The Tainted Snuff Box

by Rosemary Stevens

Book Overview

Regency fashion icon Beau Brummell must deduce who poisoned the Prince of Wales' bodyguard before his friend is executed for the crime. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0425184412
• ISBN13: 9780425184417
• Release Date: April 2002
• Publisher: Berkley Books
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 4.2" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

Beau's brilliant again.......

in this second Beau Brummell mysteries, Brummell is called to Prinny's side after receiving threatening letters. We see old friends like The Perry's, Lord Petersham and his "dear friend" Lord Munro, and Scottish Bow Street runner Mr. Lavender and his independant yet lovely daughter Lydia. The mystery was much harder to solve in this book and the storyline darker as well. I'd give the story 4.5 stars instead of five because I wished there was more interplay between Beau and his dedicated valet Robinson as in book one. Chakkari, Beau's Siamese cat companion, was delightful as always. We had a little bit of Romance and a lot more drama. All in all, almost as good as the first book, Death on a Silver Tray (Beau Brummell Mysteries), and still highly recommended for any Regency fan or cat fan as well. 4.5 stars.

keeps you reading -- unexpected and fun

Who would expect the hero to be a fashion snob?At first glance it seems as if that's what our hero is going to be. Yet he's fun and open-minded and, if not the opposite of snobbish, at least not too high-minded to mind a joke at his expense. The first person viewpoint goes well with this series, allowing us to see all his views and inside knowledge. We find ourselves rooting for the fashion-conscious, social conscious narrator.What I especially like about this series is that the hero always has a good reason for getting involved. He's no world-weary private eye, but rather a loyal friend with a rapier sharp wit and plenty of wits about him.In short, this series is fresh, readable, and fun. We root for and sympathize at the right places, and end up wanting more. Very hard to put down!

I'd give it ten stars if I could!

Good writing is seldom easy: wonderful writing, never. When a story flows along as smoothly as does this one, you know the author has lavished great amounts of time and attention to it. It's even more difficult to produce a wonderful story, one that's written well, and complicated by taking place in a different time and place than the one we live in. Rosemary Stevens has obviously studied the Regency period more than most of us, and it shows to great effect in this, her second mystery novel featuring that marvelous arbiter of all things fashionable--George 'Beau' Brummell. Since no one is alive now (at least I don't think there is) who actually knew the Beau, the author has created him from the bits and pieces to be found in the many books, magazines and newspapers that have come along since the early 1800s. I'll go so far as to say that if the 'real' Beau wasn't exactly as Rosemary has created him, then he certainly should have been! Warm, witty, wry, intelligent, and a connoisseur of all things--especially life, this Beau is indeed very special. Perhaps more so, even, than he is reported to have thought of himself. His attention to detail stands him in excellent stead when laboring in the role of detective. But then, was any detective more blessed by his confederates than the Beau? Chakkri and Robinson form the perfect team to sniff out and report back to their leader. Each in his own fashion, of course. And of course, every man needs a woman by his side to bolster his ego occasionally, and to encourage his subtleties in a society not particularly known for its subtlety. Frederica, the Duchess of York fills that need wonderfully well, and even though she is entirely given over to dogs, still Freddie and the Beau are a formidable pair. The other woman in his life is Miss Lydia Lavender, who runs a home for distressed women, and is anything but distressed herself! While the Beau's first adventure was set in London, this one takes him to Brighton, the formerly sleepy village made into a posh resort by Prince George, who would soon become the Prince Regent, and subsequently King George IV. Where Prinny goes, the other fashionables follow, as do the problems besetting the Heir Apparent. In this episode, the Prince has received anonymous letters threatening his life. Although surrounded by guards, and his own personal taster, Prinny still turns to his friend, Brummell, to find out the identity of the mysterious author. Goodness knows--there are any number of folks who might have liked to create trouble for the sometimes selfish, unthinking monarch-to-be.Unfortunately, before that puzzle is solved, two other crimes occur: the body of a young lady is found washed up on the beach, during a walk by Beau and Freddie. More disastrous, however, is a wonderful antique snuff box, making it's debut in the company of its owner, Lord Petersham, and which appears to have contained poisoned snuff! By a stroke of fate, Prinny escapes the poison, although everyo

BEST MYSTERY NOVEL OF ALL TIME!

I am a mystery novel reader.... and this book - The Tainted Snuf Box: A Beau Brummell Mystery by Rosemary Stevens is the best I have read yet! It is fascinating, intriguing, and historical!

The character makes this a thrilling mystery

In 1805, Mr. Beau Brummel, the arbiter of style and good taste, joins the Prince of Wales in Brighton. The Prince fled London out of fear for his life after receiving several threatening notes. Mr. Brummel takes the Prince's theatrics so seriously that he continues to work on the perfect knot of his cravat. At the Prince's Pavilion, Sir Simon, a throwback to an age of ostentatious overkill, serves as the food taster to his Highness. In a short time, Simon insults Beau and his friend Lord Perry, who threatens to kill the pompous butt licker.Lord Petersham mixes some snuff making a new blend. As expected, he offers the first taste to the Prince of Wales. However, Sir Simon adamantly demands to test the snuff to insure no poison has been included as an ingredient. Simon dies. Everyone except Beau believes that Petersham tried to assassinate the Prince. Beau begins to investigate because he knows the Prince has several enemies and so did that odious cow Simon, including Brummel's friend Lord Perry.THE TAINTED SNUFF BOX, the sequel to DEATH ON A SILVER TRAY, is an entertaining historical mystery that showcases an intriguing era in the English aristocracy. The characters seem very real as if the audience is witnessing the regency period first hand. Beau knows more than wardrobe as he makes an intelligent amateur sleuth because he understands people so well. Rosemary Stevens provides more than just a cleverly drawn who-done- it, she gifts her fans with a powerful period piece wrapped inside a strong mystery.Harriet Klausner