Lavender Pearl's wealthy parents disappear while on an expedition to Egypt in 1907. When Scotland Yard fails to apprehend any suspects, the 13-year-old heiress to a tea fortune appears next in line to vanish. Lavender and her governess, Miss Eliza Fitzmitten, hire up-and-comer detective, Archer Marbury, and his associate Lord Shadforth, to find the Pearl parents. Will Marbury and Lord Shadforth find them before the young ladies are whisked off to scavenge seaweed and hunt for the elusive giant glowing seahorse with Lavender's uncle, marine scientist Dr. S.J. Whirly, and his ship's shady captain and crew? Or will this be an expedition from which they, too, do not return? This is the first book in a mystery series set in Edwardian England.
REVIEWS
A Case of Considerable Consequence by Tina Koenig is the first in a new mystery series and it's a great start. Set in Edwardian England and Cairo, it's an action-packed story that will excite all readers as it takes them on a fun yet tense hunt for Lavender's family and the truth. The characters are wonderfully introduced in this first book, developed in a way that means we get to know who they are and they are likable. Our main protagonist is a spunky girl, full of adventure and determined to find the truth but her journey is fraught with danger. We meet a wide range of people, from cool detectives to evil captains, and it's kind of like a good vs. bad story but with very different characters to those we normally see in this type of story. Ms. Koenig has clearly done her homework on the different places and the era the story is set in and her writing draws you in with its plot twists and suspense. A fun story for young adults, and I look forward to reading the next Lavender Pearl mystery story. - Reviewed by Anne-Marie Reynolds for Readers' Favorite
In
A Case of Considerable Consequence, Tina Koenig gives us an action-packed, surprise-filled young adult mystery featuring talented teenager Lavender Pearl, the women's rights activist Eliza Fitzmitten, and super sleuth investigators Archer Marbury and Lord William Shadforth. This first installment provides much, and it promises more. Each well-written chapter moves at a good pace, unveiling the inner motivations and interconnected workings of the characters who may present a threat to Lavender and be implicated in the disappearance of her parents. From a near lion attack to a near accident with a driverless carriage; to the financial woes of Lavender's uncle, his ship's captain, and her parents' business partner; to smuggling, counterfeiting, kidnapping, and intended murder; to a secret marriage, deceptions, and disguises, this book has it all. - Reviewed by Kimberlee J Benart for Readers' Favorite
Lavender Pearl is an appealing young protagonist equipped with intelligence, adventures, and a variety of experiences. It's a well-organized story that revolves around positive themes of patience, courage, instinct, just retribution, and the viler ones which are deception, double-dealing, and greed. It is both fast-paced and thrilling, but not lacking in reflective, internal moments for dialogues and the use of the characters' memories for recalling past events that fill in pertinent details of the story. The book's chapters are just the right length to hold young readers' attention and encourage them to read all the way through to the end. Author Tina Koenig expertly blends simple contemporary language that can be followed by young readers and enables them to appreciate some historical elements that are similarly found in our present times, thus connecting the past with the present. This book is an overall good novel to recommend for young adults between the ages of 12 and 18 who like cozy mysteries, adventures, unexpected revelations, ingenuity, and cliffhangers.
- Reviewed by Carmen Tenorio for Readers' Favorite
Tina Koenig is not a British citizen but is of English descent on her mother's side. Some of the inspiration for the book's characters came from her own family history. According to genealogical research, Samuel Jennings (her mother's great, great grandfather), was Assistant Secretary of the Royal Horticultural Society. He was awarded many medals for plants and edited the "Journal of the Royal Horticultural Society" (Volume V) published in 1879. Subsequent generations of Jennings offspring have been similarly talented at growing award-winning plants and vegetables. Gifted only with a black thumb, the author took to mystery writing where the notion of a dead thing is not entirely undesirable. This has, on occasion, worked out very well. At other times it has gotten her characters into a spot of trouble. This is Ms. Koenig's first novel featuring the characters of Lavender Pearl, Eliza Fitzmitten, Archer Marbury and Lord William Shadforth. Tina Koenig lives and writes in Florida.
