Review - City of Scoundrels

Today I review the newest in the Counterfeit Lady historical mysteries.  Previously I reviewed the first in the series -- "City of Lies" (click here)  and the second book "City of Secrets" (click here).  The timing of this book is uncanny since it features the pandemic of 1918.  So how is the series doing now that we are into the third book?  Let's find out.

Author: Victoria Thompson

Copyright: Nov 2019 (Berkley) 336 pgs

Series: 3rd in Counterfeit Lady Mystery series

Sensuality: Mild

Mystery Sub-genre: Historical Amateur Sleuth, historical caper

Main Character: Elizabeth Miles, smart and cunning con-artist using her skills to help people.

Setting: 1917, Washington DC

Obtained Through: Publisher (via Netgalley) for honest opinion

From the book cover: "Elizabeth Miles finds herself in a position no con can help her escape. Her beloved fiancé, Gideon Bates, is awaiting his turn in the draft to fight in the Great War. Elizabeth is finding it hard to think of anything else, but Gideon has thrown himself into his work, preparing wills for soldiers before they ship out. Corporal Tom Preston is part owner of Preston Shoes, a company that is making footwear for the army, so he has a rather large estate. He needs a new will, however, because he has just been secretly married to a woman whom his family would never approve. He wants to make sure she and their unborn child are provided for if he does not return.

When Tom is later reported killed, Elizabeth and Gideon learn that the new will has gone missing after Tom's bride revealed her identity to his family. Unless the new will is found and validated, the original will, which leaves everything to Tom's brother, will prevail and the wife and child will get nothing. If Tom's new bride survives, that is. Some terrible threats have been leveled against her, and Elizabeth and Gideon must figure out a way, legal or not quite, to secure Tom's fortune for his wife and child while saving her life in the process."

Elizabeth Miles can't help but revert to a good con against the heartless, greedy, and dangerous inlaws of widow Rose.  She is whip smart and resourceful and becomes a central player in the con to stop a German spy ring along the way.  Mrs Bates is an older lady who took Elizabeth under her wing and knows she isn't a legitimate society lady.  Gideon Bates, Mrs. Bates son and a lawyer, is Elizabeth's fiance and is waiting to report for the war.  Anna Vanderslice is a kind society girl who has become Elizabeth's best friend and whose brother, David, is Gideon's best friend.  Mr. Miles, Elizabeth's con man father, is key to the con to protect the widow Rose and get her rightful inheritance.  The relationship between the Elizabeth and Gideon is the most compelling aspect of the series

This story unfolds in the midst of WWI and the influenza outbreak know as the Spanish Flu pandemic that claimed between 50 million to 100 million worldwide.  Both the war and the pandemic draw too close to Elizabeth and those she loves.  Additionally, the American Protection League was an active all-volunteer organization utilized by President Wilson primarily to curb any anti-war activists but included identifying German sympathizers, anarchists, and labor organizations.  The APL created a fearful atmosphere.  These true historical events taking place around the story and impacting the characters makes this even more gripping and realistic.

The climax involves Elizabeth in great danger because of the con to catch German spies.  The wrapup involves the pandemic striking close to Elizabeth and Gideon's time to ship out for war.

I read this novel the end of October but am just getting to the review.  It is ironic how the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic is a strong element in this story and from the author's notes you find several actual accounts from that pandemic were incorporated into the story making it quite chilling.  The relationship between Elizabeth and Gideon is deepening on both sides and gives warmth to the characters.  The two pronged con to help Rose and also stop a German spy ring is brilliant.  This is a finely woven story that grabs hold and doesn't let go.

Rating:   Near Perfect - Buy two copies: one for you and one for a friend. 

Here is a short video about the 1918 pandemic.

Review - City of Secrets

This is the second novel in a new series by the bestselling author of the Gaslight mystery series with midwife Sarah Brandt and Detective Frank Malloy.  The first in the series, City of Lies, I reviewed (click here).  I finally got to reading this second in the series and I wasn't disappointed.

Author: Victoria Thompson

Copyright: Nov 2018 (Berkley) 320 pgs

Series: 2nd in Counterfeit Lady Mystery series

Sensuality: Mild with adult topics

Mystery Sub-genre: Historical cozy, historical amateur sleuth

Main Characters: Elizabeth Miles, smart and cunning con-artist using her skills to help people

Setting: 1917, Washington DC

Obtained Through: Library

From the cover: "Elizabeth Miles knows that honesty is not always the best policy when it comes to finding justice.

Elizabeth has discovered that navigating the rules of high society is the biggest con of all. She knows she can play the game, but so far, her only success is Priscilla Knight, a dedicated young suffragist recently widowed for the second time. Her beloved first husband died in a tragic accident and left her with two young daughters—and a sizable fortune. While she was lost in grief, Priscilla’s pastor convinced her she needed a man to look after her and engineered a whirlwind courtship and hasty marriage to fellow parishioner Endicott Knight. Now, about nine months later, Endicott is dead in what appears to be another terrible accident. 

Everyone is whispering, but that is the least of Priscilla’s troubles. She had believed Endicott was wealthy, too, but her banker tells her she has no money left and her house has been mortgaged. He also hints at a terrible scandal and refuses to help. 

Priscilla stands to lose everything, and Elizabeth is determined not to let that happen. But, as always, Elizabeth walks a fine line between using her unusual talents and revealing her own scandalous past. Elizabeth soon discovers that Endicott’s death was anything but accidental, and revealing the truth could threaten much more than Priscilla’s finances. To save her new friend’s future—and possibly her own—Elizabeth, along with her honest-to-a-fault beau, Gideon, delve into the sinister secrets someone would kill to keep."

Elizabeth Miles grew up in a family of con men and was taught how to grift and con so she would be able to take care of herself. Although she is reformed, she knows justice sometimes has to be dished out in unconventional ways.  Anna Vanderslice is a sweet and gentle lady who met Elizabeth when she was imprisoned with the suffragists demonstrating and looks up to her.  Mrs Bates is an older lady who takes Elizabeth under her wing and knows she isn't a legitimate society lady.  Gideon Bates, Mrs. Bates son and a lawyer, is Elizabeth's fiance.  His uptight lawyer side thought he could handle how Elizabeth grew-up and her shady past.  But, this outing forces him to face if his following the letter of the law and her bending of the law are compatible. These characters shine and draw you in.

Victoria Thompson always does an incredible job of bringing the early 1900s New York to vivid life.  She excels in this series at highlighting the social environment.  Such as referring to The Etiquette of Today by Mrs. Ordway that Elizabeth is studying to navigate the multitude of society rules.  Plus the lengths that are taken to keep any of the harsh realities of life from touching society women.

The initial plot quickly deepens and a ruthless, manipulative, and cold blooded killer is closer than Elizabeth could have imagined.  The story moves along at a quick pace I found it near impossible to put down.

There isn't a traditional killer reveal or killer confrontation.  Rather, once Elizabeth has figured out who is behind everything it becomes clear that it will be nearly impossible to turn person(s) responsible over without destroying the widow and her children in the process.  What results is a creative "Leverage" style climatic show down. The wrap up was heart warming and I loved it.

I appreciated the Leverage style climax.  Leverage was a TV Show where a band of cohorts act as modern-day Robin Hoods, pulling off elaborate scams  against the greedy and the corrupt.  It fits beautifully with Elizabeth and her particular talents.  Gideon and his personal growth were spot on for his character and I am very pleased with the chemistry between him and Elizabeth.  I can't think of a single improvement possible.

Rating:  Near Perfect - Couldn't Put it down and can't wait for the next. Buy two copies, one for you and one for a friend.

Author Guest Post - Victoria Thompson

Our guest today is Victoria Thompson, author of the bestselling Gaslight Mystery Series and the Counterfeit Lady novels. Her latest Gaslight Mystery, Murder on Trinity Place, releases on April 30.

Victoria Thompson is the bestselling author of the Edgar ® and Agatha Award nominated Gaslight Mystery Series and the Sue Grafton Memorial Award nominated Counterfeit Lady Series. Her latest books are Murder on Trinity Place and City of Secrets, both from Berkley. She currently teaches in the Master’s Degree program for writing popular fiction at Seton Hill University. She lives in Illinois with her husband and a very spoiled little dog.

Party like it’s 1899!

The first book of the Gaslight Mystery series was set in 1896, and after 22 books, we were approaching the end of 1899, so I thought it would be fun to show the turn of that century. Remember all the hoopla surrounding the most recent “turn of the century” in 1999? Y2K had many of us in a panic with predictions that computers would somehow cease working when the date rolled over to the year 2000. Planes would fall from the sky. Elevators would plunge to the basement. Life as we know it would end. Then the date rolled over and nothing happened! Except for lots of parties and celebrations for the beginning of a new century.

Y19HUN?

What, I wondered, was going on in anticipation of 1899 becoming 1900? Surely, people were excited and perhaps a bit apprehensive about something in those days, even though they didn’t have any computers back then to malfunction.

So I researched it and guess what? In 1899, people had decided that the new century didn’t really start in 1900. They felt that 1900 was actually the last year of the Nineteenth Century! They did celebrate New Year’s Eve that year, but no differently then they had all the other 99 New Year’s Eves of that century. The big celebration for the beginning of the new century was held on New Year’s Eve 1900. What a disappointment! But…

Human Beings will always be contrary.

Human nature being what it is, not everyone agreed about this, and some people still thought 1900 was the first year of the Twentieth Century. Would those people try to convince everyone else they were right? Of course they would! And would they be annoying when then did so? Yes, indeed. Perhaps even so annoying someone would want to murder them! Which is how Murder on Trinity Place begins. A man who has been trying to convince people they are wrong about the start of the new century is found dead on New Year’s morning. Was someone so annoyed with his arguments that they murdered him? Or was something else going on?

Frank and Sarah are on the case.

Frank and Sarah Malloy are asked to solve the case by their very superstitious neighbor, Mrs. Ellsworth, because the victim is the father of her new daughter-in-law. (Can we all take a moment here to lament the fact that the English language has no easy way to describe your relationship to your child’s in-laws? “My daughter-in-law’s parents” is so unwieldy. But I digress.) Since Mrs. Ellsworth once saved Sarah’s very life, they cannot refuse, and they begin an investigation that leads them to some very surprising places.

Did you believe all the hype about Y2K? Did you stay up to make sure your computer would still function after midnight? Or did you think it was all a big hoax?

**********
Murder on Trinity Place

The devil's in the details when a respected man is found murdered near historic Trinity Church, in the exciting new novel from the national bestselling Gaslight Mystery series...

As 1899 draws to a close, Frank and Sarah Malloy are ready to celebrate the New Year--and century--at Trinity Church when they notice Mr. Pritchard, a neighbor’s relative, behaving oddly and annoying the other revelers. When Frank tries to intervene and convince Pritchard to return home with them, he refuses and Frank loses him in the crowd. The next morning Sarah and Frank are horrified to learn Pritchard was murdered sometime in the night, his body left on Trinity Place, mere steps from the incident. Frank and Sarah must search Pritchard's past for a link between the new crimes…and old sins.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 
Thank you Ms. Thompson for guest posting.  Y2K was a very real issue in my job at the time (Department of Defense) and we had many contingencies in place which actually were used.  It wasn't a hoax in our case.