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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
4.5/5 stars
I simply love everything Huber writes. This series and her Lady Darby series run neck and neck in my top favorite historical mystery serials.
This story takes place in Dublin (1920) during the turbulent IRA/British clashes. Verity Kent and her husband Sidney are called upon by British intelligence to determine what's happened to their missing friend Alec Xavier, a spy who has infiltrated the top ranks of the IRA. They utilize their glamorous personas of society darlings and intrepid sleuths to uncover why Alec has gone silent...by his own volition or forced through other nefarious means. While Alec's story is the crux of the story, there is also quite a bit of time devoted to a sad and perplexing case of the supposed suicide of a young girl reported to have been targeted by the IRA...a heartbreaking sideline. Oh, and also, there is the return of Lord Ardmore, an arch nemesis who is always plotting dastardly deeds.
I enjoyed this outing more than usual because of the storyline around Alec, an enigmatic and irreverent character who has an interesting past and complicated present with Verity. My only hesitation in giving a full 5 stars is in the surprising about-face in a particular facet of the storyline. It seemed to come out of left field for me, and I struggled to reconcile all that I had gleaned from past books to what was occurring here. And I must say, I'm still a bit befuddled as to what direction that particular plot point is taking, but I'm along for the ride and knowing Huber as a writer, I'm sure she's working toward something exciting and satisfying for her readers.
I'm looking forward to Verity's next chapter, as it was hinted that there will be more to follow from their time in Ireland coming up.
My sincere thanks to the author, NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for providing the free early arc of The Cold Light of Day for review. The opinions are strictly my own.
I simply love everything Huber writes. This series and her Lady Darby series run neck and neck in my top favorite historical mystery serials.
This story takes place in Dublin (1920) during the turbulent IRA/British clashes. Verity Kent and her husband Sidney are called upon by British intelligence to determine what's happened to their missing friend Alec Xavier, a spy who has infiltrated the top ranks of the IRA. They utilize their glamorous personas of society darlings and intrepid sleuths to uncover why Alec has gone silent...by his own volition or forced through other nefarious means. While Alec's story is the crux of the story, there is also quite a bit of time devoted to a sad and perplexing case of the supposed suicide of a young girl reported to have been targeted by the IRA...a heartbreaking sideline. Oh, and also, there is the return of Lord Ardmore, an arch nemesis who is always plotting dastardly deeds.
I enjoyed this outing more than usual because of the storyline around Alec, an enigmatic and irreverent character who has an interesting past and complicated present with Verity. My only hesitation in giving a full 5 stars is in the surprising about-face in a particular facet of the storyline. It seemed to come out of left field for me, and I struggled to reconcile all that I had gleaned from past books to what was occurring here. And I must say, I'm still a bit befuddled as to what direction that particular plot point is taking, but I'm along for the ride and knowing Huber as a writer, I'm sure she's working toward something exciting and satisfying for her readers.
I'm looking forward to Verity's next chapter, as it was hinted that there will be more to follow from their time in Ireland coming up.
My sincere thanks to the author, NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for providing the free early arc of The Cold Light of Day for review. The opinions are strictly my own.
dark
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
| Character | 7 – I really like some of the characters
| Atmosphere | 7 – Setting is pretty good
| Writing | 5 – No strong feelings
| Plot | 7 – I liked it but not unique
| Intrigue | 8 – I want to read more from this author/series
| Logic | 6 – Mostly explained but a few holes
| Enjoyment | 7 – I’m glad I picked it up
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Verity and Sydney follow Alec to Ireland to discover what happened to him after going missing. Ireland is a powder keg with various warring factions sowing chaos on the streets and Verity struggles throughout the book to decide who she thinks should win. She must adopt disguises, deal with untrustworthy servants, design escape routes from her home, mix with both the British aristocracy and Irish workers to gain information to find Alec, and also look into the death of a young woman. Verity is never pleased with the information she discovers which leads her to distrust those she has trusted, doubt the government she has sworn allegiance to, balance her relationship with her husband, and maintain their safety. This book includes a LOT of Ireland’s history with Britain and fighting for its independence. While interesting, I sometimes got lost in the descriptions of events and people named, trying to get back to the plotline. The ending did not leave me feeling relieved in any way, only worried about what will occur to the characters in the next book.
I'm giving this three stars out of nostalgia. It's one thing for Verity and Sidney go to Dublin to find missing Alec, but Alec keeps showing up in annoying letters as the BS relationship continues. Meanwhile, Sidney acts like an idiot though his supposed intelligence and experience should prevent that. I got about halfway through before returning it. As the end says they're still on the same BS mission, I'll probably skip the next book and see if the author has killed off Alec by the one after.
I hope she gets back to Lady Darby quickly. She hasn't lost her touch with that one
I hope she gets back to Lady Darby quickly. She hasn't lost her touch with that one
I received this in a Goodreads giveaway. I will say firstly that this may have not been the genre for me, and I haven’t read any of the previous books in the series. I would’ve preferred the pacing be faster than it was. While details make sense in a mystery novel, at times it felt like it was meant as a distraction.
mysterious