First published 2015
Gretel has grown up. Now 35, the famous fairy tale heroine works as Bavaria's most celebrated private investigator in 1776. She still shares a home with her brother Hans, whose appetite remains as enormous as ever. When Albrecht Durer the Much Much Younger discovers his valuable Frog Prints have vanished, he seeks out Gretel's expertise. The case takes her to bustling Nuremberg during the city's annual sausage festival. The crowded streets and festive chaos make her investigation difficult. Clues prove scarce as she searches for the mysterious thief. Even the talkative mice who live beneath her bed cannot help her locate the missing artwork. The prints seem to have disappeared completely. Gretel must use unconventional methods to solve the puzzle. Her search for answers becomes increasingly complex as she navigates the urban environment so different from her usual cases.
Genres: historical-fiction, adventure, fairy-tale-retellings, cozy-mystery
Vibes: suspenseful, thought-provoking, whimsical
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: Bavaria, Nuremberg
Period: 1776
353 pages · Hardcover · Thorndike Press