It's not easy for Minna being the only sensible one in her family, even though she is used to her mum's weird clothes and behavior, but her whole, unusual family does come through for her when she needs them most.

This early work by Fergus Hume was originally published in 1886 and we are now republishing it with a brand new introductory biography. 'The Mystery of a Hansom Cab' is a tricky tale set in Australia and is Hume's most famous crime novel. Fergusson Wright Hume was born on 8th July 1859 in England, the second son of Dr. James Hume. The family migrated to New Zealand where Fergus was enrolled at Otago Boys' High School, and later continued his legal and literary studies at the University of Otago. Hume returned to England in 1888 where he resided in London for a few years until moving to the Essex countryside. There he published over 100 novels, mainly in the mystery fiction genre, though none had the success of his début work.

Collected interviews with the British filmmaker of High Hopes, Life Is Sweet, and Secrets and Lies

Born in Ramsgate during the 1940s, Brenda Bottle was the youngest of nine in a poor but close family. She left school to work as a secretary for British Rail, where she met her husband. But by the age of twenty-seven, the marriage was over. Brenda left her job and with the little she had saved, enrolled at Guildford Drama School. And so her life as an actress began. One of Britain's best-loved actresses, Brenda Blethyn has dazzled in a vast number of roles, including her performances as downtrodden Cynthia in Mike Leigh's SECRETS AND LIES and as the man-eating Mari Hoff in LITTLE VOICE, for which she received Oscar nominations. On stage, television and film she has worked with our greatest writers and directors -- Alan Bennett, Tom Stoppard, Sam Mendes, Peter Hall -- and actors -- including Michael Caine, Jude Law, Julie Walters, Brad Pitt, Ewan McGregor and John Hurt. Brenda is one of Britain's finest character actresses, famous for playing her roles with social realism and warmth, wit and humour -- characters her audience empathise with. She has the same warmth and humour off screen too; a wonderfully down-to-earth person with a fascinating history. Told with sparkling wit and engaging honesty, MIXED FANCIES is the compelling story of her journey from the Plains of Waterloo to the National Theatre and on to television, Hollywood and stardom.