Sarah Zettel

In the wake of her father's abandonment of her family, Rosalind Thorne has kept a precarious toehold in the upper echelons of society with the aid of her godmother, Lady Blanchard, and by making herself useful to the various ladies of society. Rosalind is adept at creating the perfect guest list for an event or hushing up a potential scandal. But when the body of Jasper Aimesworth is found in the ballroom at Almack's, Jasper's sister Honoria demands that Rosalind find out who is responsible. show more No small task when several of those who discovered the body along with Rosalind are those dearest to her, including her former beau. The situation is even more complicated when a handsome young Bow Street Runner is put on the case. Will determining how the young man died completely destroy Rosalind's position and will she care if it does?

I adored this Regency cozy mystery. Rosalind is an excellent protagonist with a robust back story and the historical details are well-crafted but not so flashy that you can see the author pointing at all the research she did. The mystery was well done as well and the ultimate resolution of the whodunnit was quite suspenseful. If you like cozies and Jane Austen, this is an excellent mix of both worlds. Highly recommended. show less

When Peggy Fitzroy refuses to the arranged marriage to Sebastian Sandford, her uncle and guardian, Pierpont, throws her out of his house with nothing. Having nowhere to turn, she makes her way to Mr. Tinderflint, a man who apparently knew her mother and who came to her rescue at a party at which her betrothed tried to force himself on her. Mr. Tinderflint, who had offered assistance should she ever be in need, along with his confederates, Mr. Peele and Mrs. Abbott, offer her an intriguing show more proposition: assume the persona of Francesca who died of a fever, as maid of honor to Princess Caroline, daughter-in-law to King George of England. It is 1716, and George acceded the throne when Queen Anne died, leaving no successor. James III, the Pretender, son of the dethroned James II felt it was his birthright, thus sparking continuing struggles for the throne. Peggy is to communicate the goings on at court. Having no other prospects, Peggy unwittingly enters the world of 18th century espionage.
A Most Dangerous Deception, the first book in the Palace of Spies series by Sarah Zettel is surprisingly charming. There is action, romance, intrigue, humor. Its characters are appropriately honest, villainous, deceitful, snobbish. Readers get a nice entrée into the royal court, its excesses, politics and personalities. The book is nicely written. There is an immediate attraction to Peggy and dislike of Mrs. Abbott. The book’s heroine is reminiscent of L.A. Meyer’s Jacky Faber’s high seas adventures. Primarily of interest to middle school girls, there are strong male characters. A delightful story. show less

An ambitious and mostly successful combination of magical adventure and historical novel, this story of a half fairy girl set during the dust bowl years really brings that era to life with lively jazz clubs, deserted towns, racial inequities, and mountain high clouds of swirling, smothering dust. Though Callie has never known her piano playing father, her mother is sure he will be returning to the formerly fancy hotel they run and call home. Most people in their dust buried community have show more already fled, but hope keeps Callie's mother there until she is whisked away in a dust storm that seems to have been magically conjured when Callie tried playing her father's piano for the first time.

Callie sets out on a cross country venture to find her mother with a homeless but resourceful boy she's just met, discovering her magic abilities as she goes. While not effortless and without cost, her magic solutions came a little too easily for my taste. That said I still enjoyed the book plenty and read right through it. I'm looking forward to its sequel. show less

London is awash in political intrigue with everyone choosing sides in the divorce proceedings between King George IV and his Queen. Some will go to any lengths to help their side win – even murder. Rosalind Thorne, a useful woman who makes her way in the world by assisting ladies with delicate problems, wants no part of any political intrigue. However, it is dumped in her lap and she has to deal with it. If Rosalind is dealing with it, so are her close friends, and it was a delight to show more visit with them.

I thought the mystery of the disappearance of Mrs. Fitzherbert’s proof of her marriage to the king was good, but things quickly spun out in so many tangents that it was hard to keep up with it all - and I love convoluted mysteries. All the factions pulling one way or another was almost like buckshot – going in every direction. Because there was so much buckshot, I found it difficult to ‘feel’ the stress, doom, and sense of urgency Rosalind felt for herself and her friends.

I enjoyed the page time with Rosalind and Adam and was glad to see there was some movement there – even if it did wait until the epilogue. This romance has been entirely too slow-burn for my taste and it still isn’t satisfyingly settled even after eight books.

I was disconcerted by the portrayal of Stephen Lavender in the book. He was a real-life, renowned Bow Street principal officer frequently in the news because of the cases he solved. This story portrays him in a very unflattering light, so I’m not sure if this author just chose a name from history and didn’t do much research on him – or if she thoroughly researched him and just got a different view. There is another author who writes a historical mystery series based on his real-life cases and the two presentations of the man are very different.

Overall, I enjoyed the mystery and will probably read the next book to see how Adam and Rosalind’s relationship grows (or doesn’t). The mystery had a great premise, but too many tentacles to keep them all straight. It also appeared to me this author might have some sort of hang-up with race, though I fail to see what it might be. Upon introduction, every character is given a race or color, and those labeled ‘white’ get the word with the capital ‘W’. If you are an avid fan of historical mysteries, as I am, you will probably enjoy the basic mystery but will lament the labyrinthine twists and turns it takes. As for me, I wouldn’t read the book a second time and probably wouldn’t purchase it as a gift for a friend without giving explanations.

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. show less