I cannot say anything about the story of this book as it would give away major plot points of the first one, but let me just say, that I really enjoyed the second Verity Kent.
I was glad to see that Huber dropped all the comments on what every one was wearing a bit in this book, as that annoyed me a bit in the first one and instead focused on the characters. I also thought she handled it well writing about the grief after the WWI and the emerging tours of the battlefields in 1919 (can you imagine how horrid this must have been??) and the spiritualists cashing in on people's grief.

If you like a cosy for this autumn, Verity Kent may just be the ticket. You got to start with book 1 as this is not a series, you can read out of order.

Treacherous is the Night is an historical mystery that takes place after the end of the war to end all wars – World War I. A traumatic time in Europe, the effects of the war are far reaching and when Verity Kent is ‘visited’ by the spirit of her wartime friend, she knows someone is lying and is determined to find the truth.

Riding along with Verity, in her quest to discover the facts behind the message, is her husband Sidney. They find Belgium devastated by the war and full of both friends and foes. The investigation takes many unexpected detours and turns up more than just a lost friend. The mystery is complex and the solving of it very satisfying. The twists and turns made this book very difficult to put down.

But there is more than a mystery going on in Treacherous is the Night. Since Sidney’s return from the war, his relationship with Verity has been strained. Uncertain of their future together, Verity knows they are both keeping so many secrets from each other. While the investigation takes them on a trek through war-ravaged Belgium, Sidney and Verity chisel away at the war-built wall that stands between them. The trip will be one of many discoveries. This correlation between the war-torn land and the relationship between the not-so-happy couple lead me to the conclusion that Treacherous is the Night is an ode to the survivors of war.

Not only those survivors that fought directly in the war, but also the families of soldiers, as well as those working tirelessly for their country. When the war is over, there is still so much to be dealt with by so many people. The restoration of the land, cities and homes destroyed by war. The physical healing of bodies injured by war. But by far the greatest healing has to be mental. For soldiers trying to return to their old way of life. For the spouses and families adjusting to the changes in the soldier that just came home. For soldiers adjusting to the changes in their loved ones. Post war can never be like it was before the strife started.

By the end of the book, there is hope for Verity and Sidney, just as there is hope for everyone else recovering from the upheaval of war. The positive ending was just what I needed to appreciate everything this book encompasses. Mystery, suspense, love, and hope.

Through NetGalley, the publisher provided a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

A bit far-fetched and confusing for me. Treacherous Is the Night by Anna Lee Huber is the second entry in the Verity Kent mystery series that is set in London right after WWI. Verity is a likeable heroine, she’s tough and in control, and always seems to know what to do or say in any given situation. I like her and am always ready to listen to her put someone in his or her place or take someone by surprise. Because I like the character of Verity so much, I struggled a lot with my opinions about this book. I found the mystery here to be too confusing and complicated. Verity attends a séance and then embarks on a journey to find a spy with that she worked with during WWI. The journey takes her to Belgium, where we spend the majority of the book. The setting of Belgium after WWI was fascinating to me. I haven’t read anything about Belgium before, and I found the descriptions of the cities and towns, and also the destruction quite interesting to read about.
While the setting was interesting, sadly, the characters, besides Verity, I couldn’t connect to. I’m not a huge fan of Verity’s husband, Sidney, and this book was very Sidney-centric, and while I honestly don’t think the book could’ve gone (or even should’ve gone) in a different direction in regards to their relationship at this point, I still just can’t get behind the Verity-Sidney pairing. There’s something holding me back from embracing Sidney’s character, and I can’t figure out what that is. He’s strong and caring, but he also let Verity think he was dead for over a year before he came out of the shadows in book one, This Side of Murder. But, while I’m not overly fond of Sidney, Verity sure is and they make a good team as they think similarly and bring out each others strengths.
Besides Verity and Sidney, there are other characters tied to the mystery, and there were so many captains and lieutenants and majors with no distinguishing characteristics, and I couldn’t tell any of them apart! And as such, quickly got lost in all of the shuffle of the mystery and the who-why-what-when. Once I finally decided to stop trying to figure out who anyone was and just go with it, I ended up enjoying the story much more!
Besides the confusing characters, we also have a far-fetched plot with a séance in London sending our sleuths to Belgium to find a spy in hiding. The spy in hiding leaves clues along the way to her whereabouts, and while the clues were clever, Verity and Sidney would solve them instantly, and the whole plotline felt too unrealistic and stretching. So for me, this one was a bit of a miss, but I’m torn on this series because I loved book one, I enjoy the character of Verity and look forward to what comes next for her.

Bottom Line: Too confusing and far-fetched, but the character of Verity is a lot of fun.

Treacherous In The Night is the second book in the Verity Kent Mystery series.

I find this historical mystery to be a very enjoyable, well researched and written series. Ms. Huber gives the reader an interesting look at post-WWI Europe.

The story begins a few months after the conclusion of This Side Of Murder. Verity and Sidney are still walking on egg-shells around each other. Verity hasn’t completely forgiven Sidney for letting her believe he was dead for 15 months. She wants to make their marriage work, but at the same knows that Sidney is also carrying the scars of war.

Verity reluctantly agrees to attend a seance with Daphne Merrick, a friend, and former co-worker at the War Office. Verity feels that these seances are a sham, but as it proceeds, she is singled out by Madame Zozza who has a message from Emilie. Emilie had been a member of La Dame Blanche, an intelligent-gathering network and had served as a courier for Verity during the war.

First, Verity does not believe that Emilie is dead since she never knew Verity’ s real name and if she did there was a breach of security somewhere in the War Office. Verity meets with some of her former colleagues at the War Office and with Max Westfield, the Earl of Ryde. The War Office isn’t willing to help very much, so Verity and Sydney set off for Flanders to begin a search for what happened to or where she might be.

I’m looking forward to the next book in the series to see what adventures Verity and Sydney are off on.

Treacherous is the Night by Anna Lee Huber is the second in a series featuring former Secret Service Agent Verity Kent in the time immediately following World War I. While this is a second in the series this books stands alone. There are a few references to the first book in the series. While I did not read the initial book it in no way lessened the enjoyment of this novel. I will say that I will be going back to read the first book.

If you like strong female protagonists, historical settings, and interesting secondary and tertiary plot lines, this is the perfect book for you. This story is definitely a combination of historical fiction and mystery. There is just enough history to allow the reader to feel a part of the time while enjoying a well thought out and detailed story. There is danger, interesting characters, romance, intrigue and a lovely story. I look forward to reading more of this series in the future.

The book is very well written. The scenic descriptions are beautifully done and the history is very well researched. If you are a fan of good, solid historical fiction with a touch of mystery I highly recommend this book to you.

I would like to thank Anna Lee Huber, Kensington Books and NetGalley in exchange for an ARC and an honest review

Wow I absolutely devoured this book! What a strong second book to the series of Verity Kent.
This book picks up a few weeks after the first book let off where Verity discovered that her husband, whom she thought was dead, was in fact very much alive. As the media storm and excitement wear off, Verity and Sidney are left in a marriage full of secrets and pain. The two struggle to bridge the divide that 5 years apart created and reconcile the people they have become in that time. Sidney carries many mental and emotional wounds from his time on the front lines and Verity has demons of her own from her time in the Secret Service she doesn’t want to confront.
When Verity agrees to attend a séance with a friend, she is shocked to be delivered a message from beyond from a former fellow operative in Belgium. Convinced that her former colleague is still alive and that this message is just the surface of a bigger mystery, Verity heads off the Belgium with Sidney in tow to find her friend and discover the truth about why she has disappeared.
The plot was well paced, the mystery intriguing and intense and I was left guessing until the end. My favorite part of this book was getting to delve into the details of the work Verity did for the Secret Service during the war. It elevated her further as a strong female character and it was interesting to read along as Sidney started to see his wife in a new light. I appreciated the sense of the time that Huber portrayed in this book. She did not shy away from exploring the ramifications that the war had on the psyche of individuals as well as nations as a whole.
While I appreciated that Sidney took a back seat and let Verity lead the way in their investigations I felt that I didn’t get much of an idea of his personality outside of the context of their marriage which, given the strained nature of their relationship, didn’t paint him in a very favorable light most of the time. However, this reflected Verity’s own struggle to break down her husband’s walls about his wartime experiences and begin to connect with him again. I started to see some of it towards the end and I hope that future books give a further illumination of his character.
I already can’t wait for the next book in the series!

This is an interesting post-war mystery. I had a difficult time with the heroine though. Verity was just a little too bitter and prickly for me. I understand why she's that way - she had a difficult job during the war, believed herself to be a widow, coped with it as best she could manage with her work and alcohol, then found out her husband was alive. And that he had more than his own share of troubles and baggage. But the amount of personal problems and internal conflict almost bogged down the story a bit. It was nice to see Verity and Sidney begin to rebuild their relationship together though.
Overall, a good story, just not characters I want to spend much time with.

I found the mystery in this sequel less compelling than that of the first in the series, but I appreciated the exploration of Verity's relationship with her newly-returned husband and the effects of war and trauma on those who have survived it.

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked this book! I loved all the intricacies of secrets and codes post-war. I liked how Verity was a great heroine in her own right, while her husband, Sidney, seemed to me more like her sidekick. I even liked how their marital issues were a conflict in this book. I will be happy to read more about Verity!

After being apart for most of the war years, Verity Kent and her husband Sidney are trying to rekindle their marriage. This is complicated by the fact that Verity thought her husband had been killed; something Sidney had to let her believe. In addition, both spent time in the secret service and have secrets of their own. Verity reluctantly attends a seance at the request of a friend where she learns information about an operative she worked closely with during the war. Convinced that there is more to this story she sets off on an unofficial mission to discover the truth. This was an excellent read that takes the reader on a journey through post war Europe, where the war is still very much ongoing for those whose lives have been upended. This book realistically portrays a Europe after WW1, with enough romance and intrigue to make you really care about the characters. An excellent read for those who love historical fiction and romance.

While Treacherous is the Night is essentially a mystery it also delves into the effect the war has had on the protagonists. The characters were interesting and I look forward to seeing their story continue in future books.

Treacherous is the Night is the second book in Anna Lee Huber’s latest series of post-WW1 historical mysteries featuring former secret service agent Verity Kent.  The events of this story unfold just a few weeks after those of the previous book, This Side of Murder, and if you’ve not read that, look away now, because there is a massive spoiler for the twist in that story in the next paragraph of this review.

For fifteen months, Verity believed herself to be a widow, the husband she’d married on the eve of the war having been killed in action in 1918. But during her investigation into the murders of some of Sidney’s former comrades, she made a game-changing discovery; namely that Sidney wasn’t dead at all, but had allowed everyone to believe him to be while he pursued an investigation of his own to uncover the identity of the traitor among the officers of his battalion.

After Sidney finally revealed the truth, Verity was – and still is - is a mass of conflicting emotions; relief that he isn’t dead; fury that he’d allowed her to mourn for so many months; guilt at some of things she’d kept from him during their brief reunions during the war –and their relationship is still in a state of flux when we rejoin them at the beginning of Treacherous is the Night.  They have decided to work at their marriage to see if they can make a go of it, but it’s not going to be easy for either of them.

The story opens when Verity’s good friend and former War Office colleague, Daphne Merrick, asks Verity to attend a séance with her.  Spiritualism saw a huge increase in popularity after the First World War as devastated relatives and friends of the fallen sought comfort in the idea of being able to speak to their loved ones one last time.  Verity is sceptical of the whole thing – even more so after a cruel trick that was played on her at the house party she attended in the previous book – but she knows Daphne is desperate to contact her brother, Gil, who lost his life in the early days of the war, and reluctantly agrees to accompany Daphne to the session at Madame Zozza’s.

When they arrive, Verity is surprised to see Max Westfield, the Earl of Ryde also in attendance.  They exchange friendly greetings during which Verity recalls their unexplored – interrupted – burgeoning attraction, and then Max goes on to explain that he has accompanied his aunt, Lady Swaffham to the séance.  When the proceedings get underway, things go mostly as Verity had expected – until the medium greets Verity – “ma compatriote, where are you?”- and tells her that she is the spirit of Emilie, a spy and courier with whom Verity had worked on several occasions on her various missions into France and Belgium during the war.

Verity is flabbergasted and furious at the medium’s audacity at using both Emilie and her own past as part of a cheap trick, but is determined to find out exactly why the woman should have pretended to channel Emilie in order to deliver a cryptic message – “Beware the man hiding behind the mask.”  But Madame Zozza’s assistant whisks her away before Verity can approach her, so Verity determines to pay the woman a visit the following morning to find out what she knows.  But that proves impossible; she and Sidney arrive in time to witness her house going up in flames, and learn that Madame Zozza perished in the fire.

There’s nothing for it now but for Verity to look into the matter herself – and she can’t deny that she’s been looking for a way to avoid having to think too hard about the state of her marriage and the ways in which both she and Sidney have become different people – people who might no longer be capable of sustaining a relationship. She needs to find Emilie and answers to the numerous questions the medium’s ‘summoning’ has posed, and in order to do that, she must return to Flanders and track down the members of La Dame Blanche, the network of intelligence gatherers and couriers of which Emilie was a member.

Ms. Huber very skilfully balances the novel’s plot – the uncovering of a deadly scheme for revenge as Verity and Sidney search for Emilie - with the gradual peeling away of the various layers of self-protection that Verity and Sidney have erected around their emotions and the exploration and development of their relationship . They’re different people now, they’ve experienced hardship, danger and the horrors of war in different ways, and they’re cagy and reluctant to reveal the extent of their sorrow, anger, doubt and broken-ness to one another.  Verity is keeping a particularly guilty secret (which has been alluded to before) and is also unsure of how her husband will react when he learns the true extent of her work as an agent for the secret service.  Will he be appalled that his little wife wasn’t home sitting quietly by the fire knitting socks?  Will he ever be able to accept that she’s no longer the starry-eyed young woman he married?

Because the story is told through Verity’s eyes, we never get inside Sidney’s head, but Ms. Huber does a pretty good job of showing readers his feelings and reactions through his dialogue and what Verity observes of his facial expressions and body language.  We see him coming to understand, appreciate and admire the determined, independent woman Verity has become, and experience his gradually reawakening trust as he allows himself to reveal more of his own fears and insecurities just as Verity reveals hers.  Their internal struggles feel very real, and their rapprochement is gradual and not always easy, but it’s superbly done and I became fully invested in their relationship and was rooting for them long before the end.

If you’ve read This Side of Murder, you may be wondering about Max, who was clearly set up as a potential love interest for Verity in that story – which obviously couldn’t go anywhere once Sidney was revealed to be alive after all.  Max makes a couple of brief appearances in this story, and has an important role to play in the finale; there is still a frisson of attraction between him and Verity, and Sidney is obviously jealous of their friendship, but with Verity’s commitment to making her marriage work, the attempt to create some sort of uncertainty falls flat, and I’m not quite sure why it was included.

Ms. Huber’s eye for historical detail is excellent, and she makes some shrewd social observations with a light touch, about the about the glamourisation of war, the treatment of its veterans and how the women who had taken men’s roles during it were suddenly expected to go back into their ‘womanly’ boxes and act as if they’d never had that taste of independence and freedom.

Treacherous is the Night is entertaining, well-researched and well-written, and I enjoyed it very much.  I was as caught up in the exploration of the Kents’ troubled marriage as I was intrigued by the mystery plot, and would definitely encourage fans of well-written historical mysteries to consider giving this series a try.

Buy it at: Amazon/Barnes & Noble/iBooks/Kobo

A sequel that is better than the original, featuring a very satisfying mystery and lots of great developments between Sidney and Verity. I can’t wait to read the next installment!

1919 not a very good time for anyone in the aftermath of the Great War. Despite the horrendous war and the after effects of it, the position of women seemed roughly unchanged. They took up the challenge, took to every known occupation available, filled in all the gaps admirably it when the war was over, they were expected to go back to their routine lives of home and family.

To those like Verity who worked behind the scenes and without anyone's knowledge in extremely desperate circumstances all for the good of e country, this must have been a hard act to follow. In her husband however she had a stalwart supporter.right now however, Verity is in a precarious position, also with her husband. He was presumed dead for a long time and his sudden resurrection was a planned one by him. Verity cannot forgive him easily for the heartbreak of fifteen months when she thought she was a widow.

Now her history has come back with a vengeance because there seems to be someone following up on a very clandestine operation that very few knew about. No one even knew the names of the operators and so when a spiritualist in London makes a few strange remarks to verity which she disbelievers, immediately followed up by the gruesome murder of the spiritualist Verity knows that she has to be careful and that she must try to reach out to Emilie her contact in Belgium in order to know that she is safe and well.

The journey to Brussels and trying to find Emilie is a hazardous one - but it also shows Verity and Sydney thT someone is on their trail with intent to kill. But who and why is the problem and the story unravels slowly.

Despite the slow unraveling the story is far from boring. Romance, history, espionage and a lot of mystery entwine themselves in this very well presented book.

Strong second book in the Verity Kent series.

In the last book, Verity discovered that her husband Sidney, whom she’d been told over a year earlier was dead, was still very much alive. After the ripples from that discovery and its associated investigation start dying down, Verity and Sidney are left to see if their marriage is salvagable. After only a few days as newlyweds, they were separated for nearly five years, with only sporadic visits and too many secrets between them. Both had been changed by their respective roles in the war and they are unsure if their marriage would be able to weather those changes. When a strange “visitation” during a seance tells Verity that an old comrade from her days as a spy might be in trouble, she hares off to Belgium to save her old friend.

Through Verity’s search, we learn much of her role during the war, something only lightly touched upon in the first book. The “mystery” itself was somewhat convoluted and much could have been avoided/solved by better communication and a bit of common sense. While I found that aspect of the book less than compelling, the strongest aspect of the story had to do with the personal interactions and growth of the characters.

I look forward to reading more of Verity’s adventures with...you’ll need to read the book to find out.

This book had a very different feel to it than the first in the series. There is a lot more internal contemplation for much of the story, before kicking into gear with the action later on. Also, Max is disappointingly absent for nearly all of the story. I get that we need to re-establish Verity and Sidney's relationship, but I much preferred Max to Sidney. Verity's flashbacks to her wartime work with La Dame Blanche in Belgium and France are reminiscent of The Alice Network -- and equally stressful! -- so I would definitely recommend this to fans of that book, as well. This story is full of interesting historical details about those countries during WWI and the various spy networks and methods in use.

Much of this story features Verity and Sidney trying to come to terms with each other after such a long absence and to deal with the mutual lingering feelings of resentment stemming from his decision to fake his death during the war. Verity is still the same very interesting and compelling character we saw in book 1 -- her experiences working behind enemy lines as a courier during the war have hardened her, and she can't seem to reconcile the guilt she feels over her actions after believing her husband had died with her anger and disbelief at him for letting her believe that. This book gives Verity a chance to demonstrate her expertise and to take back control of a portion of her life, even if for a fleeting moment.

Sidney, on the other hand, annoyed me to no end. He kept pushing Verity to reveal her secrets, then repeatedly walked out on her every time she revealed a portion of what she was holding back. He doesn't appear to accept any portion of the blame for what happened to Verity even though his decision to fake his own death without telling her is what prompted it. His tendency to blow up at her anytime she mentions or is around Max was also annoying. As noted above, I think he has good reason to be worried because Max is much more likeable, but at the same time he should be fighting to win her back or confronting Max, not lashing out at her in jealousy.

One other issue I had with the book (and this really comes down to laziness on my part): I would have loved to have a little reference map at the front to track where Verity and Sidney were going in Belgium and France. I'm not familiar with the geography there, and the town names just blurred together (and there were a LOT of them). I felt a little disconnected from the story during that portion and it seemed to drag (action notwithstanding) because it felt like a bit of an info dump rather than focusing on just a few towns' histories in depth.

All in all, I still enjoyed this entry and look forward to many more adventures with Verity ( . . . and hopefully Max)!

Thank you to Kensington and Netgalley for providing an ARC for review!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for providing me with an advance digital copy of Treacherous Is the Night by Anna Lee Huber in exchange for an unbiased review. The second in a series featuring former Secret Service Agent Verity Kent in the time immediately following World War I. this books stands alone. Although there are a few references to the first book in the series, having not read it in no way lessened the enjoyment of this novel.

As the book opens, Verity gives the reader a glimpse into some of the struggles she is experiencing, including attempts to repair her marriage which was almost torn apart by WWI, her drinking, which she feels may make her husband more critical of her, and several secrets she is holding that may drive the couple further apart. In spite of these concerns, her time and attention are quickly captured by an experience she has while attending a seance at the insistence of a close friend. It becomes apparent almost immediately that her presence has been manipulated and there is a message for her from Emilie, a former colleague and fellow agent from Belgium which leads to a need to find the woman whom Verity believes is in peril.

In response to her deductions regarding information received, Verity decides it is imperative to travel to Belgium to try and find her compatriot, even though it puts additional stress on her marriage and may cause it to break. While her relationship with her husband is an active storyline in the book, it is by no means the chief focus and as a result this book remains exactly what it purports to be, a historical mystery featuring intrigue and espionage. There are some wonderful descriptions that allow the reader brief glimpses into the result of a land ravaged by war, even though again, this is not the main focus of the book.

The pacing of the book is excellent as the reader is swept along a tide of cryptic occurrences and clues in which Verity seeks to learn the whereabouts of her colleague. At the same time she is trying to discover who has learned of their efforts during the war and what form of reckoning they now seek. Is it only a personal vendetta or does it go beyond that to one of more far-reaching destruction toward one or more of the Allied Countries.

Throughout the book, the reader gets glimpses of the period in terms of behavior, dress, and attitudes, although it is all woven skillfully into the plot line of intrigue. The reader is pulled through the book at a steady pace, one that encourages continued reading for “just one more chapter” or “just another half hour”. There is enough tension to create additional interest which creates a perfect pitch for reading and enjoyment.

If you like strong female protagonists, historical settings, and interesting secondary and tertiary plot lines, this may be the perfect book for you. There is just enough history to allow the reader to feel a part of the time while enjoying a well plotted and detailed story.

Thank you Kensington Books for the opportunity to read and review Treacherous Is the Night. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

After listening to the first Verity Kent book, This Side of Murder, I was excited to learn more about Sydney, Verity, and the path their relationship would taket. Now, if you haven't read the first book I would recommend doing so as I believe it really sets the stage for book two. And Verity's next adventure delves into the work she did for Britain during WWI.

I loved this aspect of the book. It was fascinating for me to read a female's perspective on their role and work that helped win WWI. Equally interesting was how society viewed these women. It is clear that they were essential to what was accomplished and yet society and men had a hard time accepting it.

It definitely seemed to leave those who served in a complex situation. They had fulfilled their duty to country yet it defied Society standards to have done so. Being independent, intelligent, and respected for the skill you bring was not valued in women at the time - and so it was compelling to see how Verity navigated these waters.

I may have a little crush on Sydney. Clearly a stoic and insightful man, i was curious to see how he would handle the revelations about Verity's work. His response was excellent and certainly ahead of his time. I was rooting for them both throughout this book.

The overall mystery was definitely engaging and well played out. It wasn't what drew me to the book but it certainly kept me entertained - particularly the puzzle Verity had to unravel.

Overall, I found this to be an entertaining read that also made me really think about the women who served during WWI . And the fact that they did so without recognition or fanfare.

1919 England and Verity is persuaded to attend a seance where she receives a message supposedly from a woman she once worked with in the Secret Service. Trying to solve the mystery leads Verity to Belgium.
An interesting historical fiction story/thriller with some danger and intrigue mixed in with secrets from the war.

I enjoyed this second in series but maybe not quite as much as the first. This one resolved the love triangle from the first one (a “dead” husband and a new interest) and had Verity back home in London after her first adventure at Umbersea Island. While this one provided some in-depth looks at WW1/Secret Service and a locale change to Belgium, it was not quite as interesting as meeting Verity and solving the subsequent mystery of the first.

However, let me just say that I adore Huber’s writing. She’s on my auto-buy list for historical mysteries. She’s one of my favorites for her exhaustive research, her character development and her original plot lines.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #Kensington for the ARC. The opinions are strictly my own.