Gretel and the Case of the Missing Frog Prints: A Brothers Grimm Mystery

Description

Bavaria, 1776. When Albrecht Durer the Much Much Younger's Frog Prints go missing, he knows exactly where to turn for help. Gretel (yes, that Gretel), now 35 and still living with her gluttonous brother Hans, is the country's most famous private investigator, and she leaps at the opportunity to travel to cosmopolitan Nuremberg to take on the case. But amid the hubbub of the city's annual sausage festival, Gretel struggles to find any clues that point toward the elusive thief. Even with the aid of the chatty mice living under her bed, the absent prints remain stubbornly out of view, and Gretel is forced to get creative in her search for the truth.

P. J. Brackston is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Witch's Daughter; The Winter Witch; and Nutters. She is also the author of Gretel and the Case of the Missing Frog Prints, available from Pegasus Books. She has an MA in Creative Writing from Lancaster University and is a Visiting Lecturer for the University of Wales, Newport. Brackston lives in Wales with her partner, Simon, and their two children.

"Bestseller Brackston (The Witch's Daughter) melds folktale whimsy with a sardonic adult voice in the rollicking first of a new series set in 1776 Bavaria." -- Publishers Weekly "With her first novel, author Paula Brackston conjures up a riveting tale of sorcery and time travel. By mixing feminine heroism with masculine might, Brackston successfully captivates readers with characters Bess, an immortal witch, and sinister dark lord, Gideon... the skill with which Brackston weaves her characters through time makes this a fascinating take on global history." -- Marie Claire "Dances a fine line between spoof and satire, with a hearty mix of fairy-tale lore thrown in. Larger-than-life characters are balanced with a smart plot that is sure to appeal to fans of Jasper Fforde's "Nursery Crime" series." -- Library Journal "There's a whiff of Harry Potter in the witchy conflict-a battle between undeveloped young magical talent and old malevolence-at the heart of this sprightly tale of spells and romance, the second novel from British writer Brackston (The Witch's Daughter, 2011). ...Love of landscape and lyrical writing lend charm, but it's Brackston's full-blooded storytelling that will hook the reader." -- Kirkus Reviews "Thoroughly delightful-I'm interested in what case Gretel will work on next." -- KidsReads.com "Brackston delivers an intimate paranormal romance that grounds its fantasy in the reality of a 19th century Welsh farm." -- Publishers Weekly "A sensitive, beautifully written account. If the Bronte sisters had penned magical realism, this would have been the result. " -- The Guardian