Miss Blaine's Prefect and the Vampire Menace

Never underestimate a librarian. "Audacious, witty and fun." Herald Intelligent cosy crime series with razor-sharp wit and an unlikely hero, for fans of P.G. Wodehouse and Muriel Spark. Intrepid, fifty-something librarian Shona McMonagle, erstwhile Marcia Blaine Academy prefect, finds herself in an isolated French mountain village, where she must solve a mystery involving the mayor, the cheesemonger, the soprano Mary Garden, and even Count Dracula himself. Shona has been personally selected by school founder Marcia Blaine to travel back in time for this important mission in fin-de-siècle France – a curiously Gothic setting. But she finds it all very confusing. Why, for example, have so many people been torn to death by wild animals, what are Maman and the mayor up to, and is the reclusive aristocrat really suffering from toothache? It’s a race against time to solve the mystery. It is also a very tall order – but as Shona is wont to remind herself: Never underestimate a librarian!

About the Author :
Olga Wojtas is an unconventional – and very witty – writer of postmodern cosy crime fiction whose surrealist humour has been compared to the likes of PG Wodehouse, Jasper Fforde and the Marx Brothers. Her debut novel, Miss Blaine’s Prefect and the Golden Samovar, was published in the UK and US to critical acclaim – being longlisted for the inaugural Comedy Women in Print Prize 2019, shortlisted for a CrimeFest Award, and named as one of the best mysteries and thrillers of the year by Kirkus. A journalist for more than 30 years, Olga was Scottish editor of the Times Higher Education Supplement before she began adding creative writing to her portfolio. She won a Scottish Book Trust New Writers Award in 2015 and has had numerous short stories and several novellas published. Olga's second novel, Miss Blaine’s Prefect and the Vampire Menace, was published in 2020 and longlisted for that year's Comedy Women in Print Prize. She lives in Edinburgh, where she once attended James Gillespie’s High School – the model for Marcia Blaine School for Girls, which appears in Muriel Spark’s The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, the novel that inspired the Miss Blaine’s Prefect series. She is president of the Edinburgh Writer's Club.

Review :
“Effortlessly blends together a number of genres … Smart, funny and all-round good company, wherever Shona goes, readers will eagerly follow.” “Miss Blaine’s Prefect and the Vampire Menace is a marvellous romp through history, myth, and legend, and delights by playing with all of these … often impish and wry … rip-roaring, genuinely thrilling, and laugh-out-loud funny.” “The plot is engaging and keeps you turning the page … it is the journey itself that is the reward. Highly recommended.” “I couldn’t wait to be reunited with this character. I utterly love her company. So funny, so brisk, and above all, so well educated! More, more, more, please.” “The genius of Olga Wojtas’ writing is that she is able to combine fact and fiction to delightful effect. Wojtas wears her erudition very lightly and uses it to charm and delight the reader in a whole host of laugh out loud moments … Folklore, legends and historical figures are all used to fabulous effect in a magnificent time-travelling oeuvre that delights and entertains … the sheer brio and delicacy of her writing is a real joy to read. It’s warm, original, funny and irredeemably Scottish without losing its wider appeal.” “Witty and enjoyable … well-paced [with] relentless adventure … original, unique.” “A thoroughly enjoyable romp.” “Audacious … witty and fun.”