Can’t say enough about this amazing, captivating series!! I love historical mysteries and this one really does a fantastic job on accuracy. Keeps you guessing until the end!!

I received an Ebook for free from #NetGalley. I enjoy and recommend at our library Anna Huber's books that deal with Lady Darby and her husband Gage. I've enjoyed seeing the characters grow. This system Kiera and Sebastian and Sebastian's father, Lord Gage travel to Cornwall at the request of family. They still travel with their infant daughter, Emma and Emma's nurse and their maid and valet who have helped in the past. It was interesting to see Sebastian's mother's side of the family but also how Lord Gage grew up and why he was possibly the way he was. He has warmed upto Kiera probably because of his granddaughter. As always conflicts, drama, and red herrings ensue and the case is solved by the end of the book. I recommend giving Anna Huber and her Lady Darby mysteries a try.

Anna Lee Huber is my happy place. I am uncertain how she can keep Keira and Gage's story as breathless as it has been since the first Lady Darby --but she does.

Here, Huber paints Cornwall in all of its dangerous splendour with a pen as talented as Lady Darby is with a brush. I especially love how she continues to populate her well-realized universe with recurring characters...including Kiera's father-in-law.

Mystery and treasure against a resplendent locale? This is the perfect book for those uninitiated with Lady Darby to sink into.

In A Deceptive Composition, Anna Lee Huber returns to the world of Lady Kiera Darby and her husband, Sebastian Gage, who are drawn into a web of family secrets and murder. Set against the backdrop of 1832 Cornwall, the couple must navigate the dangerous complexities of the notorious Roscarrock family after a murder draws them into a mystery tied to a lost treasure. The novel skillfully blends suspense with historical detail, immersing readers in a rich Victorian setting. With its twists and turns, it keeps the reader engaged as Kiera and Sebastian uncover dark truths that threaten their newfound peace.

We get to see more of Lord Gage's history in this book after he receives a letter from his great aunt asking him to come investigate the death of her brother (his great Uncle), Borak. The man was older but a fall off the cliffs seems unlikely as he knew very well what areas were safe and which were not.
Included in the list of suspects are the local smuggling gang. Though supposedly disbanded, there is a suspiciously nice stash of alcohol in the family basement. This is the same gang that Lord Gage joined as a youngster. His friend Jago was killed and he was sent away as a result of him being a member.
Memories are long in this area of the country and the present day murder has ties to the past.
As usual, a lovely story.

Lady Darby #12
Four stars
This book comes out June 18, 2024
Follows A Fatal Illusion
ARC kindly provided by Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Jeanie

This historical mystery, like the others in the Lady Darby series, is written with excellence. The characters, the setting – this time, primarily in Cornwall – and outstanding descriptions are fuel for the imagination, especially for those who have been to England or Scotland, appreciate the Victorian era and complex mysteries. After someone tried to take the life of Lord Gage in the prior mystery, his son Sebastian Gage, daughter in law Kiera, the former Lady Darby, and their infant daughter Emma, stayed with Lord Gage through his recovery.

Lord Gage and his son were never close; when he met Kiera, he was openly derogatory of her. She has been an inquiry agent with Gage for a long time, and Gage learned the business from his father, retired from the Royal Navy. Throughout his recovery, Lord Gage wanted to get to know his only grandchild, Emma, and Kiera allowed it – on her terms. Against his usual nature, he adored the happy baby. He learned to be civil to Kiera and respect her, as she refused to receive any verbal abuse or hateful attitudes from him any longer. He and Gage also had fragile peace. Lord Gage even wants to remodel the dower house on his property for them to move into, as one day Gage will inherit the estate.

His change of heart was both welcome and timely. While Kiera and Gage were still visiting him, Lord Stephen Gage received a letter from his aunt, Amelia, that his uncle Branock had been murdered. In light of their line of work as gentleman inquiry agents, as well as family, they were invited to visit and work to find out who killed Branock. Stephen had not visited or communicated with anyone from his mother’s side of the family for about fifty years, and with good reason as revealed throughout the novel. His son had never met anyone in his late grandmother’s family. Lord Gage was skeptical about going, but Gage hoped to meet his family while working the murder.

Some families are better off out of touch. It took a few days to begin to see the true colors of the Roscarrocks and Killigrews, all part of Lord Gage’s mother’s family. They had been smugglers and ship wreck pickers for centuries, and their great mistake of sending then eleven-year-old Stephen (Lord Gage) and his best friend, Jago, to relocate contraband, had lifelong repercussions. There was a centuries-long line of deceit, with a terrible episode about fifty years ago and an immense lie that brought Lord Gage, his son, and Kiera to this corner of England. Whether any of them would survive, nobody knew.

Kiera and Gage are multidimensional. I enjoy getting to know Kiera better with each novel, since they are written in first person. I appreciate seeing how well Kiera can read Lord Gage and respond with kindness, despite his earlier dismay at her understanding. Watching Lord Gage play with Emma shows an untapped side of his personality, and little Emma adores him. There were several terms I relied on Wikipedia to help me learn. Not only did I appreciate one character calling another a “timdoodle”, I’m looking forward to using it! The characters are unique, and many are enigmas. Some of those in Cornwall are so adept at telling tall tales that it is difficult to know if they are lying or telling the truth. I enjoy watching Lord Gage’s continual change, and how happy and in love Kiera and Gage remain. Except for Kiera’s observations, we learn the most about the characters by their realistic communication and their responses to circumstances.

The mystery was difficult to solve. When a huge twist was revealed, I was startled, to say the least, as I wouldn’t have thought that depth of deception would occur in a family. There were so many open questions, missing puzzle pieces, that I admired anybody could actually solve a murder two hundred years ago with virtually none of the tools we have today. The last several chapters were extremely intense. The end was a mixed blessing, as some folks lost far more than they anticipated. I was, however, very satisfied with it, and highly recommend this historical mystery.

A Deceptive Composition is book twelve in a series best read in order.

Lord Gage, Sebastian’s father, receives an urgent request to come home when his uncle is found dead and his great aunt suspects murder. Lord Gage has been estranged from his family since a scuffle with the law led to tragedy for him and his best friend at the tender age of eleven. A tragedy that could’ve been avoided had his family not sent him out in peril!

It’s obvious from the start no one is being straight with Kiera, Gage and his father, exasperating them all! Lord Gage’s family were something else, and not in a good way. Getting the history of what happened to Lord Gage at eleven and getting acquainted with his family as they tried to find the truth shed a new light on Lord Gage, making it easier to understand his gruff and cruel behavior in the past. I’ve been enraged by his behavior more than a few times over the course of the series, but I had a softening towards him after all was revealed.

My heart was in my throat by the end with the danger a few of the characters faced in the final scenes! I wonder how this will affect how Kiera and Gage investigate in the future. It certainly would give me pause. This installment wrapped up abruptly after that intense standoff. Kiera’s last words whet my appetite for the next story!

I’ve loved this series from the beginning and recommend it to anyone who enjoys well written historical mysteries with a bit of romance! The audios with Heather Wilds performing are excellent!

I've read all the books in this series, and this latest one is a real treat. In this installment, we finally get to learn Lord Gage's backstory, and it's both fascinating and heartbreaking. Lady Kiera Darby, her husband Sebastian Gage, their baby daughter, and Sebastian's grumpy father, Lord Gage, head to Cornwall after Lord Gage gets a summons from his Aunt Amelia to investigate her brother's death. Lord Gage has been estranged from this side of the family since he was 11, but Kiera and Sebastian manage to convince him to help his aunt and find out if his uncle was murdered. The whole family makes the trip and encounters old betrayals, suspicion, and danger when they meet the Cornwall family. The remote Cornwall setting, with its legends and history, is perfect for this book. While Kiera and Gage are central to the story, this book really focuses on Lord Gage's redemption. To fully enjoy the story, you should definitely read the series in order.

A Deceptive Composition is book twelve in the Lady Darby Mysteries and I requested this one not having read a single book of the series but I decided I was going to binge read the entire series up to the release of this book as a lead in because I had it on my TBR and what better way to get into it. I was glad I did go back to read them all as I would have definitely missed A LOT. That said, Huber does a good job summarizing the important bits for a new reader going into each book if you don't have the time or inclination to do what I did and really just want to check this one out.

In this book, Kiera and Sebastian are in the countryside with his father and their daughter hoping to relax while Lord Gage recuperates from his injuries. When the receive an unexpected note from Lord Gage's family in Cornwall that his estranged uncle has been murdered and they need his help, they all head out to find out what has happened, despite Lord Gage's protests.

When they get to Cornwall, it's clear that things are not what they seem among the family and Kiera, Sebastian, and Lord Gage have all been lured there under false pretenses. Because of Lord Gage's history and the stories of a lost treasure, their entire family is in danger and it is hard to determine who they can trust.

As usual, I loved the Kiera / Sebastian times. I also loved that we got to learn more about Lord Gage and his background/history in this one. It is always hard to figure him out and hearing his story and understanding what happened to him helps to create some dimension to who he is. The mystery of what was going on within the family and around the cove was well done and as always, I thought Huber did a great job of keeping me engaged. Even after 12 books, you can bet I will be picking up the next one in the series when it comes out and if you're looking for a series to pick up, grab this one - I'm glad I did!

Much thanks to Anna Lee Huber, Berkley, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this installment! I loved seeing a softer side to Lord Gage, loved seeing him dote on Emma and grow fond of Kiera. Loved learning more about Gage's family, if distant. I loved that Bree and Anderly are together. I loved the intriguing mystery, I had no idea who did it or why. Keira is just as lovely and feisty as ever, Gage just as dashing. Overall, I'm not tired of this series yet!

The harsh and beautiful Cornish coast and estranged family with a dark past are the setting for the latest Lady Darby mystery. And, as in the past, Anna Lee Huber can captivate her reader with a mysterious, dangerous plot and make one feel the characters with their personal secrets, motives, and emotions so one is reluctant to set the book aside. A Deceptive Composition brings Kiera and Gage into contact with smuggling and shipwrecked treasure and a family with a dark legacy with plenty of motives to see off the family patriarch.

A Deceptive Composition is the twelfth installment in the brilliant, atmospheric early Victorian era mystery series that is best when read in order. Kiera has arrived at the point where she has come into her own and really starting to shed the darkness of her past- wife, mother, artist, and detecting partner with her husband. Being socially awkward, an abuse survivor, and having unwanted skills with anatomist work are elements that make her sensitive, inwardly strong, and observant. These hold her in good stead now that she and Gage are accompanying his stubborn and sometimes temperamental father back to a place he never planned to return to his mother’s people on the Cornish coast.

The family and the neighborhood are secretive, and no one is entirely trustworthy. The past feels very present, with a history of smuggling and wrecking and hints at a lost treasure, though they are unsure if this has bearing on their investigation. The investigation paces out slowly but steadily, introducing people, few facts, and lots of speculation. This was one I cottoned to and in its entirety around the halfway point. That said, the suspense didn’t diminish, and there was a grand, dangerous climax scene.

All in all, I was satisfied to be back in the historically well-drawn world with Kiera and Sebastian on the trail of murder. Those who want strong character and relationship development, vivid backdrops, and arresting historical mystery need to delve into the Lady Darby series.

I received this book for free from Netgalley. That did not influence this review.

A Deceptive Composition is the twelfth book in Anna Lee Huber’s historical mystery series, Lady Darby Mysteries. It continues the sleuthing careers of Kiera Gage (the one-time Lady Darby) and her husband Sebastian Gage, an inquiry officer for the King. Included now in their team is Kiera’s irascible father-in-law, Lord Gage.

The trio are summoned to Roscarrock, in Cornwall, Lord Gage’s childhood home. The summoner was Lord Gage’s Aunt Amelia, who requested help with the investigation of the murder of her brother Branok. Lord Gage is loath to go. He left Cornwall at age 11, after being embroiled in the family’s smuggling operation. He and his best friend were caught. His best friend was killed. And Lord Gage was sent off to the Navy. He has never forgiven his family for dragging him into the illegal business and for abandoning him when he was caught. However, Sebastian and Kiera feel that, after fifty years, it’s time for reconciliation. Sebastian has always been curious about his Cornwall relations. Moreover, they can’t refuse to help investigate a murder in the family.

Lord Gage warns them that the people in Roscarrock are shifty and untrustworthy. And that they are still smugglers. Nevertheless, they set off. Their company includes the men’s valets, Kiera’s maid, their baby daughter, Emma, and Emma’s nurse. The whole crew becomes involved in untangling the mystery, which includes murder, deceit, and a missing treasure.

Once again, the series delivers a compelling mystery and a deep dive into family bonds and family dysfunction. The Lady Darby Mysteries continue to engage!

I really enjoyed this story of secrets, lies and family. I loved Lady Darby and Sebastian and Lord Gage and how they must solve a family tragedy. I loved all the twists and turns that they must go through before everything is solved. I could not put this book down. I received a copy of the book from the publisher for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.

Every time I picked up "A Deceptive Composition", I was whisked back in time, put on my sleuthing hat, and simply could not put this book down!

Firstly, this cover is STUNNING, and the title is so GRIPPING MY GOSH!

Anne Lee Huber's writing is vivid, visceral, detailed, descriptive, and her "Lady Darby Mysteries" series is PHENOMENAL! The author does a breathtaking job of combining mystery and history, and the various puzzle pieces and clues surrounding the mystery fall into place at exactly the precise moment to push the plot forward. Her world-building and storytelling are spectacular, and I could truly envision the various settings throughout. I felt completely immersed in this story from the first page to the last.

(Possible Spoilers!)
OH MY GOODNESS! This book kept me on the edge of my seat. When a murder hits close to home for Kiera, Sebastian, and Lord Gage, they travel to Cornwall and are pulled into the world of a family with dangerous secrets in order to find out the truth. I do not want to say too much about the plot due to spoilers, but, I will say, this book truly has so much in it: family, secrets, deeply emotional moments, twists and turns, mystery, danger, intrigue, history, and so, so much more.

If you enjoy Historical Mystery, I highly recommend this book! I so look forward to reading what Anna Lee Huber writes next!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the ARC of this book, and to Berkley Publishing Group for having me on the blog tour! All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Cornwall, England 1832

This series just doesn't get old and continues to delight.

In this 12th Lady Darby novel, Lord Gage, Sebastian Gage and Kiera Gage are asked to investigate the murder of an estranged relative. The atmosphere, scenery and people are brought to life in the pages as the murder solving trio tries to figure out who to trust and who is lying. So many twists in solving the mystery.

I love how smitten Lord Gage is with young Emma. So sweet.

I anxiously await the next in the series.

4.5 stars
A DECEPTIVE COMPOSITION is an enjoyable, emotional addition to the long-running Lady Darby Mystery series. This installment finds Kiera, Gage, and Lord Gage traveling to Cornwall to investigate Lord Gage’s uncle’s death. The secrets of the past and present, grief, lies, greed, murder, and deception all come together to make a compelling read.

It is no secret that Anna Lee Huber is one of my favorite authors, and I always enjoy spending time with Kiera and Gage, their family, friends, and staff. This series is steadfastly character driven, and this book is no exception. In fact, I think the mystery takes a backstage to the relationships and history of the characters within these pages. Lord Gage is not easy to like, but here readers learn so much about his childhood and family, with very personal admissions and revelations throughout the tale. This is not to say the mystery is not interesting because it is, and the story has a heart pounding, tense climax that had me on the edge of my seat.

A DECEPTIVE COMPOSITION is a wonderful historical mystery. Highly recommended!

First I have to say, I have enjoyed this series so much and listened to most of it on Audible. Highly recommend because it brings the story even more to life!

History meets fiction again as this author weaves a wonderful tale bull of intrigue, mystery and of course murder. Keira, Sebastian and their daughter accompany Lord Gage home, but step into a full blown situation!!

Intrigue, suspense and amazing characters make this one a winner!

A Deceptive Composition is the 12th Lady Darby historical mystery by Anna Lee Huber. Released 18th June 2024 by Penguin Random House on their Berkley imprint, it's 384 pages and available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.

Set in the 1830s, with this installment in Cornwall, this is a long running series with distinct and well rendered characters who are believable and established. Although it's the 12th book in the series, the mystery, denouement, and resolution are self contained and it works well enough as a standalone. The author is quite adept (and prolific). This author also pens the Verity Kent mystery/thrillers which are impressively different in style and setting. Both series are worthwhile for historical mystery fans.

Lady Darby and her family, including her irascible and inscrutable father-in-law, are summoned to Cornwall by the matriarch of his long estranged family to investigate if a murder actually has taken place. Nothing ever goes as planned, and they're confounded by the close knit and uncommunicative locals who are unwilling to confide in them (even if they are family). There are other political forces at play, and romantic mentions of lost pirate treasure and shipwrecks, smugglers, and bootleggers complicate what should be a straightforward investigation.

The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 10 hours 33 minutes and is capably narrated by series narrator Heather Wilds. She reads the characters distinctly and does a good job of differentiating the accents. Except for the dialogue (which she does competently), her voice is unobtrusive and neutral, in a good way.

Four stars. More than competently written, engaging, and cleverly constructed. It would be an excellent choice for public library acquisition or substantial binge read.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

The latest in Anna Lee Huber's Lady Darby Mystery series (it's an even dozen now) is full of intrigue, revenge, greed, family conflicts and emotional resolutions.

Lord Gage, Sebastian and Kiera are urgently summoned to investigate the mysterious death of the patriarch of the Roscarrock family, Lord Gage's maternal side of the family who hail from Cornwall. The reader (as well as Sebastian and Kiera) is at last introduced to the notorious smuggling family that we've heard disdainful snippets about from Lord Gage at various points in the series...and what a family they are.

There is a lot to unpack in this installment. First and foremost, Lord Gage, who has not seen or been in contact with his mother's side of the family since he aided them in their free trading operation as a child of 11 and was captured, arrested and paroled into the navy by his grandfather. There are 50+ years of animosity, betrayal and pain/guilt over the death of his best friend during that same raid for him to face and come to terms with. Investigation-wise, there is the question of if there really is a murder to investigate or perhaps the death of his great uncle was an accident/suicide? Also, there is frustration and anger from both father and son (and Kiera) for the mystery and secrecy/withholding of information from the Roscarrocks themselves and their efforts to hamper rather than aid in the investigation.

I really enjoyed this story for several reasons. First, we are able to learn more of Lord Gage's extended family background and how it impacted his formative years. We see a different, dare I say, more emotional and vulnerable Lord Gage, both in his struggle with past demons as well as his burgeoning respect and acceptance of his daughter-in-law Kiera. In a very real way, this was HIS book to make or break, and in my opinion, he definitely MADE it. I am looking forward to seeing how his character progresses and grows from this venture. Second, it's fascinating to meet the Roscarrocks and understand their past and its motivations...how they fed off their history, interacted with each other, felt about their neighbors/community, dealt with the law, and plotted for securing their obsessive needs. Third, we see the three-person family unit of Sebastian, Kiera and baby Emma continuing to evolve and grow, and it's heartwarming to have a front-row seat as this new little family settles in with a fierce love and devotion for each other.

This book was very well written, and while there was not as much action (until the denouement) as is present in some of Huber's past books, the emotional and inner turmoil of some of the characters was every bit as thrilling, absorbing and enlightening as other constructs for the book could have been...more so, in my opinion.

I'm very curious to see where our characters go from here and look forward to the next Huber/Darby/Gage collaboration.

Highly recommended (but also recommend that the series be read in order to gain more insight as you go along).

My sincere thanks to the author, NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing the free early arc of A Deceptive Composition for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

A Deceptive Composition sees the Gages on a surprising journey to Cornwall, one that will bring with it trials, family secrets, and unearth the past for Lord Gage (Kiera’s father-in-law) in a drastic way. With Huber’s skillful pen, this twelfth (!!! so many books and all so good!) installment in the Lady Darby Mysteries delivers another winding, unpredictable tale with equal parts intrigue and emotional resonance.

The writing style showing Kiera’s 1st person POV really shines in matters of logic and deduction. To read it is to see human nature through Kiera’s eyes, familiar ones for faithful readers who’ve followed the series thus far. Kiera’s view is a precise and insightful analysis of the world around her, yet written in such a way as to be certain of other characters’ manners, motives, and demeanors. As she engages with the estranged family members, truths and complexities about her own immediate family are brought to light. She is the first to comprehend how a particular character’s past experiences result in a certain prickliness and worldview that has influenced the present.

As a person who looks for the romance in every story, I have always I liked the growing dynamic between Gage and Kiera, and more recently in this series the possibility of their personal staff, Bree and Anderley, getting together. In A Deceptive Composition, there are wonderful moments that highlight the everydayness of Gage and Kiera’s love at this stage in their relationship. Huber does a great job showing how they are just as smitten with the same delightful tension and chemistry between them, yet showing their consideration and kindness in the practicalities, too, like caring for little Emma and making sure a carriage ride is comfortable (or, with a baby, tolerable).

The Cornwall setting is nicely depicted and brings to my mind visuals from the Poldark series complete with the country gentry, shipwrecks, and smuggling activities. Real-life places and personalities were the author’s inspiration for some of the story framework, which I appreciate.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance ebook copy. This is my honest review.