Something Fresh

Something Fresh is a story about, among other things, a scarab. And not just any scarab, but that rarest of rare specimens of Egyptian hieroglyphs: A Cheops of the Fourth Dynasty!  When the absentminded Earl of Emsworth pockets the prize piece of Mr. J. Preston Peters’ collection of scarabs, he sets in motion an adventure that only the wonderful world of Blandings Castle could house. Mr. Peters offers a lucrative reward to Ashe Marson to retrieve the scarab. Unbeknownst to him, his daughter, Aline. has hired the lovely Joan Valentine to do the same. With them all at Blandings is George Emerson, who wants to marry Aline. But Aline is engaged to Lord Emsworth’s son, the Honorable Freddie Threepwood, who fears that Joan is going to sue him for breach of promise. In all of this, of course, no one can take a step without tripping over Lord Emsworth’s secretary, the annoyingly Efficient Baxter.  “Wanted—Young Man of Good Appearance, who is rough and reckless, to undertake delicate and dangerous enterprise.”