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A review by meezcarrie
To Disguise the Truth by Jen Turano
5.0
It must be somewhat disconcerting – and more than a bit comical – to be hired to find yourself… but readers have grown to expect nothing less from a Jen Turano read! The author is skilled at putting her characters into awkwardly delightful & hilarious predicaments, and the one in which our dear Eunice finds herself at the start of To Disguise the Truth may be the most intriguing yet!
Fans of The Bleecker Street Inquiry Agency series have been fascinated from book one by Eunice’s general mysteriousness. We weren’t quite sure whether her ever present widow’s weeds and heavy veils were a classic Turano quirk for a future heroine or if they indeed served a disguising purpose. As you might guess by the title of this third book, we get the answers we’ve been waiting for – and what a delicious dish of intrigue, mystery, and family drama it turns out to be! I thoroughly enjoyed watching her story unfold and getting to really know her character a lot better. While I’ve always been interested in Eunice for reasons I’ve already explained, I truly came to love her in To Disguise the Truth.
And Arthur. Ah, Arthur. I wasn’t quite sure that any man could replace Norman Nesbit as my favorite Turano hero, but Arthur definitely gives him a run for his money. Equal parts awkward and endearing, he and Eunice have an interesting history, and their present seems to be off to a similar start.
“Considering she’d once shot the man sitting across from her, Eunice Holbrooke was beginning to get the sneaking suspicion her past had finally caught up to her.”
Right from the first line of this hilarious story, I was chuckling at what I knew would be a certainly fun path to happily-ever-after for these two characters. Needless to say, I was right and the bumps along the way (in quintessential Turano fashion) made it all the more so.
But there’s also a couple of more serious points that, while not overshadowing the romcom nature of the story in any way, bear mentioning. First is a brief look at the horrible conditions that women found themselves after being (often forcibly and deviously) committed to the insane asylums of Gilded Age New York. (Side note: Is it too much to hope that we might see a future spin-off series from this author related to some of the characters we met there?) Second, there is a subtle but sweet faith-related thread that is so timely to the world in which we find ourselves. Both of these subplots add further layers to the main characters & remind us that even hilarity can be meaningful when you look closely enough.
Bottom Line: To Disguise the Truth is another wonderful foray by Jen Turano into Gilded Age New York – the good, the bad, and the ugly sides of this storied time in US History. Vividly drawn characters, hilarious hijinks, and lots of heart grace these pages, as well as a swoony romance (with a man who wants it to be known that he knows his way around a kiss!) and answers readers have been waiting for. Eunice and Arthur are delightful in every way, as are all the supporting players we get to visit with along the way. A must-read if you want to be uplifted with the power of laughter & love!
(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book)
first reviewed at Reading Is My SuperPower
Fans of The Bleecker Street Inquiry Agency series have been fascinated from book one by Eunice’s general mysteriousness. We weren’t quite sure whether her ever present widow’s weeds and heavy veils were a classic Turano quirk for a future heroine or if they indeed served a disguising purpose. As you might guess by the title of this third book, we get the answers we’ve been waiting for – and what a delicious dish of intrigue, mystery, and family drama it turns out to be! I thoroughly enjoyed watching her story unfold and getting to really know her character a lot better. While I’ve always been interested in Eunice for reasons I’ve already explained, I truly came to love her in To Disguise the Truth.
And Arthur. Ah, Arthur. I wasn’t quite sure that any man could replace Norman Nesbit as my favorite Turano hero, but Arthur definitely gives him a run for his money. Equal parts awkward and endearing, he and Eunice have an interesting history, and their present seems to be off to a similar start.
“Considering she’d once shot the man sitting across from her, Eunice Holbrooke was beginning to get the sneaking suspicion her past had finally caught up to her.”
Right from the first line of this hilarious story, I was chuckling at what I knew would be a certainly fun path to happily-ever-after for these two characters. Needless to say, I was right and the bumps along the way (in quintessential Turano fashion) made it all the more so.
But there’s also a couple of more serious points that, while not overshadowing the romcom nature of the story in any way, bear mentioning. First is a brief look at the horrible conditions that women found themselves after being (often forcibly and deviously) committed to the insane asylums of Gilded Age New York. (Side note: Is it too much to hope that we might see a future spin-off series from this author related to some of the characters we met there?) Second, there is a subtle but sweet faith-related thread that is so timely to the world in which we find ourselves. Both of these subplots add further layers to the main characters & remind us that even hilarity can be meaningful when you look closely enough.
Bottom Line: To Disguise the Truth is another wonderful foray by Jen Turano into Gilded Age New York – the good, the bad, and the ugly sides of this storied time in US History. Vividly drawn characters, hilarious hijinks, and lots of heart grace these pages, as well as a swoony romance (with a man who wants it to be known that he knows his way around a kiss!) and answers readers have been waiting for. Eunice and Arthur are delightful in every way, as are all the supporting players we get to visit with along the way. A must-read if you want to be uplifted with the power of laughter & love!
(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book)
first reviewed at Reading Is My SuperPower