Jeanne M. Dams continues her successful venture into writing mysteries featuring protagonist Dorothy Martin with Malice in Miniature. Dorothy, an American matron, has remarried and resettled in the fictional cathedral town of Sherebury. In the midst of toast and tea on a November afternoon, Dorothy and her husband, Alan, are startled by the arrival of Dorothy's friend Ada Finch, who is in a state of panic. Ada's son (Dorothy's gardener) has been arrested for stealing, and while Bob may have a soft spot for liquor, he is no thief--particularly when the article concerned is a 17th-century tea set created for a doll's house.

Dorothy agrees to help clear Bob's name, but she soon realizes that something more is afoot at Brockelsby Hall and its Museum of Miniatures than a mistake over a tea set. A few well-placed questions and Dorothy's growing interest in the dolls' houses and furnishings contained in the Victorian pile has her on the spot when the Danvers-esque housekeeper is poisoned. Bob is once again a suspect, but Dorothy is determined to find the real culprit. While Dams's prose is confident and polished, Dorothy as a nosy American sorting out British justice can be a bit grating. But the novel is amusing--our heroine's hat collection is a treat--and a proper follow-up to the author's previous Dorothy Martin novels: The Body in the Transept, Trouble in the Town Hall, and Holy Terror in the Hebrides. --K.A. Crouch


From Publishers Weekly
Dorothy Martin, known for her eccentric hats and snoopy nature, returns (from Holy Terror in the Hebrides, 1997) to delight cozy fans anew. Martin, who moved from America to England after she was widowed, has married Alan Nesbitt, Chief Constable of Sherebury, and is adjusting to wedded bliss in her 17th-century cottage. Then their charwoman, Ada Finch, begs Dorothy to help clear her son, Bob, who has been arrested for theft. Bob, who works as a gardener at Brocklesby Hall, is accused of stealing an antique miniature tea set from the Miniatures Museum there. Agreeing to investigate, Dorothy finds that the Hall harbors not only the enchanting Museum but a collection of assorted oddballs, foremost of whom is Sir Mordred Brocklesby, obsessed with his miniature houses and furnishings. Bob is cleared of theft, but is eyed as a suspect again when Brocklesby's domineering housekeeper is murdered. Another murder complicates the case?and Dorothy's home life with her copper husband. No garden variety ex-pat herself, the 60-ish Martin manages to get around the British reserve of most of the villagers as she steers this tightly paced, thoroughly entertaining tale to its unpredictable finale, and despite some damage done to herself in the process, celebrates a memorable Thanksgiving. Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
Attempting to absolve her friend's son of theft charges, series sleuth Dorothy Martin (an American retiree in England) visits the miniatures museum at Brocklesby Hall. There she becomes involved in a case of double murder. An inspired and delightful series (e.g., Holy Terror in Hebrides, LJ 10/1/97).Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Now married to her constable, Alan Nesbitt, Dorothy settles in for a life of peace, quiet, and domestic bliss. Which lasts for perhaps a month. Then Ada Finch calls: Bob, her gardener son who has a wee problem with the bottle, is being accused of the attempted theft of a Sevres ten set from the informal toy museum at Brocklesby Hall, and she doesn't know what to do. So, would Dorothy ... ? Of course she will, even if her investigation takes her from a doll house to the doors of the morgue to the big secrets hidden in the rooms filled with miniatures. After all, Alan has to go away for a few days, and he didn't absolutely forbid her to look around, now, did he?

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Dorothy Martin, known for her eccentric hats and snoopy nature, returns (from Holy Terror in the Hebrides, 1997) to delight cozy fans anew. Martin, who moved from America to England after she was widowed, has married Alan Nesbitt, Chief Constable of Sherebury, and is adjusting to wedded bliss in her 17th-century cottage. Then their charwoman, Ada Finch, begs Dorothy to help clear her son, Bob, who has been arrested for theft. Bob, who works as a gardener at Brocklesby Hall, is accused of stealing an antique miniature tea set from the Miniatures Museum there. Agreeing to investigate, Dorothy finds that the Hall harbors not only the enchanting Museum but a collection of assorted oddballs, foremost of whom is Sir Mordred Brocklesby, obsessed with his miniature houses and furnishings. Bob is cleared of theft, but is eyed as a suspect again when Brocklesby's domineering housekeeper is murdered. Another murder complicates the case--and Dorothy's home life with her copper husband. No garden variety ex-pat herself, the 60-ish Martin manages to get around the British reserve of most of the villagers as she steers this tightly paced, thoroughly entertaining tale to its unpredictable finale, and despite some damage done to herself in the process, celebrates a memorable Thanksgiving. (Nov.)

Library Journal