cover image Teetotaled

Teetotaled

Maia Chance. Minotaur, $24.99 (304p) ISBN 978-1-250-07221-4

Set in 1923, Chance’s fun sequel to 2015’s Come Hell or Highball takes penniless New York socialite Lola Woodby and her former cook, Berta Lundgren, who have formed the Discreet Retrieval Agency, from the Washington Square apartment left to Lola by her philandering late husband (who used it as a love nest) to the Willow Acres Health Farm on Long Island. Their first client, Sophronia Whiddle, a friend of Lola’s mother, wishes them to retrieve the diary of her plump 19-year-old daughter, Grace, who’s booked at Willow Acres in an effort to slim down before getting married in eight days. Sophronia fears the diary records indiscretions that could jeopardize the wedding. Lola is reluctant to proceed, since she doesn’t get along with Willow Acres’ owner and head doctor, who happens to be her brother-in-law, Dr. Chisholm Woodby. Lola and Berta may not be Holmes and Watson, but their deficits in experience and talent are balanced by determination and an abundance of action. P.G. Wodehouse fans will find a lot to like. [em]Agent: Stephany Evans, FinePrint Literary Management. (Oct.) [/em]