City of Secrets

It was read between every spare minutes of the day and finished in very short order.

Lacklustre. The only character I liked in the book is the male protagonist, and he's a lap dog to the female lead - worst of all becoming more like her. Yuck.

All her works are terrific. Love main character. Will be purchasing whole series of these and other series

Having enjoyed the author’s “Gaslight” series of cozy historical mysteries, I decided to try her new “Counterfeit Lady” series. I was not disappointed. I founded entertaining and grounded in authenticity of time and place.I do recommend reading then in the order in which the author has written them. I actually read this book, which is the second book in the series, first. I realized it when the book kept making reference to a back story with which I was unfamiliar. Notwithstanding this, the pieces did come together for me, and I was able to put two and two together.Elizabeth, a lady of somewhat dubious origins, realizes that one of her recently widowed friends appears to have been swindled out of a fortune, which would leave her and her two young children penniless. Elizabeth engages her scrupulously honest fiancée, Gideon, as well as some other less than honest characters, to assist her in recovering the widow’s fortune. The machinations in which they engage are definitely intriguing and hold the reader’s interest.This was a quick and easy read, as well as quite entertaining. As a native New Yorker, I enjoyed the historical details in the book, which takes place In New York City sometime before the first world war. I especially enjoyed discovering a new historical tidbit of which I had been previously unaware, that of the Westside Cowboy.So, if one is a fan of the author or simply enjoys cozy historical mysteries, this atmospheric, fast paced series will definitely keep one turning the pages.

Book one in this series, City of Lies, gave us a good history lesson about the Women’s Suffrage movement. This second in an, I hope, ongoing series digs down into more of the interpersonal relationships of Elizabeth, Gideon, and their families and friends. It also has more of a mystery than the first book.Elizabeth’s new friend, Priscilla, has been taken to the cleaners by her recently deceased husband. All the money she had from her first, loving, marriage is gone. She and her daughters will soon be destitute. Elizabeth, the con artist, and Gideon, the most honest man ever, work together to find out why the money is gone and who perpetrated this dastardly deed! Lots of intrigue, although the mystery was pretty easy to figure out.Although not as rich in historical details as the first book, still a great read. I’m loving this series and can’t wait for the next installment.