Miss Treadwell's Talent

Barbara Metzger, one of the funniest Regency authors today---no, make that one of the funniest authors, period!---has done it again. Though it starts a bit slowly, once the entire disreputable cast of characters is assembled, Miss Treadwell's Talent never lets up. Maylene Treadwell and her mother, Thisbe, Lady Tremont (widow of a dissolute baron who lost all his money) are genteel and impoverished. Lady Tremont is blessed with a rare talent for communicating with the dead; Maylene has a talent for finding things and people thought lost. When the distressed Duke of Mondale comes to them, in desperation over his missing daughter, they will hold seances, send out investigators, and leave no stone unturned to get to the bottom of the mystery. Of course, Socrates Hughes (and don't you just love this hero's name?), the Earl of Hyatt, dismisses the mother-daughter duo and their minions as charlatans, out to cheat the duke and feather their nest handsomely with his gold guineas. Belinda, the duke's missing daughter, is Soc's fiancee (not announced yet, though), and he should want her found, no? Well, yes...and no. Not after meeting Maylene, to whom he is both attracted and repulsed. Their bickering and undeniable attraction is charming and amusing to read. Even as he blisters May with criticism, his lips keep straying to hers...again...and again...and again! And I haven't even started on the hilarious secondary characters yet. Be assured, though, that every Jack will wind up with his Jill. Absurd though some of these matches may seem, all of Ms. Metzger's people (and animals!) are truly made for each other. Her instincts are unerring. The wonderful animals in this Regency include a kitten who's mistaken for a puppy, a dog that comes back from the dead younger and ungelded, and a spectral pooch who saves the day for a young married couple and a fisherman. Terrific, just terrific! And, yes, I agree with the other reviewer who says that Ms. Metzger's books cry out for filming; her sight gags are irrepressible.

Lord Hyatt's betrothed has disappeared, and her worried father insists on consulting the spirits about her whereabouts. Of course, Lord Hyatt himself knows that the Treadwell women--the widowed Lady Tremont and her spinster daughter--are money-grubbing charlatans, but he reluctantly agrees to accompany his prospective father-in-law in order to keep him from being fleeced.Lady Tremont is a medium who conducts seances, and her daughter's talent as a "finder" of lost things and people is well-known. Grateful clients contribute to the "Fund for Psychical Research," which is in reality the household account and manages to keep the wolf from the door. Although Maylene Treadwell's meticulous "research" adds drama (not to mention credibility) to her mother's performances, Lady Tremont's contacts to the spirit world seem to be quite genuine indeed.Of course, Lord Hyatt is neither impressed nor convinced. He only attends the seances on his prospective father-in-law's behalf. He could not possibly be attracted to the unconventional Miss Treadwell. No indeed! It is only a coincidence that he is no longer interested in his mistress and that he always seems to be apologizing for taking liberties with Miss Treadwell's luscious lips. Once his fiancée is found, they will be married and he will have no reason to think of the Treadwell women ever again.On her part, Maylene is certain that the young heiress ran away to escape a forced marriage to a boorish womanizer. No intelligent woman in her right mind would ever wish to marry such a disagreeable cur. Well, not unless kissing happened to be involved, that is. Oddly enough, Maylene's common sense seems to desert her whenever she finds herself in close proximity to the despised earl.To this delightful comedy, add a missing duke's heir, a silly young viscount who wants to contact his beloved mother for advice on how to go one with his life, and a one-legged soldier with an uncertain future, not to mention a jealous spirit guide named Max, and you end up with a hilarious romp into the Regency world that is so wonderfully typical of Ms. Metzger's novels.Do yourself a favor and run, don't walk, to pick up this latest masterpiece by Barbara Metzger. You won't regret it!

Ms. Metzger has amazing wit. I savored this book over several days. I did not want to skim over a single funny line or miss out on laughing out loud. All the charecters were a hoot. If this book were made into a movie, it would seriously compete with all the recent Jane Austen movies. Are there any producers out there?

Ms. Metzger dives head first into the realm of spirituality in her latest romp. Miss Treadwell's mother is a psychic--communing with Max who searches the Beyond for the dearly (or not so dearly) departed. Add a darkly brooding skeptic hero, a missing almost fiancee, a distraught duke, and a henpecked son seeking his dead mother's guidance and you have a typical Metzger keeper. Absolutely delightful as usual!

Barbara Metzger has done it again! I howled like Alex, the dog from beyond the grave, the entire way through this instant classic. The draw here is not only the charming romance between Maylene and the earl, but also a cast of characters that are sheer fun. Queen of the One-liners and Goddess of Alliteration, Metzger gives us the wittiest writing in the Regency romance genre today. Relish every word of *Ms. Metzger's Talent* in this keeper. It'll be too long until we get another.