"In the first of the Cottage Tales mysteries, author Susan Wittig Albert creates her own tale featuring Beatrix Potter, animal lover and Good Samaritan - with a knack for solving mysteries. And with her entourage of animal friends, Beatrix sets out to win over the human hearts of Sawrey." "In 1905 England, it was most unusual - if not outright scandalous - for an unmarried woman to buy and run a farm. But that's exactly what Beatrix Potter sets out to do when she purchases Hill Top Farm in the Lake District hamlet of Near Sawrey. Beatrix, trying to recover from her sorrow at the death of her fiance, believes that the countryside will have a healing effect, while providing a quiet place for her to work on her sketches and stories for children. But when one of the villagers dies unexpectedly, with allegations of foul play, Sawrey turns out to be anything but quiet."

"Some villagers meet Beatrix with genuine warmth. Others keep her at arm's length. After all, she is a Londoner - a female Londoner - used to city living. But soon enough Beatrix makes herself useful. She reads aloud to the schoolchildren - and when the parish registry goes missing, she won't rest until it's found."--Jacket.