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A review by viktorian
City of Secrets by Victoria Thompson
4.0
Disclaimer: I received a free ARC (Thanks, Netgalley!), which doesn't sway my opinion, & etc.
I've been meaning to read Victoria Thompson for ages; I recommend her Gaslight all the time for historical fiction mystery readers at work, despite never having read her myself, and when I read the premise for the Counterfeit Lady series, I perked up immediately. Cons? Suffragettes? 1920s New York? Con ladies? Sharp lawyers? So many of my favorite things!
Book #1 charmed me thoroughly. I literally finished the book, put down my Kindle, and grabbed my phone on my way to take the dog outside to see about acquiring the second one, because I wasn't sure if I'd be in the window for getting the ARC. Thankfully, I did and Netgalley provided. (Allll the hearts.)
That being said, #2 was lovely and wonderful and the charm still holds, but it's playing the long game—because of that, I think some of the charisma of the Book #1 isn't as potent here. Yet it's a totally necessary character study for the series to propel forward, especially when you're talking about a Beguiling but Reformed Con Woman and a The Most Honorable and Adores Her Lawyer.
Pros: Excellent plot, the CONS!, still an amazing concept, more side characters, interesting character growth.
Cons: Series builder-y, less atmosphere and magnetism than the first.
tl;dr: When does #3 come out?
I've been meaning to read Victoria Thompson for ages; I recommend her Gaslight all the time for historical fiction mystery readers at work, despite never having read her myself, and when I read the premise for the Counterfeit Lady series, I perked up immediately. Cons? Suffragettes? 1920s New York? Con ladies? Sharp lawyers? So many of my favorite things!
Book #1 charmed me thoroughly. I literally finished the book, put down my Kindle, and grabbed my phone on my way to take the dog outside to see about acquiring the second one, because I wasn't sure if I'd be in the window for getting the ARC. Thankfully, I did and Netgalley provided. (Allll the hearts.)
That being said, #2 was lovely and wonderful and the charm still holds, but it's playing the long game—because of that, I think some of the charisma of the Book #1 isn't as potent here. Yet it's a totally necessary character study for the series to propel forward, especially when you're talking about a Beguiling but Reformed Con Woman and a The Most Honorable and Adores Her Lawyer.
Pros: Excellent plot, the CONS!, still an amazing concept, more side characters, interesting character growth.
Cons: Series builder-y, less atmosphere and magnetism than the first.
tl;dr: When does #3 come out?