This one is set in late Victorian England and is partly a mystery. Princess Alexandrina or Mink for short, an Indian Princess who grew up in London, is asked to leave her home by the government when her father dies. She ends up in a house in the grounds of the Hampton Court Palace, amongst the other palace apartments for residents. Settling in is easier said than done, as the house is damp, attracts insects, has no plumbing, and is expensive to live in. The extravagant Mink tries the patience of her Indian servant Pooki who does all the domestic work. Mink starts to make friends with the other residents but then a dis-likable Major is killed, supposedly by Pooki’s pigeon pie. The feisty Mink is not going to let her beloved servant hang so launches her own investigation. This is the mystery part of the book.
This book is sad due to the death of the heroine’s father, but has a lot of humour in it as well, and the mystery is quite light-hearted. There are many funny characters and interactions in the book such as the relationship between Mink and Pooki, who clearly have an affectionate bond but pretend otherwise. Characters that provoke mirth are the clumsy Dr. Henderson (usually while trying to impress Mink), the housekeeper of the apartments who is convinced people are hiding forbidden pets from her, and the snide remarks passed between some of the lady residents whom Mink is friends with.
Mink’s investigation is a fight against time, before the Inspector arrests Pooki. Mink has some withering remarks for the Inspector and her own investigations produce many residents with a motive. But finding evidence and who the real culprit is takes time. Time they don’t have. She covertly talks about the murder with her friends, talks to the doctor who attended the Major when he was dying, talks to servants and anyone she thinks could be useful. Pooki is is reticent about what happened and even Mink suspects her somewhat.
It took me a few chapters to get into this one but once I did it was humorous, fun, eccentric and intriguing. There’s some romance, mystery, humour and history. The humour reminds me a bit of P. G. Wodehouse, full of misunderstandings and a bit absurdist.
Readable 