1919 Intrigue with a capital 'I'!
Penny for Your Secrets (Verity Kent 3) by Anna Lee Huber
Attending a dinner party and having the host murdered is shocking! For Verity Kent and Sidney we might be forgiven in thinking it's naught but small change for them after all they've encountered other the past years. It's not! Ada, Lady Rockman is an old friend of Verity's and due to a totally dramatic moment between the hosts at the dinner table, it seems Ada is about to be charged with murder.
Ada appeals to Verity for help. To find out who really killed her husband. The trail is convoluted and snakes back in upon itself. Add to this the unrelated death of a woman who'd worked for the Royal Mail,” in the censorship department. Verity and Sidney are forced to cast the net wide. Along the way they encounter Ada's lover Lord Ardmore, who "holds some unknown position within Naval Intelligence", and as things become more complex, Captain Alec Xavier, a man Verity became close to after Sidney had supposedly died, and Max Westfield, the Earl of Ryde, Sidney's commanding officer. Verity and Max had been drawn to each other during the time of Sidney's supposed death.
With the close of the novel I find I'm conflicted. The immediate problem may have been solved but we're left teetering on the precipice of some thing so much bigger. I felt somewhat cheated.
The complexity of the plot left me gasping with exhaustion as I mentally ran to keep up, and then the door was slammed shut, presumably to be thrown open at some time in the future. Who knows where that future will take Verity and Sidney? Judging by all that's gone before I can confidently predict it will be dangerous. I feel with a couple of things hinted at Verity may be possible accused of wrongdoing during her wartime exploits. It seems C's second in command Major Davis has had Verity's name added to the list of women "suspected of having intimate relations with the enemy.” Verity is shocked, I smell treachery in the future!
On the personal front, Verity and Sidney are leading a racy post war life style, moving from one distraction to another. Both are hiding things, immersing themselves in feverish activity. As Verity acknowledges it's "better to dance and be merry than to remember and regret." The mending of their relationship is tied in with their mental health and the cracks are very much starting to show, especially with Sidney.
I must applaud Huber for the depth and breadth of her background research. How she takes events and includes them in her storyline to give the 'wow' factor is indeed a credit to her talent.
I can't finish this review without saying how much I admire the cover art for all of the Verity books thus far. The retro 1920's block type Art Deco look that recalls Agatha Christie is stylish and intriguing, always with Verity's face turned away, enhancing her mysteriousness even as her clothes portray the stylish figure she cuts. Verity still remains somewhat of an enigma and the fabulous covers reflect that.
A Kensington ARC via NetGalley
*****
Ada appeals to Verity for help. To find out who really killed her husband. The trail is convoluted and snakes back in upon itself. Add to this the unrelated death of a woman who'd worked for the Royal Mail,” in the censorship department. Verity and Sidney are forced to cast the net wide. Along the way they encounter Ada's lover Lord Ardmore, who "holds some unknown position within Naval Intelligence", and as things become more complex, Captain Alec Xavier, a man Verity became close to after Sidney had supposedly died, and Max Westfield, the Earl of Ryde, Sidney's commanding officer. Verity and Max had been drawn to each other during the time of Sidney's supposed death.
With the close of the novel I find I'm conflicted. The immediate problem may have been solved but we're left teetering on the precipice of some thing so much bigger. I felt somewhat cheated.
The complexity of the plot left me gasping with exhaustion as I mentally ran to keep up, and then the door was slammed shut, presumably to be thrown open at some time in the future. Who knows where that future will take Verity and Sidney? Judging by all that's gone before I can confidently predict it will be dangerous. I feel with a couple of things hinted at Verity may be possible accused of wrongdoing during her wartime exploits. It seems C's second in command Major Davis has had Verity's name added to the list of women "suspected of having intimate relations with the enemy.” Verity is shocked, I smell treachery in the future!
On the personal front, Verity and Sidney are leading a racy post war life style, moving from one distraction to another. Both are hiding things, immersing themselves in feverish activity. As Verity acknowledges it's "better to dance and be merry than to remember and regret." The mending of their relationship is tied in with their mental health and the cracks are very much starting to show, especially with Sidney.
I must applaud Huber for the depth and breadth of her background research. How she takes events and includes them in her storyline to give the 'wow' factor is indeed a credit to her talent.
I can't finish this review without saying how much I admire the cover art for all of the Verity books thus far. The retro 1920's block type Art Deco look that recalls Agatha Christie is stylish and intriguing, always with Verity's face turned away, enhancing her mysteriousness even as her clothes portray the stylish figure she cuts. Verity still remains somewhat of an enigma and the fabulous covers reflect that.
A Kensington ARC via NetGalley
*****
Comments
Post a Comment