I adore Anna Lee Huber's Lady Darby mystery series so when she published the First Verity Kent story I was excited to read it! And I was not disappointed....now here we are on #5 in the series and I am still loving it!! Verity and Sydney are still rediscovering themselves in the aftermath of the Great War. When Verity's great aunt comes from Germany and is facing anti-German harassment they decide to leave early for the family holiday they had planned. Verity is still dealing with the loss of her brother in the War, as is the whole family. She also must endure her mother's constant criticism and in the middle of all this her aunt's young maid is murdered. Is this the result of someone hating her because she is a German, or is it more personal to Verity and Sydney?
As always Anna Lee Huber gives us a well thought out period piece about the lingering effects of the Great War in the years following it, as well as a captivating mystery.
Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

MURDER MOST FAIR is the fifth superb entry in the outstanding Verity Kent Mystery series. Author Anna Lee Huber’s excellent writing vividly brings the post WWI years to life with excellent world building and storytelling, character development, and complex plotting.

It is November 1919 - one full year after the end of the war to end all wars - but the sacrifices and scars are still fresh. When Verity’s Aunt Ilse from Germany arrives unexpectedly with her maid Bauer in tow, Verity is pleased yet surprised and worried when Ilse reveals she is being threatened. Thinking they will spare Ilse any anti-German sentiment in London, Verity and Sydney adjourn to Verity’s family home in the Yorkshire Dales for the holidays. Verity has avoided going home for five years, at first because of her covert work during the war, but then also because of brother’s death in the line of duty. Of course, her family can know nothing of her work, and they feel abandoned in their grief. Verity finds that even in the country villages the grudges of war remain. When Bauer is murdered, Verity and Sydney do all they can solve the crime.

I adore this series, and each installment is better than the last. Here the characters’ relationships take center stage with the murder mystery secondary. It deals with secrets, grief, the continued repercussions of war, family baggage and rebuilding relationships. It is absorbing, affirming, and heartbreaking. I feel deeply about these characters, and this tale gives Verity, an already complex character, a chance to really grow. But all is not grim within these pages…Verity and Sydney’s rekindled relationship and snappy dialogue are great, and I enjoyed getting to know her older brother, father, and aunt. Unfortunately, her mother and sister are dreadful. Max, friend and quasi-love interest, is rarely present here, and I greatly miss him. There is mention of the series long story arc regarding Lord Ardmore, but it is not the focus. Fraulein Bauer’s murder is cleverly tied to Verity and past.

MURDER MOST FAIR is best enjoyed as part of its series so I do not recommend reading it as a standalone. However, I cannot recommend the entire Verity Kent Mystery Series enough. Readers will not be disappointed. Highly, highly recommended!

I received an ARC of this title from the author and Kensington Books through NetGalley and voluntarily shared my thoughts here.

November 1919.& Sidney, & Verity are planning on returning to Verity's home which she hasn't visited since the start of the war. Then Verity’s beloved Great-Aunt Ilse lands on their doorstep. After years in war-ravaged Germany, Ilse has returned to England to repair her fragile health and to escape trouble. Even deep in the Yorkshire Dales, where she joins Verity’s family for the holidays, Ilse encounters difficulties. Normally peaceful neighbours are hostile. When Ilse’s maid is found dead, Verity must uncover whether this is anti-German sentiment taken to murderous lengths, or whether there is a more personal motive at work. Could Verity’s shadowy nemesis, Lord Ardmore, be involved?
This is the first book I’ve read in the series & whilst I found it easy to pick up on past events, I felt I wanted to know more so I’ve bought the previous books & will now read the series in order. I really liked both Verity & Sidney but wanted to know more about their history. A very well written book which will take you on a wealth of emotions as the author paints a very vivid picture not only of grieving but on life, tensions & depravations following the Great War
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

Murder Most Fair by Anna Lee Huber (Verity Kent Mystery #5) 5 stars

Verity and Sidney are relaxing at a country house with friends. World War I is over and while there is still intrigue and plots surrounding them, this retreat is a peaceful interlude. That is, until Verity's Great-Aunt Ilse comes to her for refuge and help. War-torn Germany is still recovering, but it is no place for an elderly woman with no family and on the receiving end of threatening letters. Verity and Sidney are overdue for a familial visit, so they bring Great-Aunt Ilse to the Yorkshire dales to recover and provide a sense of safety. But there is still a lot of resentment left over from the war and when Ilse maid is found dead in a barn, Verity and Sidney must find the murderer and restore peace in the village.

The intrigue and continued plot line of Ardmore and his plans take a back seat in this book. For me, the mystery was not the main draw of this book. Instead it was the story of grief and how a person deals with it. The trauma that accompanies war doesn't end when the war ends, it is long lasting and manifests itself in a myriad of ways. Both Verity and Sidney show different forms of their grief and survivors guilt. This was a more quiet book and just right for 2021. I suspect there will be more action in the next book and I can't wait.

Thank you Netgalley and Kensington Books for this ARC.

I so enjoy this historical mystery series and in this newest entry (book 5), Anna Lee Huber has knocked it out of the park. I couldn't put all the puzzle pieces together until the very end. And I love Verity and all her strengths, weaknesses so much. She is such a great character and I loved getting to see more of her healing and her relationship with her husband. So well done! Can't wait for the next one!

One would think surviving the war, saving her marriage, and hunting down murderers and a master criminal would be the scariest activities in a woman’s life, but no, going home for the holidays is what brings on the panic for 20’s era former spy, Verity Kent. I can’t help, but appreciate each new installment in this dashing series of mysteries.

Murder Most Fair is the fifth of the Verity Kent mysteries set in post-WWI era Britain. These are closely connected and must be read in order.

Verity and Sidney are taking a break after their last big murder case and encounter with the wily arch-nemesis they are up against. Spending time at their seaside cottage with a few friends is just the thing, until a surprise visit from Verity’s German great-aunt leads them onto a new mystery and takes them to Yorkshire and Verity’s childhood home sooner than planned. The atmosphere is heavy and that’s inside the house as Verity faces the consequences of staying away for over five years, but then a murder really stirs the pot.

Throughout this series, Verity has had an acrimonious relationship with her mother about not coming home, her conduct that made it into the society news, and her seeming lack of grieving over her brother. This is the book which brings that all to a head when Verity is finally forced to return to her family’s ancestral estate. Sidney is right there with her and a support, but she is the one who must take her mother’s disdain, her surviving siblings’ hurt, and her own long overdue locked away grief and deal with it. Cracks are showing in her emotional wall and being home is what is forcing it. It was heartbreaking as she stubbornly held off dealing with her grief especially in the face of places and memories that come back to her and there is the constant absence of the one sweet brother.

But, even as she struggles, Verity sees she is not the only one who is grieving and struggling. Both her surviving brothers came back from the war with inner scars, her parents are not growing younger, and the whole village is missing their dead and trying to start over. She was so caught up in her own struggles that she has held family at a distance and now realizes how much she needs them and they need her.

Because it is so close to the war years, feelings are high when Verity brings Aunt Ilse and her maid back home. People are vocal about their anti-German feelings. And, when the maid dies, she is faced with the fact that there is too much prejudice for anyone to seek the truth behind the death. So, she and Sidney must learn the maid’s secrets and determine if the trouble followed them there or if someone in her home village is a killer.

I found the mystery quite easy to figure out from the maid’s secrets to who the killer was and why. But, I wasn’t bored because I was fully engaged in Verity’s personal struggles and meeting her family in this one. The author has never shied away from writing a woman who is not perfect and who has her struggles and, in this case, it is delayed grief for her brother. The author addresses all this with her and it was agonizing being along for Verity’s struggle as she flails about even attacking Sidney where she knows he is vulnerable before remorsefully apologizing because he is not the rightful target of her angst. This book felt like a turning point for Verity on a personal level even if the overall series arc for the suspense thread didn’t see much forward progress.

All in all, this was fabulous for historical post-war Roaring twenties setting and character development and provided a decent mystery as well. I can definitely recommend the series to those who want historical mysteries with a lot of relationship and personal growth adding complexity to the storyline.

I really love this series but I did feel like it was starting to get a tad bit predictable in the last book. The focus on Lord Ardmore as a all powerful nemesis can get a bit old. This one was a really nice shake up and we got to see a more vulnerable side of Verity as she faced her demons which I really enjoyed. There have been mentions of Verity's German family connections but I liked getting a bit more information there as well seeing a different scene of her war work.

Verity's Great Aunt Ilse is an interesting narrator. So often she's is the picture of reliability and then with a single statement that'll go out the window so it made for an intriguing mystery. I was hooked by both the mystery of the 2nd deserter and the murder from the first page even though the murder doesn't occur until halfway through the book.

While there is a decent amount of action all throughout the book this is more of a character building book then a plot building book. Seeing Verity among her family was interesting and eye opening. As usual, I thoroughly enjoyed Anna Lee Huber's writing and really enjoyed this book. I was so glad to see more development of the characters and to see them get more confidence in their relationship. This is a reliable series and this one may just be my favorite yet!

Grief is a funny thing - you think you can hide it away and just deal with life, but it eventually will take you over and if you are not careful, it will consume you. This is where we are in this outing of the Verity Kent series and let me tell you, this one is filled with ALL the feels. Verity has to do what she has been avoiding for 5 years; she has to go home. Home, where the memories of her beloved brother Rob [a Flyboy, killed in the action over France during the war] will assault her and bring her perilously close to losing the slender hold she has on her grief.

The story starts where the previous book leaves off, with Verity and Sidney and their friends vacationing at their cottage, all while looking for clues to evidence that was found in the previous book [there will be no spoilers here so little of what previously happened will be mentioned]. While they are there, Verity's Tante [Aunt] Ilse shows up unexpectedly from war-ravaged Germany with news that she has been threatened and that is why she has made the perilous trek to England, where she knows she will be little welcome by those who are not in Verity's immediate family. Thus starts the story that weaves in and out of all that Verity did during the war, the reunion with her family [and how poorly THAT goes], and the belief that all Germans were inherently bad and therefore were not to be trusted. When someone is killed because of this sentiment, it is up to Verity, Sidney and Verity's brothers to flush out the killer [the reveal is VERY good and I was a little surprised, though I wondered if that was the direction the story was going] and being her Tante some peace at last. All while being on constant alert over Lord Ardmore's advances and threats as well. I thought that Christmas was supposed to be a time of peace and joy - not in this book it isn't, though I guess there is some of it at the very end.

The toughest part of this book is Verity dealing with her grief. She dealt with it the best way she knew how and in doing so, alienates her family, who now resents her deeply for it. Instead of compassion for her grief, they only see the actions of how she behaved [see book 1] and believed that she was callous and cared little for them and their own grief over Rob's death [and when they all believed Sidney to be dead as well - see book 2]. What they all fail to realize [and what bugged me to NO END] was, that everyone grieves differently and that what Verity did was what was best for her at that time and that their disapproval of her and the way she chose to grieve did way more harm than good and by the time it all comes out in this book, Verity is almost to the point of being consumed with the act of hiding all of her emotions. As someone who has been continually told how and when and what to grieve in the past ten years [with the end of my marriage and then death of my beloved Dad], this all struck a big chord with me. I spent a good amount of this book in tears as I watched Verity try and navigate the waters of letting go of bonds that kept her from showing her grief and how her family judged her for it. There are absolute moments of pain and tears and the fact that I felt all I felt is a huge testament to the way this author writes - she pulls the feelings out of you and even while it hurts, it is amazing.

I only have one complaint about this book and it is what kept it from being a 5 star read for me [it was oh so close]. The almost CONSTANT reminder that Verity was in the secret service and that she CANNOT TELL HER FAMILY EVER [yes, there were moment of it being that dramatic]. IF the reader has gotten to this book and started at book 1 [and really, why wouldn't you - if you start at this book, you will be so very lost], you are already very aware of the secrecy around Verity's war service and why it is necessary. To be reminded over and over and O V E R again [almost to the point of ad nauseam], was really an insult to the reader. We are aware and are not stupid and do not need constant reminders of it and to be honest, when it happened more than once in a chapter, I was afraid it was going to ruin the whole book for me - I even yelled out loud, "I KNOW THIS ALREADY" when it was once again stated. I hope that this is not a trend that continues in the next book because it became tedious and really dragged the story down. At least for me it did. When the rest of the book is just so darn good, it was hard to have it even a teeny bit ruined by repetitive [and IMO, lazy] writing. To be fair, this was my only complaint about the book [and with some of the books I have read lately, to have only one thing bug me is nothing short of miraculous], but it was a very annoying one.

I am so looking forward to the next book - I love this series so much and cannot wait to see what happens next!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Anna Lee Huber, and Kensington Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Verity Kent is no stranger to grief. During WWI she lost her husband and brother and as an agent of the Secret Service she saw the devastation of the war up close. It wasn’t until later that she discovered that her husband Sidney was still alive, having faked his death to uncover a traitor. She has not been home to her family’s estate for four years. Without facing all of the reminders of her beloved brother she can control the grief that consumes her. Now she and Sidney are visiting for the holidays. Shortly before their departure, they are surprised by a visit from her Great Aunt Ilse and her maid Bauer, who have just arrived from Germany.

On a mission behind enemy lines, Verity had brought a German deserter to her Tante Ilse’s home. Ilse tells her about the second deserter who came to her, but Verity only knows of the one. Now Ilse claims to have seen him in the village. With people still mourning their losses from the war, Ilse and Bauer were not well received by most of the villagers. When Bauer is seen speaking German to a stranger, the distrust escalates and it is the stranger who is hunted when a murder is discovered. Verity is not as quick to place blame and discovers that there may be a connection between the stranger and her wartime activities. It is difficult to believe, however, that one of the people that she grew up with is capable of murder.

Murder Most Fair looks at the toll that grief can take on an individual and their relationships to others. Once Verity is surrounded by family and familiar sights from her childhood, the void created by her beloved brother’s death becomes almost unbearable. It was also a loss to her parents and siblings. When she recognizes their loss as well it provides an opportunity for healing. Verity’s absence during the war years is also filled with secrets that she can not share, causing some resentment and questions within the family. When her investigation into the murder puts her in danger, however, Sidney and her family are there for her. Verity is a strong character who will appeal to fans of Susan Elia MacNeal’s Maggie Hope series. I would like to thank NetGalley and Kensington Books for making this book available for my review.

Murder Most Fair by Anna Lee Huber is Historical Mystery Thriller Fiction in November 1919. This book is part 5 of the exciting Verity Kent series with murder, mystery, and lingering espionage. Unsettling troubles with family, neighbors and staff just when Verity and Sidney begin to feel on solid ground again. I love the characters with their well defined personalities, emotions and relationships throughout the series. What do all these problems stem from the Great War or a more sinister cause? Could it be an old enemy and will the secret service help her? This book will keep you on the edge and wanting more. This book can be read alone or enjoy it even more by reading the entire series.Well done!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. I appreciate the opportunity and thank the author and publisher for allowing me to read, enjoy and review this book. 5 Stars

The Great War is over, her husband returned from the dead, and Verity Kent is done with her top-secret assignment. Planning to finally go see her family for the holidays after her brother's death during the war, Verity is dreading facing her family and confronting her grief.

But when her great-aunt shows up from Germany because she's been receiving threats, Verity and Sidney must uncover what really happened to the German deserter Verity smuggled back into Germany during the war and who knows about her Aunt's involvement.

Her first time in Yorkshire at her family home in 5 years, Verity must face her mother and the rest of her family who feel abandoned by her, as well as the prevailing anti-German attitude of her neighbors. All while Lord Ardemore's reach is never out of mind, and she tries to piece together what happened during the war.

Huber writes beautifully about the grief and trauma in the aftermath of WW1, which is one of the reasons I love this series so much. It's very emotional. The mystery is well-plotted and engaging. I now love the relationship between her and Sidney too (I was on the fence for a while!), as I thought Sidney was fantastic in this book. The long-running mystery with Ardemore is getting a little complicated, so I actually liked how little this book focused on it - although there are still many references to it so I highly suggest reading this series in order.

This is one of my favorite mystery series, I'm already counting down for the next one!

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

There’s a real challenge in making a series hold my attention over multiple volumes. I found this concept from Ms. Huber to be worth trying the new stories. Sadly, there is not enough here for me to continue. I love the time frame, and had high hopes for the heroine’s development. We have new characters, an ongoing thread of plot that crosses multiple novels, a “shadowy nemesis” who lurks in the background . . . but none of it has enough emotional power to hold my attention. I enjoy Ms. Huber’s novels but I am done with this series. I am grateful for this e-arc from Ms. Huber and Kensington Press.

I am enjoying this series. This one was very emotional for me. I do enjoy the characters and the setting (after WWI England). So far, the books I've read have been set in different parts of England so like reading about the different areas. The mystery kept me guessing and wonder how the overarching mystery will end up.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

It's 1919. Verity and her husband Sidney are finally settling into life post war although both of them carry scars both seen and unseen. And then her great aunt Ilse turns up, along with her maid Bauer, from Germany, setting in motion a series of events that bring the past back. Verity hasn't been to her parents home for four years- since the death of her brother- but now she, Sidney, Ilse, and Bauer, head there and the mystery ensues. Although this is part of a series, Huber gives enough back story to make the new reader feel part of it. An what a back story there is. While there is a murder, with tendrils that back through Verity's work during the War, it's the portrayal of the people in her family and the village and the impact of WWI that shines. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This is more than it appears on the surface. Excellent read.

This was hands down my favorite Verity Kent installment so far. We really learn more about Verity’s family and friends, and the emotional toll the war took on her. I also loved how the author showed us how Verity and Sidney try to move past such trauma, while the strictures of the times gave them few tools to use to do so. Emotional health was simply not discussed back then.

Learning more about her brothers and sister and their own complex lives was fascinating. And the mystery element was solidly plotted. The historical details were vivid and well-woven into the plot. I found the prevalence of anti-German sentiment, even in their small town, to be interesting and I was impressed with how the author utilized it in the plot.

I can’t wait to see where Verity ends up next. Like always, I do wish we would see more of Nimble. I would love to have more backstory of Verity’s servants and have them be bigger players in the plot of the next book. And I loved that the Ardmore angle didn’t overshadow this one like it did the last!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

First, thank you Netgalley for providing me with this novel in exchange for an honest review :)

Second, I requested book #5 (I haven't read the others yet) because it was an opportunity to delve into a series I kept hearing so much praise about, thinking I could probably catch up easily. I did catch up, however, I would recommend reading the novels in order as there is an ongoing background plot (a bit like Moriarty in Holmes or The Master in Dr Who - there must be better references, but those are mine).

Third, the review, finally. This particular instalment hasn't been published yet but you won't have to wait for long (August 31th). You can preorder it !

I first picked this book up when I was very tired, got annoyed at the "high society" start and put it back on its shelf for some time. I picked it back when I was in a better mood and found the novel thoroughly engaging, even if not excessively happy. But who would be happy just after that butchery that was the first world war ?...
I'm not certain that the mystery plot itself was wonderful, yet it suited perfectly what this novel dealt with : post traumatic disorder, loss, grief, mourning and not being able to mourn properly, those who came back while so many others didn't, the anger/hatred that the British population felt toward the Germans - to sum it all, it's more of a psychological study in how to cope with such a change in everybody's life that it's impossible to come back to what you were before.
The story and characters were well written. Having experienced loss myself, I could relate and empathize with Verity and her family, it spoke to me on a personal level. I hate tearjerkers, this book wasn't that, it simply spoke of very human problems in a very human way, I loved it and now need to go back to the series' start.
Highly recommended.

"“Is this what it’s like, then ? Investigating murders.” I tilted my head quizzically, uncertain exactly what she meant. “Questioning everyone around you. Wondering if they’re lying, if they’re telling the truth.Wondering if they’re capable of taking another person’s life.” “At times,” I hedged, not really knowing how to answer. The corners of her mouth curled upward in an empathetic smile. “It must be weary on the soul.”"

"All. All those we’d loved and cared for who were now lost to us. At least on this earth. We both sat silently, remembering them. Grieving them. Wishing they were still with us. But there were some acts that could not be undone, some planes that could not be crossed. Not until our time had also come. But not yet. Lord, not yet. And so we pressed on. Without them."

The adventures of British Secret Service agent Verify Kent and her husband Sidney, a recently returned World War I hero, continue in Anna Lee Huber's Murder Most Fair. In this outing, the year is 1919 and the month is November, the first full year since the armistice ended the War to End All Wars. Verity and Sidney are planning a holiday in the Yorkshire Dales with Verity's family. The tranquillity of their vacation is disrupted by the arrival of Verity's Great Aunt Ilsa, who has lived in Germany for many years. Ilsa and her maid accompany the couple to the Dales, but they are not wholeheartedly welcomed either by the entire family or by the neighbors. When the maid is murdered, it falls to Verity and Sidney to catch the killer.

I have enjoyed other books in this series, and have a special fondness for the crackling dialog between Verity and Sidney that typically propels the series. Murder Most Fair, however, gets off to a slow start and also contains a great deal of backstory Patient fans will be pleased; readers who haven't yet met the Kent's would be well advised to start the series with one of the other books (preferably, in my view, because of the complexity of the plotting in this series, the first in the series, This Side of Murder.)

Thank you to Anna Lee Huber, Kensington, and NetGalley for the ARC of this novel in return for this honest review.

Still struggling to adjust to life after the war and after her husband's return from death, Verity Kent is further distressed to be going to her childhood home where her mother's sharp tongue and the ghost of her brother Robby will only bring up bad memories. Her great aunt Ilse has also shown up. The seventy-nine-year-old woman is a favorite relative of Verity's but she is not the same woman Verity remembers. Which makes sense. The woman has lost all of her relatives and her longtime personal maid. Now she has barely made it to a foreign country where many people actively hate Germans.
They are all off to Yorkshire where Verity's past still seems to haunt her. Then Ilse's maid, Bauer, is brutally murdered and the village is riled up in innumerable ways.

This was a good book and the mystery was fine but even better are the ways that Verity and even Sidney grew in this book. We get to see more of the family that Verity has been avoiding. Family hurts are brought to light; maybe not all healed but at least finally acknowledged. It was a nice diversion from the dealings with Lord Ardmore.

Four stars
Follows A Pretty Deceit
This book comes out August 31st, 2021
ARC kindly provided by Kensington Books and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

OMGoodness! This series just keeps getting better and better. This author’s prose takes you from your comfortable chair and plops you down in post-WWI England with her gripping descriptions. It is November of 1919 and the country is still trying to recover – to come to terms with the debilitating, gut-wrenching grief from which they all still suffer. Everyone copes with that grief in different ways, but one way that seems the most common is to carry an all-consuming hatred of anything and anyone German.

With the Christmas holidays nearing, Verity and Sidney are planning a trip to Verity’s home near Yorkshire. Verity hasn’t visited there in five years – at first, it was the war and her responsibilities that kept her away – then, after her brother Rob was killed-in-action, she couldn’t face all of the memories of him. Now, it is time to face the grief she has buried deep, deep inside herself and she’s not looking forward to it. She can handle it for a couple of weeks though – surely.

One of Verity’s missions for the Home Office comes back to haunt her when her great aunt, Tante Ilse, gets permission to come to England from Germany. Verity dearly loves Tante Ilse and was loath to involve her in a mission during the war, but had little choice in the matter. Verity needed to get a collaborator back inside Germany, so they used Tante Ilse’s home as a safehouse during the journey. With the anti-German sentiment so strong in England, Verity and Sidney decide Tante Ilse and her maid would be much safer in the rural Yorkshire Downs, so they decide to travel to Verity’s home earlier than planned.

Verity has been noticing that something just isn’t right. Tante Ilse isn’t telling her everything and she’s noticed the maid being accosted. She’s also caught several glimpses of a man she is sure she recognizes, but cannot put a name to. Is Ardmore, the overarching enemy of the series up to something again? Or, is this much closer to home?

Even in rural Yorkshire anti-German sentiments are very strong and local authorities don’t take it particularly seriously when Tante Ilse’s young, beautiful, German maid is found dead in a remote barn. Sidney and Verity know they will have to solve the murder themselves if they want to see justice done for the young woman. There are suspects aplenty, it is just a matter of weeding through them.

Verity has so much to handle – a murder, deep grief, and a family festering with what they view as her abandonment of them. Can her emotions survive it all? She and Sidney can handle the murder investigation together – no problem. Her family and grief are something she has to manage on her own – with Sidney’s support – but she is still the one who has to deal with it. Because of the Secrets Act, she absolutely cannot tell her family what she did during the war. Yet, without telling them the truth, they’ll continue to believe she abandoned them to drink and party in London while they were grieving at home. Besides the grief, her two remaining brothers both have issues from serving during the war – the things they saw – the things they did… Like most of the other returning veterans, they brought those experiences home with them and those experiences taint everything they do in life.

I absolutely loved the way this author made me feel the emotions of the characters. My heart ached for Verity and her inability to let her brother Rob go. The descriptions of the deprivations, the tensions, the terror – both in Germany and England – made you feel all of it yourself.

I hope you will read and love this outstanding historical mystery as much as I did. You cannot get better writing, better storytelling, better emotion, better more compelling characters anywhere. It is a wonderful series and I highly recommend all of the books.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I am a fan of Anna Lee Huber. The fact that I've not read many of her books is because I've not been able to access them
easily.

The setting, the style of Verity - her flair, unusual boldness and independence in the time of stultifying feminine expectations especially since she did come from an upper class of society all added to the verve in the book (s).

Verity has worked for the Secret Service during WWII. Bound by the Official Secrets Act no one other than her husband and colleagues know exactly the demanding work she undertook. Her mother thinks the family has been ignored because Verity was being a social butterfly in London. This has caused a deep rift further heightened because Verity has not come home for five years since the death of her beloved brother Rob. For Verity the wounds are too raw to face a home without her beloved brother.

In this story with the antagonism against anything German at its height, Verity's German aunt and her maid descend on London unexpectedly with worries of their own. Taking her aunt to the family home in a small village with strong anti German feelings was not the best scenario but the best that Verity and Sydney could undertake.

A secret of years past, a vendetta on the part of the Germans, antagonism of locals and suspicion against Verity herself
from the village where she grew are all part of this very attractive package wrapped up in the most beautiful writing.