Of course, unlike Bertie and Jeeves, George "Beau" Brummell is not a fictional character. He was a fascinating historical figure, known for being the arbiter of all things fashionable during his Regency reign of polite society. Invited everywhere, Brummell truly is tailor-made for the role of English society's super sleuth.

In The Tainted Snuff Box, Brummell's patron and good friend the Prince of Wales has been the recipient of several death threats. Shaken by the threats, the Prince allows an obnoxious baronet, Sir Simon, to act as his bodyguard and official taste tester.

The Prince wants Brummell to discover who is behind the death threats. The Prince's fears take on a greater urgency when Sir Simon dies in the act of tasting a blend of snuff made especially for the Prince by Brummell's boyhood chum, Lord Petersham.

Brummell must prove Petersham's innocence and unearth the killer before he loses the Prince's faith and favor. Losing the Prince's faith could cost him his good friend and losing the Prince's favor would cost Brummell his cherished place in polite society.

Ms. Stevens paints Brummell as an observer, a rather moral and even likeable fashion elitist. Brummell may be a snob but he is never mean without cause, and he understands that good people and bad people come from all walks of life.

In truth, although he adores his sweet, but married friend, the Duchess of York, he also finds that he greatly admires the daughter of a Bow Street runner, Miss Lavender. Miss Lavender is pretty, spirited and a do-gooder of the first water.

Of course, for Brummell, suspicious characters almost always engage in fashion don'ts. In other words a man who is capable of wearing a pink waistcoat is deemed capable of all other sorts of atrocities.

The Tainted Snuff Box boasts a wonderful cast of supporting characters including Brummell's friends and servants. And last but certainly not least, Brummell's Siamese cat, Chakkri, who is far more intelligent than the humans he allows to care for him.

The Regency era is part and parcel of this mystery. The author knows her history and uses it to give her characters their perspectives on life, as well as their setting. Ms. Stevens blends fact and fiction, factual characters and fictional characters with a knowledgeable, light and humorous hand.

--Judith Flavell