Snow White Red-Handed

Set in 1867, Maia’s lively debut, the first in a new cozy series, introduces actresses Ophelia Flax and Prudence Bright. The pair, finding themselves unemployed aboard a ship bound for Europe from New York, use their guile to persuade a fellow passenger, wealthy Mrs. Pearl Coop, to hire them as maids. Ophelia and Prue wind up working at the castle Mr. and Mrs. Coop own in Germany’s Black Forest. On the estate is a cottage that may have been the home of the original Snow White, the object of interest of two professors, Winkler and Penrose. Winkler dismisses all things fairy tale, while Penrose secretly hopes to demonstrate that such stories are rooted in fact. When Mr. Coop takes a fatal bite out of a poisoned apple, Prue is accused of murder. Determined to prove Prue innocent, Ophelia joins forces with Penrose, and each agrees to aid the other’s mission. The conclusion will whet the reader’s appetite for Ophelia and Prue’s next misadventure. [em]Agent: Stephany Evans, FinePrint Literary Management. (Nov.) [/em]