A Fish of Some Importance

In the late summer of 1817, sailors spot what they think is a sea monster swimming off the New England coast. As reports suggest that the monster is working its way south, the Superintendent of Patents assigns his chief clerk, Cassius Lightner, to help a politically connected teenage fossil hunter who wants to capture it. She turns up dead near Annapolis, Maryland with the remains of a mysterious creature around her neck. The county sheriff suspects that a suspicious group of whaling men may be involved.Was the young lady's death really the result of an unfortunate encounter with a sea monster? Lightner and his fianc e, English inventor Amanda Crofton, once again turn detective to uncover the truth."The witty novel's detective spadework plays out nicely against a backdrop of salty dialogue...A busy but breezy swashbuckling caper awash in intrigue and headlined by two indefatigable heroes." - Kirkus Reviews"The author weaves the narrative thread between serious and funny ably and offers a compelling 19th - century mystery plot as well." - Kirkus Reviews on "A Nude of Some Importance""As a work of darkly comic historical fiction, it's a resounding success." - Kirkus Reviews on "A Cheese of Some Importance"