Miss Seeton Rules Hc

The redoubtable Miss Seeton, seen last in the pseudonymous Crane's Miss Seeton Undercover, here foils the dastardly plans of a gang bent on treason. Gathering to gossip at their English village post office, the women of Plummergen discuss the pending arrival of Princess Georgina for the opening of the nearby nuclear facility. Another topic is the strange doings of two older local ladies who are amassing a strange assortment of goods and seem to be digging a coffin-sized hole in their backyard. One of Plummergen's children is chosen to present the Princess with flowers; accompanying young Sally and her mother on the big day is Miss Seeton, whose finery includes an inherited necklace. Uranium salts used in the necklace's painted beads activate the security bells and, in the ensuing confusion, the Princess is kidnapped. Then Miss Seeton herself is abducted. Her old friend, Scotland Yard's Chief Inspector Delphick, investigates, using Miss Seeton's sketches as clues. Crane adeptly gives readers a feel for English village life and the meandering style used by Miss Seeton's originator, Heron Carvic, in the 1970s. (Oct.)