First published 2008
In the rarefied world of English country estates, an unexpected theft sets off a comic chain reaction. Lord Emsworth's prized scarab beetle vanishes from Blandings Castle, triggering a madcap hunt involving impersonators, romantic schemers, and hapless aristocrats. When an American romance novelist and a lovestruck secretary become entangled in the hunt, the stakes rise from mere theft to potential social catastrophe. Multiple competing parties converge on the estate, each with their own desperate agenda and increasingly ridiculous disguises. No one is quite who they seem, and everyone has something to hide—or steal. What begins as a simple missing artifact becomes a delirious dance of deception where love, honor, and a priceless beetle hang in the balance.
Genres: romance, 20th-century, mystery, crime, comedy
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, whimsical
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, mistaken-identity
Setting: London
Period: 20th-century
260 pages · Paperback · Arrow Books