Tom Holt •
Lucia Triumphant •

There are some fictional characters we never seem to tire of. Sherlock Holmes. Elizabeth Bennet. Kermit the Frog.

Add to that list E.F. Benson’s wickedly enjoyable Mapp and Lucia. We eat up their adventures not because we admire them—quite the reverse—but because we can’t wait to see what inspired mischief they’ll get up to next.

Novelist Tom Holt, a dyed-in-the-wool Luciaphile, carries on the original series with two sequels set during and after World War II. In Lucia Triumphant, the colorful rivals take up Monopoly, so perfect a vehicle for Lucia’s shrewd business sense and Mapp’s utter ruthlessness that it’s a wonder Benson didn’t think of it himself. Cutthroat bridge pales in comparison to take-no-prisoners Monopoly.

Holt has succeeded admirably in that trickiest of literary undertakings: reproducing the voice of a well-known and beloved author. In an online interview, he likens this process to driving someone else’s Ferrari and being afraid you’ll put a dent in it. But neither car owner (Benson) nor passengers (readers) need fear bumps in the road when Holt is behind the wheel.

If—like me—you’re intrigued by literary dynasties, you may be pleased to know that Tom Holt is the son of Hazel Holt, author of the Mrs. Malory mysteries. One of her books carries this dedication: “For my son Tom, since it was a vain attempt to match his prodigious literary output that got me into this situation in the first place.” The apple bounces back to the tree, or something like that.

And if a well-wrought homage sends you scurrying back to savor the original series yet again—so be it. Who would you rather spend time with?