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A review by rwbrock
The Cold Light of Day by Anna Lee Huber
5.0
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.