Retro Reading: Snow White- Red Handed by Maia Chance

I don't care who you are since we all grew up hearing the tale of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. But what if their story was based on fact?

Having ignored this crimozy on my shelf for years, I thought it was time to clear the shelf and start this three-book series. And you know what? I could kick myself for not reading it sooner.

One reason why I didn't read it was that it takes place in the Victorian era (1867) and in Germany, which books set in a foreign country put me on edge, especially when the characters are so far from home. It's a weird phobia I have.

Actresses Ophelia Flax and Prue Bright are shipboard when the two are fired from their acting gig. Ophelia meets Mrs. Coop, who's on her honeymoon and cons her into hiring them as maids in the castle, which was just purchased by her husband, a railroad tycoon.

For the first two weeks everything is going good until a small house is discovered in the woods along with a tiny skeleton.

Scholars Professor Winkler and Penrose arrive to study the house and skeleton since they believe that the skeleton is indeed one of the dwarfs, but it disappears, and Mr. Coop collapses dead one evening after eating a poisoned apple.

Prue is suspected as killing him and is put under house arrest in the castle's tower, but gardener Hansel manages to free her at various times to do their own investigating. He takes her to a place in the woods, and they find a grave which has been dug up and she finds a gold and ruby comb.

Meanwhile Ophelia has started her own investigation after she finds a slipper with dirt on the sole. She's taken by force and is tied up with Penrose in a building somewhere on the property. They manage to set themselves free and decide to investigate together.

While Mrs. Coop doesn't appear to be in mourning, Orphelia is able to get into her head and tell her different things that she needs in order in properly mourn and she's able to go into town (she disguises herself as a man) and meets with Penrose.

He finds a handmade clock with the dwarfs which raises his suspicions about the validity of the fairy tale. There's also the question of a tapestry that has gone missing and has clues about the dwarfs and Snow White.

While they are in Baden-Baden, Penrose and Ophelia see a notice for a masked ball (in which the guests are to dress as fairy tale characters) and they decide to attend, but Prue is being blackmailed into going since Hansel introduced her to his former best friend Franz.

Franz knows who Prue is and he, too, is looking for the Snow White lore, along with countless others.

Surprisingly, this is one of those books that's hard to put down since there are a lot of twists and turns and the characters are so well developed that I had forgotten about Mr. Coop's murder.

Chance also is great at bringing you into the Victorian era, which isn't a genre that I'm attracted to, but I forgot all about modern day technology and went with the flow. I also felt gritty and dirty as the characters can't bathe on a daily basis and that too is brought up. They even feel the same way!

Although there are three full installments (and a novella) to this series, I think it could have been a long running series based on all of your favorite fairy tale characters.