Grand Tour

Chatsworth returns to the bustling Victorian steampunk world of The Brass Queen in this entertaining sequel. After Constance Haltwhistle’s quest to find a husband goes awry and Haltwhistle Hall vanishes into another dimension, the British Museum’s military arm, the Royal Antiquities Tactical Team, demands that Constance return the house and the artifacts within it by week’s end or she and her servants will be killed. To open a portal back to her own dimension, Constance must collect five Enigma Keys scattered across Europe, a quest that sends her and her crew trotting from England to France, Italy, and Switzerland staging logic-defying heists. Chatsworth concocts a delightful blend of magic and science, creating a world filled with parallel dimensions and alien invasions. The whiff of danger is enough to raise the stakes without ever deflating the whimsy. Series fans and new readers alike will tear through this action-packed, twist-filled romp. (Apr.)