BLOG TOUR – BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP

Rating: 4 out of 5.

This is a good Historical Fiction mystery set in London. Although this is book 6 in the series, it can be read as a stand alone. I haven’t read any of the previous books, but there was enough back story provided in the book for me to not feel as though I had missed too much.

Elizabeth and her attorney husband Gideon are invited to share a box with his client Sebastion Nolan at the horse races. Nolan wants Elizabeth to take his daughter Irene under her wings to “refine” Irene so she will be accepted into society and she can snag a rich husband. Nolan raised Irene on his own after his wife died, and she grew up in the stables and involved with horses and the horseracing world. When Elizabeth sees Irene interacting with their jockey Cal, she senses there is more than a employer/employee relationship between the two.

When Cal has two mishaps at the races, one leaving one of his legs shattered, ending his career, Elizabeth senses sabotage and insists that she and Gideon help Irene and Cal. This ultimately ends in Elizabeth involving her con artist father and his crew to help out with the case.

I enjoyed this book and liked Elizabeth and Gideon’s relationship. Elizabeth is smart and savvy and Gideon doesn’t try to box her in or interfere in her plans. I loved Gideon’s mother. She added humor to the story and was unfailing in her support of Elizabeth. In fact, she delighted in Elizabeth’s antics, as well as rubbing elbows with her con man father. The book is well-written and easy to read. The only reason I knocked off half a star from the book is because it dragged a bit in the middle and I felt that some parts of the story, including a few twists, were unnecessary. It almost felt like filler to increase the page count. But, these are minor issues of mine, and others may not feel the same.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group. All opinions are my own.