had played such a tiny part, blossoms in this one. The story is, as they all are, about matchmaking, but the young couple is the most likeable and independent in this book. I was very happy with the ending, though sad to have finished reading it so quickly. there were points where I laughed aloud, and I have to say this book, and the others in the series brightened a very bleak winters day.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoy reading it too much, February 14, 2008

By 

rice_book (LA California) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Miss Tonks Turns to Crime (The Poor Relation, Book 2) (Hardcover)

Of all Marion Chesney's books, I like the Poor Relation series the best. And out of all Poor Relation books, I like this second book the best. I practically Laugh out loud. I love her dry sense of humor, funny plots, and wits. I couldn't put it down.