Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of City of Fortune.

As a Kentucky Derby fan, I was excited that Thompson featured horse racing and the Belmont Stakes in our latest adventure. This book was full of interesting tidbits about horse racing, and I loved the historical information she added at the end. We meet many new characters, some more like-able than others, (Irene is amazing) but we didn’t get much of Anna or Jake, which I found disappointing. The actual cons of this novel were too unbelievable for me, especially the final one, but I enjoyed the ending (even though I predicted the twist long before the reveal.) I was also excited to see Gideon taking a more active role and doing a little conning of his own. Not my favorite in the series, but definitely a fun, interesting read!

City of Fortune is the sixth book in the Counterfeit Lady series by Victoria Thompson and gives readers a fascinating look at horse racing, New York society, and cons! This was fun to read with all the twists and turns.

City of Fortune by Victoria Thompson

A clever con can be so much fun to watch, a bit of drama, a puzzle, much suspense, and at its best, an opportunity to correct injustices . . . if Elizabeth is in charge. With the help of her MIL “we met in prison” and father, brother, and a host of helpful friends, she sets out to help a young couple whose future has been dimmed by the horrifying “sponging” sabotage of a beautiful race horse. (I had never heard of this abusive practice — truly evil).
First step, identify and court the very worst in society, those who deserve to lose and are more susceptible to cons that play on their greed and self-centeredness.
Then start planning, in this case, con within con within con . . . so much fun for all except the targets, who deserve it, so we won’t waste any sympathy on them or on the foolish men who carry a romantic rivalry over decades of misery. We’ll save sympathy for the good men whose pride and conditioning to be “the provider” might lead them to refuse the good they are offered . . . in need of a reverse con to help the unwilling accept opportunity.
I especially enjoy watching Gideon find a way to help without actually lying or being dishonest, and his mother’s eager fascination with cons and jargon. Poor boy, he doesn’t have a chance.
This was fun to read, and I already miss this lovely group of con artists. When’s the next caper?

City of Fortune was an excellent addition to the Counterfeit Lady series. I loved the 1919 setting and the information about both horse racing and Womens' rights that were woven into the story.

Elizabeth Bates and her husband Gideon have been invited to the Belmont Stakes by Sebastian Nolan who is one on Gideon's clients. Elizabeth meets Nolan's daughter Irene who is extremely knowledgeable about horse racing and who happens to be in love with her father's jockey.

When chicanery happens which injures both horse and jockey, Elizabeth decides to run a con on Nolan to make things right for the young couple.

Luckily, she isn't the only one with a con in mind. Her father has arrived at the races with a woman who looks amazingly like Irene's mother and Nolan's first love. Only Irene's mother died in childbirth which created a bitter rivalry between Nolan and Daniel Livingston who was engaged to Irene's mother before Nolan swept her away.

Since the look-alike is also a con woman, it isn't hard to enlist her help in running a con on both Nolan and Livingston and a good part of the unsavory elements of New York Society too.

This story was a lot of fun to read. I loved the twists and turns and plots.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-galley in exchange for an honest review. Elizabeth and Gideon, blissfully married and enjoying life together, are back again to help out one of Elizabeth's new friends and her family as they navigate the cutthroat world of horse racing and marriage. As someone who thoroughly enjoyed the history and real life grit of "Seabiscut" (the book not the film) I really enjoyed the less-than-rosy picture that Thompson painted of conditions that jockeys endured. This was a great mystery, and ended all too quickly for me!

"City of Fortune" is a historical set in 1919 in New York City. This is the 6th book in the series. You don't need to read the previous books to understand this one, and this book didn't spoil the previous novels. The historical details were woven into the story to create a sense of the specific time and place as well as bring the story alive.

Elizabeth is a reformed con artist married to Gideon, an honorable lawyer who refuses to lie. Elizabeth and her family has learned how to use his honesty to help in her right-a-wrong cons, and Elizabeth's friends were more than happy to be a part of the fun. The reader isn't told the plans before they happen, so there's an element of mystery and suspense. But we see events as they happen and know the overall goal, so it's fun guessing how the cons are going to go. It was very entertaining and humorous.

There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd highly recommend this entertaining historical novel.

I love Elizabeth Miles and her dashing (now husband) Gideon. He's learning how to accept his independent wife and family and she's settling into domestic life. But of course that changes with another mysterious death. I'm a huge fan of the gaslight mystery series by this author, and this is a great series as well. I can't wait for more adventures of the Mile's family grifters.

Elizabeth is once again considering managing a con after attending a horse race and befriending an owners daughter. To save the day she must convince her father, several family and friends and a Spanish countess to help - all while attempting to make sure her husband never has to lie. A fascinating look at horse racing, New York society and cons!