I enjoyed this very much. Adelaide marries a prince and gets involved in the political machinations of the times.
Words I Had To Look Up:
morganatic (pg.40) -- Of or denoting a marriage in which neither the spouse of lower rank nor any children have any claim to the possessions or title of the spouse of higher rank. birdlime (pg. 75) -- A sticky substance spread on twigs to trap small birds. charlotte a la parisienne (pg. 160) -- Seems to be a dessert of complicated heritage.
Quote:
..."Look, can't we just shoot the guard and run for it?"
"If there any shooting, I'll do it. But not guards. He's just doing what's he's told. Mind you, he's not doing what I tell him. Perhaps I will shoot him."... -- pg. 213
In the interests of cost containment, Takeshi subscribed to the services of Cheapsat, an economy communicatins satellite that was not, like more expensive units, geosynchronous, or parked in orbit always above the same spot on the Earth -- no, Cheapsat instead drifted continually backward through the heavens, always going over the horizon in the middle of people's calls, as it even now was doing.
Chet and Bernie Mystery, #12. Sort of a Christmas story, at least it takes place during the season. Chet and Bernie look for a missing friend, and find out about artwork. Good story!
Quote:
"I am like an educated man, in some ways," Bernie told him. "What's this false penitent shit?"
Spencer Quinn is a pseudonym of Peter Abrahams! A widow gets all her money ripped off over the telephone (one of those scams) so she travels to Romania to get it back. I enjoyed it very much!
I chatted on the internet with a girl in Romania once, you don't suppose...
Quote:
"This may sound harebrained," she began.
He interrupted. "That's one expression I've never understood."
"H-A-R-E," said Mrs. Plansky. "Like bunny rabbit."
Max smacked his forehead... "What an idiot!" he said...
Chet and Bernie Mystery #0.3/#5.2
The Little Detective Agency is reluctantly get hired to get the goods on a possibly cheating boyfriend. At least, that is where it starts out.
Chet and Bernie Mystery, #11. We meet Trixie, who looks a lot like Chet. Also Weatherly, the police officer. I forget the plot, something about a golf club, maybe? And a politician? I don't know. Fun story!
Quote:
"But screwing with the score? That's changing history." [...] And then what's the point of living right?"
Chet and Bernie Mystery #4. Chet and Bernie look for a boy who went missing from a camp at Big Bear, but not THAT Big Bear!
Quote:
"All you have to do to make this go away forever"--she held up the device--"is your job."
"My job?" said the judge.
"Making sure that justice happens," Suzie said. "Didn't that come up in law school?"