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Malice in Miniature

by Jeanne M. Dams

Although published by a company that is known primarily for printing children's and young people's books, Malice in Miniature surely belongs in the 'Be sure to Read' adult class. This is a 'cozy' mystery – make no mistake. Ms. Dams heroine, Dorothy Martin, being an older (though hardly decrepit) woman, reminds us somewhat of Jane Marple – except that Dorothy is decidedly American instead of British, and doesn't rely on the shenanigans of her neighbors in a small village to help resolve any mystery.

Malice in Miniature revolves around Sir Mordred Brocklesby, who has inherited Brocklesby Hall, a huge stately home with carvings and ornate decoration crowded into every available space. Sir Mordred has turned part of the Hall into a museum of miniatures – doll houses, completely furnished, separate single rooms – and even Marie Antoinette's doll house with a horribly expensive Sevres tea set in the tiny dining room. Everything is glassed in and set off so the public can't touch it, of course, but even so some of the tiny items have gone missing, and Sir Mordred suspects thievery.

The novel begins when Dorothy is having tea with her husband, Alan Nesbitt, a chief constable – and a pounding on the door admits Ada Finch, the mother of Bob, a gardener who has been recently hired at Brocklesby Hall and found with the above named tea set in his pocket. Although Bob is known for his drinking sprees, Ada insists he didn't steal the set and begs Dorothy to do something about it. Things remain in an uproar until Alan reports back to Dorothy that Bob wasn't charged, and that Sir Mordred has dropped his complaint with the comment that since Bob was such a good worker, he was prepared to overlook the incident.

Dorothy decides to visit Brocklesby Hall as a tourist to see if she can discover anything about the odd situation. Before she sets out, she visits her neighbor, Jane, who is the local fountain of information. Jane provides all the particulars of Sir Mordred's advent to the Hall, and tells Dorothy he also won his title after giving so many of his miniatures to the Children's Museum at the Victoria and Albert. When Dorothy visits the Brocklesby Museum of Miniatures, she's escorted around by Sir Mordred himself, who mistakenly believes her to be as interested as he is. And just as they get onto the subject of Bob's supposed theft, they're interrupted by an unsavory character named Claude, who proves to be the son of Mrs. Lathrop, Sir Mordred's housekeeper.

Sir Mordred had offered Dorothy use of his own library to research miniatures, so she retreats there to get away from Claude – and meets Mrs. Cunningham, the curator of the Museum, who is attempting to document every tiny piece. Mrs. Cunningham is obviously in love with the head gardener, Richard Adam, who comes to the library door to inform Meg Cunningham that Claude has gone. Dorothy learns that Claude once attempted to rape Meg in one of the confusing corridors of the Hall.

Ada once more shows up on Dorothy's doorstep – this time her son is being accused of murdering Mrs. Lathrop. That worthy lady has been poisoned by the herbs in the tea she drank, and Bob is accused of mixing the poisonous aconite in with the other herbs when he cut them. It's well known that he detested Mrs. Lathrop – but then so did everybody else on the staff.

Further developments help confuse the issue when Meg Cunningham's inventory of the little pieces of furniture disagree with what's actually found in the dollhouses. Then John Thoreston, Sir Mordred's bookkeeper, disappears, and blame for the murder suddenly switches to him, since the police can find no proof that Bob committed the crime. Dorothy, purely by accident, discovers that Claude has also been murdered – with both his body and his motorcycle dumped into the lake near Brocklesby Hall. Meanwhile Richard has seen a strange woman with a bicycle stop near Brocklesby Hall
when it was still very early morning and still dark except for light of the full moon.

It takes a while, but our intrepid Dorothy realizes at last the reasons for everything – why John Thoreston left, who the strange woman was, why certain pieces of dollhouse furniture are in a different condition than that listed, and best of all who murdered both Claude and his mother – plus why.

Proof is found, nearly costing Dorothy her life, but the murderer is apprehended even though Dorothy's leg is broken in the process. Now Dorothy has been constantly afraid her policeman husband would warn her off every murder case including this one, but the novel ends with Alan's hearty approval and a toast to the new sleuths – Dorothy and Alan.

Malice in Miniature is a fine example of Jeanne M. Dams' literary skill in the murder mystery realm. Besides being entertaining, it's a cleverly contrived puzzle with the very best kind of whodunit clues. If you like 'cozy' mysteries, this book is one you shouldn't miss!

Alan Paul Curtis

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