Scan barcode
A review by laura_cs
A Wicked Conceit by Anna Lee Huber
4.0
I received an ARC of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
It is March of 1832 and Keira and her husband, Sebastian Gage, are in Edinburgh and are eagerly awaiting the birth of their first child. However, all is not well. The cholera epidemic rages through England and Scotland, putting the inquiry agents in a new type of danger around every corner. Distraction from the devastating illness comes in an unusual form: a book has been published about the exploits of Bonnie Brock Kincaid, who--needless to say--disapproves. Keira and Sebastian are also displeased, as the book makes references to them and their previous encounters with Kincaid--and implies that Bonnie Brock is the true father of the child Keira carries. This prompts Keira and Sebastian to start investigating the identity of the anonymous author. For who knows Bonnie Brock so well to know all of these intimate details of his life and criminal deeds?
When the book is turned into a highly successful stage play--turning Kincaid into a hero--and a sequel is hinted at, the book's publisher is found murdered in his office. Kincaid pleads his innocence, and Keira and Sebastian are quick to believe him. However, the Gages are shocked when the police begin to suspect them as the killers instead. Now it is even more important to find the identity of the author, as it will reveal more about who wanted to kill the publisher and why.
The latest in Anna Lee Huber's Lady Darby mystery series is a brilliant piece of historical fiction and full of intrigue, deception, and scandal. In addition to the whodunit, Keira must solve some touchy interpersonal problems with her sister and husband, all while preparing for childbirth and all the excitement, anticipation, anxieties, and discomfort that accompany that. Huber blends these personal elements of Keira's life well with her high-stakes plots and confounding clues, making readers thoroughly invested in the story and the lives of the characters.
My only issue with this book was that there were several references to an event that happens in a novella that was published in September of 2020 in an anthology; having not known about this anthology and the Lady Darby story within, I was rather lost because the events of the novella were described with enough detail that I thought that I had forgotten some parts of a previous novel, except that the timeline for the novella was described as after Keira and Gage's wedding, which takes place between books 4 and 5 and book 5 is set outside of Scotland entirely. The publisher may wish to consider adding in a note about this other novella and where it can be located to curb reader confusion. This is really the only reason I give this novel 4 stars, because it was just distracting enough to take away from an otherwise thoroughly enjoyable addition to the Lady Darby mystery series.
It is March of 1832 and Keira and her husband, Sebastian Gage, are in Edinburgh and are eagerly awaiting the birth of their first child. However, all is not well. The cholera epidemic rages through England and Scotland, putting the inquiry agents in a new type of danger around every corner. Distraction from the devastating illness comes in an unusual form: a book has been published about the exploits of Bonnie Brock Kincaid, who--needless to say--disapproves. Keira and Sebastian are also displeased, as the book makes references to them and their previous encounters with Kincaid--and implies that Bonnie Brock is the true father of the child Keira carries. This prompts Keira and Sebastian to start investigating the identity of the anonymous author. For who knows Bonnie Brock so well to know all of these intimate details of his life and criminal deeds?
When the book is turned into a highly successful stage play--turning Kincaid into a hero--and a sequel is hinted at, the book's publisher is found murdered in his office. Kincaid pleads his innocence, and Keira and Sebastian are quick to believe him. However, the Gages are shocked when the police begin to suspect them as the killers instead. Now it is even more important to find the identity of the author, as it will reveal more about who wanted to kill the publisher and why.
The latest in Anna Lee Huber's Lady Darby mystery series is a brilliant piece of historical fiction and full of intrigue, deception, and scandal. In addition to the whodunit, Keira must solve some touchy interpersonal problems with her sister and husband, all while preparing for childbirth and all the excitement, anticipation, anxieties, and discomfort that accompany that. Huber blends these personal elements of Keira's life well with her high-stakes plots and confounding clues, making readers thoroughly invested in the story and the lives of the characters.
My only issue with this book was that there were several references to an event that happens in a novella that was published in September of 2020 in an anthology; having not known about this anthology and the Lady Darby story within, I was rather lost because the events of the novella were described with enough detail that I thought that I had forgotten some parts of a previous novel, except that the timeline for the novella was described as after Keira and Gage's wedding, which takes place between books 4 and 5 and book 5 is set outside of Scotland entirely. The publisher may wish to consider adding in a note about this other novella and where it can be located to curb reader confusion. This is really the only reason I give this novel 4 stars, because it was just distracting enough to take away from an otherwise thoroughly enjoyable addition to the Lady Darby mystery series.