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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-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:
No
In a country roiled by rebellion trust and truth are in short supply
With the Great War over and her official career in intelligence at an end Verity Kent, known to most as a fashionable member of society, has been involved in some general inquiries but has mostly been happy to enjoy life with her husband. Sidney Kent is a war hero, and during a period of the war Verity had thought him to be dead. Their relationship has been repaired but still has a few cracks in it, one of which is Verity’s relationship with Captain Alec Xavier, a friend, fellow spy and (briefly) a lover. Alec has been sent to Ireland, where there is great unrest between the Irish people and the British government which controls the country still despite promises of Home Rule made before the war. Alec has not been heard from in weeks, not by his handler nor via any back-up methods of communication, and the head of SIS asks Verity and Sidney to travel to Ireland to determine whether Alec has gone quiet on purpose or if he was discovered in his efforts to infiltrate Sinn Féin and get close to its leader Michael Collins. If it proves to have been the latter, Alec is likely dead. There are also canisters of a toxic gas which seem to have made their way to Ireland, and the couple is asked to try to determine their location before they can be used in the escalating conflict. Using their social connections and their glamorous reputations, the pair insert themselves into the circles of British loyalists as cover while they separately work on their two missions. They soon discover that it is far from certain whom they can trust nor to determine who is in fact loyal to the British government. Members of the Irish police, the British military, even the servants in their rented house could hold people feeding information back to Collins and the IRA. When the lead representative of the Crown asks Verity to look into the circumstances surrounding the death of a friend’s daughter that may be to tied to an assault upon her by the rebels, her quest for justice there is as difficult as it is with the other tasks before her…yet may turn out to be related to them as well. The more Verity and Sidney investigate, the more troubling the situation in Ireland appears and the harder it is to decide which side of the conflict is right and which is wrong. The country is a tinder keg ready to explode….can they find the answers they seek before they too become casualties to the escalating tensions?
In this, the seventh installment of the Verity Kent series, the reader is transported to Ireland in the year 1920, when many native Irish view the British government as an occupying force whose departure is long overdue. Verity is a loyal Englishwoman who gave much to her country during the Great War as did her husband Sidney, yet they are forced to see those representing their government acting in ways that remind them more than is comfortable of the German occupying forces in places like Belgium. Verity is determined to find her friend and also to find justice for the late Miss Kavanaugh, but gets precious little assistance or respect from those in positions of authority who have been tasked with helping her. Even the deceased’s parents don’t seem to want to help. It will take all of Verity’s varied skills to gain the trust or at least the ear of people who are likely to have information she seeks, and it is when she is in these less exalted locations that she observes for herself the tensions that are growing on the ground. I have read earlier novels in the series, so had a grounding of the relationships between Verity, Sidney and Alec as well as other players on the fringe of the story, but author Anna Lee Huber does a good job of explaining backstories for those who may not have done so. Interesting characters and a fascinating period of time combine with the different quests which Verity and Sidney undertake, with plenty of potential villains and a clear eyed view of the complicated state of affairs in Ireland in those days. An intriguing story that held my attention throughout, and one that readers of the series will greatly enjoy. Fans of authors like Susan Elia MacNeal, Jacqueline Winspear and Charles Todd should also be sure to read this novel/series. Many thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for allowing me early access to a copy of The Cold Light of Day.
With the Great War over and her official career in intelligence at an end Verity Kent, known to most as a fashionable member of society, has been involved in some general inquiries but has mostly been happy to enjoy life with her husband. Sidney Kent is a war hero, and during a period of the war Verity had thought him to be dead. Their relationship has been repaired but still has a few cracks in it, one of which is Verity’s relationship with Captain Alec Xavier, a friend, fellow spy and (briefly) a lover. Alec has been sent to Ireland, where there is great unrest between the Irish people and the British government which controls the country still despite promises of Home Rule made before the war. Alec has not been heard from in weeks, not by his handler nor via any back-up methods of communication, and the head of SIS asks Verity and Sidney to travel to Ireland to determine whether Alec has gone quiet on purpose or if he was discovered in his efforts to infiltrate Sinn Féin and get close to its leader Michael Collins. If it proves to have been the latter, Alec is likely dead. There are also canisters of a toxic gas which seem to have made their way to Ireland, and the couple is asked to try to determine their location before they can be used in the escalating conflict. Using their social connections and their glamorous reputations, the pair insert themselves into the circles of British loyalists as cover while they separately work on their two missions. They soon discover that it is far from certain whom they can trust nor to determine who is in fact loyal to the British government. Members of the Irish police, the British military, even the servants in their rented house could hold people feeding information back to Collins and the IRA. When the lead representative of the Crown asks Verity to look into the circumstances surrounding the death of a friend’s daughter that may be to tied to an assault upon her by the rebels, her quest for justice there is as difficult as it is with the other tasks before her…yet may turn out to be related to them as well. The more Verity and Sidney investigate, the more troubling the situation in Ireland appears and the harder it is to decide which side of the conflict is right and which is wrong. The country is a tinder keg ready to explode….can they find the answers they seek before they too become casualties to the escalating tensions?
In this, the seventh installment of the Verity Kent series, the reader is transported to Ireland in the year 1920, when many native Irish view the British government as an occupying force whose departure is long overdue. Verity is a loyal Englishwoman who gave much to her country during the Great War as did her husband Sidney, yet they are forced to see those representing their government acting in ways that remind them more than is comfortable of the German occupying forces in places like Belgium. Verity is determined to find her friend and also to find justice for the late Miss Kavanaugh, but gets precious little assistance or respect from those in positions of authority who have been tasked with helping her. Even the deceased’s parents don’t seem to want to help. It will take all of Verity’s varied skills to gain the trust or at least the ear of people who are likely to have information she seeks, and it is when she is in these less exalted locations that she observes for herself the tensions that are growing on the ground. I have read earlier novels in the series, so had a grounding of the relationships between Verity, Sidney and Alec as well as other players on the fringe of the story, but author Anna Lee Huber does a good job of explaining backstories for those who may not have done so. Interesting characters and a fascinating period of time combine with the different quests which Verity and Sidney undertake, with plenty of potential villains and a clear eyed view of the complicated state of affairs in Ireland in those days. An intriguing story that held my attention throughout, and one that readers of the series will greatly enjoy. Fans of authors like Susan Elia MacNeal, Jacqueline Winspear and Charles Todd should also be sure to read this novel/series. Many thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for allowing me early access to a copy of The Cold Light of Day.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Oh, loved reading this book, it was another fantastic mystery, and I'm so glad that we got it!
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I go back for the protagonist and because it’s like a warm blanket…but the plot was really meh.
informative
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The latest from Anna Lee Huber was highly anticipated and a bold surprise all in one. The Verity Kent series featuring a former British spy and her war hero husband has been tripping the light fantastic since book one, but with The Cold Light of Day, Anna Lee Huber has raised her own bar to greater heights.
The seventh in this strongly connected post-WWI era historical mystery series, The Cold Light of Day, has Verity and Sidney in Dublin, Ireland during an outbreak of violence as the promised Home Rule doesn’t transpire and many Irish are not minded to settle for Home Rule and want it all even if it means bloody civil war. Verity is determined to find her friend whose latest assignment was to infiltrate the IRA and has been missing for six weeks. Sidney insists on partnering her though they both struggle with this particular rescue since her friend was once a lover when she thought Sidney was dead.
Anna Lee Huber did her homework and post-WWI era Ireland and its powder keg of politics and religion was painted so well that I felt I was right there on the roiling, dangerous streets of Dublin and getting the complicated situations from all sides of the equation in person. Verity and Sidney have never faced such a challenge and that’s saying something because Verity worked behind enemy lines in occupied territory and Sidney was out in the front lines for the fighting.
As in previous books, Verity and Sidney are presented with more than one case. This time around, they are trying to track down the deadly phosgene gas that their arch enemy stole from the army, investigate a young woman’s brutal assault and suicide, and track down Verity’s former spy compatriot who disappeared. This was a taunt and emotional book from start to finish. There were good twists, superb nail-biting suspense and a fab climax.
All in all a winner and left me in that state of desperate need for the next installment. I couldn’t put this one down after it reached a third of the way. Sooner rather than later, get this series onto the top of your TBR pile, historical mystery fans!
dark
informative
mysterious
medium-paced