Margi Preus loves a mystery. And she loves wordplay.
Both of these loves collide in Preus's new series The Shrew Detective. "This is the detective you didn't see coming," says Margi Preus of her new protagonist. Though tiny, Prues found Minerva the shrew to be an ideal candidate for the role of private detective. "Ten percent of [a shrew's] body weight is their brain... so I figure they're pretty smart."
In Book 1, The Case of the Pilfered Pearls, readers will get to know the depth of this one-of-a-kind investigator's intelligence as the English language is broken down with silly wordplay, counter-intuitive definitions, and a few puns. Preus is also having fun with names. Some animal character name ideas for future books include Badger the Witness, Status Crow and Quid Pro Crow.
Though Minerva is set on solving grander mysteries of the universe, in her first adventure, she and her friend Tenacity are restrained to something more straightforward. In a nearby human home, a pearl necklace has gone missing. Minerva and Tenacity navigate the home, meet various other animals, evade a prowling cat, and learn a lot about the life of people.
The Shrew Detective: The Case of the Pilfered Pearls can be found at a variety of bookstores and online through Abrams Books. Preus will be at Zenith Bookstore on May 23rd for a book launch and mystery party, and at The Bookstore At Fitger's on June 13th for a book signing.
Minnesota Reads is produced at The North 103.3 with funding provided in part by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.
