Anna Lee Huber

I love this book, but it's getting a bonus 1/2 star bump for being both historically accurate and immediately relevant.

Gage and Kiera are on their honeymoon when they are summoned to Ireland to investigate the death of a young woman, a postulant at the Loretto convent; a recent convert from Anglicanism and a distant cousin of Wellington.

The story's time - the early 1800's - and its setting in Ireland, make it the perfect vehicle for exploring religious intolerance and prejudice. If I had show more to guess, I'd say the author is Roman Catholic, but it's just a guess, as I think both the Protestants and the Catholics are treated equally. Either way, it is clear that the author is writing from a place of faith herself; the story does not proselytise and it's not a "Christian" book but its plot is entirely about religion and Huber writes without cynicism, whether she's talking about its grace or its hypocrisy.

The mystery itself was devastating and complex; I was so very sure I knew where it was going, and I was so very wrong. I saw a small twist coming a mile away but it didn't go where I thought it would at all. The ending was heart wrenching and gutting and that twist totally blind-sided me.

The author includes a note at the end that discusses what she used from history (a lot) and what she created; she also includes a few recommended reads for those interested in going further. This was an incredibly well-written, entertaining mystery with the added bonus of giving the reader quite a bit to chew on in terms of what people will do to each other in the name of religion and I thought it was handled deftly without being judgemental.

These people, these neighbors, both Protestant and Catholic alike, who spat at each other with such hatred that it sometimes erupted into violence, did so because their faith was slightly different. Because they couldn't be bothered to learn the truth about each other.

Easily one of my top 5 favourite series - can't wait for the next one. show less

After spending some time with her sister and brother-in-law in Edinburgh to try to recover from her friend Will's death, Keira is back in her childhood home staying with her brother. Her art, which is usually her solace, is letting her down. She has been working on the same landscape for quite a while - and she hates painting landscapes. She is hoping that the annual Hogmanay Ball at her aunt and uncles will serve as a distraction but the death of a caretaker and a disturbed grave bring back show more all kinds of old memories.

She reluctantly asks Gage to come and investigate. Her relationship with Gage is a big part of her confusion. She doesn't know what he wants from her or what she wants from him. She does know that she wants to be involved in the investigation. It seems odd that resurrectionists would be interested in an old grave. Surely, all that would be left would be bones.

Gage and Keira soon learn that the bones were taken from the grave and everything else was left behind. Soon, a ransom demand arrives. The current Lord Buchan needs to pay to get his father's bones back. Keira, Gage and some others try to follow when the ransom is paid but lose the horse. Some further research finds that Lord Buchan's father is not the first to have his grave disturbed and his bones stolen. Four other men who were also members of the Society of Antiquaries have had the same thing happen. This leads them to a man who is accusing members of the Society of stealing a gold torc that his aunt had donated to the Society.

Of course, there are other potential suspects. Some of the nephews of the men whose bones were stolen for ransom could have need of the ransom money. Then there is Mr. Stuart who is a descendant of Bonnie Prince Charlie who might have a grudge against the men. Adding to the mix is Edinburgh crime lord Bonnie Brock Kincaid who is also looking for the graverobbers since they were his men until they left town with his sixteen-year-old sister. He is hoping Keira can bring her back to him.

Besides the mystery, Keira and Gage are working on their relationship. Keira is hesitant to trust anyone after her bad marriage and Gage's secrecy doesn't help. When she finds out that Gage's father is angling for Gage to marry, she is hurt that he didn't tell her that he had a possible fiance. And when Gage proposes to Keira, Keira is afraid that he is just another man who wants to use her talents as an artist and investigator.

This is an engaging series. I am enjoying watching Keira grow and change through the books. I like the way she is learning more about herself and what she wants out of life. I am also enjoying Gage gradually opening up to her. show less

1919. Umbersea Island, England.

Verity had declined the invitation to a weekend house party to celebrate an engagement. An enigmatic note suggesting Verity’s husband committed treason changed her decision, becoming determined to set her widow’s grief aside. She’ll be surrounded by her husband’s fellow officers as one is the groom-to-be, and this might be her only chance to learn who would make such an accusation. Not even Sidney knew she worked for the Secret Service during the war, show more so it adds complexity that the note writer alluded to her secret too.

Having recently watched Agatha Christie’s "And Then There Were None," television mini-series (released in 2015), I matched the author’s atmospheric writing to the images of the film’s island setting and the isolation from the mainland during a storm. I was entranced by the mystery and intrigued by the twists of red herrings. Suspense was heightened with more secrets than anticipated. Differences in experiences dependent on an individual’s role at home or abroad, on or off the battlefield, the impact of experiences, and how each person copes with the physical and/or mental aftereffects and memories are well portrayed.

Perhaps I was never meant to warm to the reveal of an unexpected character as I had grown fond of another party guest. I’ll continue to read the series as I’m anxious to know what path Verity chooses for her future. It was easy to picture this intelligent and independent woman working for the Secret Service, but I think she’ll choose more than romance as the intrigue in her life. show less

The main thrust of this episode of the Verity Kent mystery series concerns Verity's trip back to her home and family. She hasn't been back since her brother Rob died in World War I. She hasn't dealt with her grief for the loss yet. She buried it and the grief she feels for all of her other losses in her work as a secret agent and, when the war was over, in alcohol and parties.

Now she is forced to confront things head on. It isn't easy. Verity and her mother have never gotten along. Her show more mother is the sort of poisonous woman who couches harsh criticisms in what she considers to be loving concern. She keeps trying to make Verity conform to her own vision of what a proper lady does.

When Verity's great-aunt Ilse arrives from Germany with her new maid, Verity takes her back to Yorkshire with her. Ilse has a new maid who behaves rather suspiciously. And neither fares well because of the prejudice against Germans that seems to permeate the area. When her aunt tells Verity that she fears she has seen the "second deserter" in the village, Verity contacts her former bosses in intelligence to find out that they never sent another deserter. This whole deserter episode was part of her war work and covered by the Secrets Act she signed which means she can't explain what is going on to her family and needs to investigate with only the help of her husband Sydney.

When the maid is found murdered, Verity is determined to get the the bottom of the case which isn't being investigated as thoroughly as she would like because of the local prejudice against anyone German.

There is a lot of information about the times. Verity deals with her own trauma from the war as does her husband and her brothers who all served and who were all changed forever by the experience. She also sees the effects on the war on a young man who is courting her youngest sister and who invalided out of the war for an injury that might have been self-inflicted and the abuse he receives because of it. She also sees the effects on a neighbor and childhood acquaintance whose own health kept him out of the fight.

The story was an excellent exploration of the damage war does on those who fight and those who don't. The mystery was well-integrated and the villain something of a surprise. Fans of the series will enjoy this episode and be looking forward to more. show less