The Berkeley Square Affair

Rannoch Fraser Mysteries #5

by Tracy Grant, Teresa Grant (Pseudonym)

November-December 1817
An alternate version of Hamlet may hold more than literary secrets…

Ensconced in the comfort of their elegant home in Berkeley Square, Malcolm and Suzanne Rannoch have seemingly escaped the perilous life of intrigue that they led during the Napoleonic Wars. Malcolm, once an intelligence agent, is now a member of Parliament, and Suzanne is one of the city's most sought-after hostesses. But when playwright Simon Tanner climbs through their library window late one night, rain-soaked and bloody, the Rannochs are lured back into the dangerous world they thought they had left behind…

Simon had in his possession a manuscript that may be a lost version of Hamlet, and the thieves who attacked him were prepared to kill for it. But the Rannochs suspect there's more at stake than a literary gem. The script may conceal the identity of a Bonapartist spy—along with secrets that could force Malcolm and Suzanne to abandon their newfound peace and confront their own tortured past. . .

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Romance, Regency, Historical Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Fiction

464 pages, Paperback

First published March 25, 2014

About the author

Tracy Grant studied British history at Stanford University and received the Firestone Award for Excellence in Research for her honors thesis on shifting conceptions of honor in late fifteenth century England. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her young daughter and three cats. In addition to writing, Tracy works for the Merola Opera Program, a professional training program for opera singers, pianists, and stage directors. Her real life heroine is her daughter Mélanie, who is very cooperative about Mummy’s writing. Tracy is currently at work on her next book chronicling the adventures of Malcolm and Mélanie Suzanne Rannoch.

Reviews

[Merry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I find this author has too many characters to keep track of and the mystery was rather weak and unimportant for so much effort. Its only purpose was to further the family intrigue. So, the family secrets and intrigue are off the charts (4*). I love it. It borders on soap opera and let me tell you I am here for it. I like her storytelling style, but Grants books are overlong with a mystery that is very weak (2.5*). I also had problems with almost everybody being a spy. Loved that there is a spy in the household (I know, I am conflicted) that sets up for the next book. I know that author changed publishers and other reviewers explain this rather well.

[Misfit · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the book in the series when the stuff really hits the fan, and being as it's a huge spoiler for those who haven't read through the end of Imperial Scandal, I'm not going to discuss it in this review, but it is a doozy. This book picks up about two years after the end of The Paris Affair and Malcolm has resigned from diplomatic service and now a Member of Parliament (is member supposed to be capitalized here?). A friend of Malcolm's comes across a supposedly lost never been seen before version of Hamlet and someone's willing to go to any end to get their hands on it. Is there a hidden clue in the manuscript?

Like the other books, there are plenty of twists and turns and a large cast of characters and not always knowing who is the good guy and who is the bad guy, but just sit back and enjoy the ride. My only quibble is the tension building up to Suzanne's big reveal was a wee bit heavy handed. Editor, wherefore art thou?

Some interesting twists at the end and the mystery surrounding the governess, which I believe is going to be the focus in the next book still being written.

[Lynn Spencer · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars This book was hard for me to rate. On the one hand, I enjoyed it, but on the other, it did have some spots that dragged and I sometimes had a hard time making myself care too much about the mystery.

As readers of the series probably already knew, the author started the series with one publisher and then started over with another. Most of the books work fairly independently, but this story overlaps quite a bit with Beneath a Silent Moon and it almost feels like an alternate-universe book about how the Big Reveal of marital secrets between Malcolm and Suzanne could have been handled. In that sense, I have to admit that I liked this version of those events better. The emotional shadings were more subtle and I felt like we as readers got pulled deeper into the leads' inner world.

However, that being said, the exterior mystery just didn't grab me as much. We learn about the Elsinore League, a secretive and sometimes sinister group with members in high places. Malcolm's father had connections there, and while I did at times find it intriguing, I also found my attention wandering.

As with all of Grant's books, the stories are multi-layered and more complex than the average. However, unlike in previous books, this tale did not entirely spring to life for me. I enjoy Malcolm and Suzanne, so I will definitely keep reading but this wasn't the strongest entry in the series for me.

[Danielle Gonzalez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to admit that I was a little lost with the main mystery of the book, and if it were any other writer, I may give a lower rating. However, Ms. Grant has such a wonderful way of building character stories, that I still enjoyed the book even though I didn't really get the main plot. We have grown with these characters throughout the series, and each has secrets. This book unravels all of those secrets with an OMG factor that kept me engaged. I can't wait to see what is in store next.

[Natasa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This charming installment adds another layer to the series, deepening our understanding of Suzanne and Malcolm while further expanding the intricacies of the characters we have grown to love. It is a masterfully crafted mystery that invites readers to savor each twist and turn. Full review you can find on my blog: https://poetryofreading.blogspot.com

[Miki · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have to admit I just couldn't finish this one. It's a pale, anemic mish-mash of "Daughter of the Game" which is a much better book by the same author with the same - just with new names - characters. Apparently the writer's new publisher wanted a new, fresher take on the old characters. Mistake. BIG mistake!

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spoiler Alert!

Tracy Grant has written a mystery series that includes two different sets of protagonists. Apparently she had to change the original names of the couple - Charles and Melanie Fraser to Malcom and Suzanne Rannoch - when she switched publishers. Suzanne/Melanie is actually a French Bonapartist spy who married her husband in order to steal his secrets (he is a British diplomat or spy). But surprisingly, she fell in love with him. At least if she'll acknowledge it to herself. She has a child by another man and she and her husband share a young daughter.

Anyway, Secrets of a Lady is an account of how the truth about Melanie's past comes out for the Frasers. This book is how it comes about for the Rannochs. Confused? It is a bit confusing to try to read the complete series in chronological order because the books don't perfectly mesh.

I actually like this book better than Secrets of a Lady. The way the exposure happens isn't nearly as dramatic, and to me, seems more realistic. I'm interested to see if and how their relationship works out in subsequent books; but I'm not going to binge read.

[Betty Strohecker · Rating 5 out of 5]

When their friend Simon is attacked as he is bringing them what is thought to be a long lost Shakespearean play, Malcolm and Suzanne must launch another investigation. Now that the Napoleonic Wars are over, they have been leading a rather normal life in the midst of London society with Malcolm trading his diplomatic/spy game to become a member of Parliament. However, it seems once a spy, always a spy, as Carfax asks Malcolm to discover any links the manuscript may have to ferreting out the person responsible for betraying a British action. The manuscript is thought to contain revealing coded information that may threaten Malcolm and Suzanne's relationship with each other.

As usual, Tracy Grant writes with intriguing suspense, weaving her story together with many subplots involving the unexpected. A number of important revelations occur that will surprise the reader and keep you on the edge of your seat. Well-written with attention to detail and in depth character studies!

[Sylvia Abrams · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the fourth book in the Rannoch series I have read. My rating is because of the clever plot twists, not the writing. Although I continued to be caught up in the characters, I felt that Grant could have written in a clearer manner. Unlike her previous books in the series, she concentrated on dialogue, rather than description. In several sections, it was not clear who was speaking. Grant unravels several important story lines begun in early books. At first I thought she intended this to be the final Rannoch adventure. However, near the end of the novel, a new character, Laura, the governess, is suddenly developed. Readers who like historical fiction that combines imaginary characters and events with real figures and happenings, will be hooked on this author.

[Barbara Literski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Secrets revealed.

This is another book that I enjoyed reading about Malcom and Suzanne Rannoch! Lots of secrets came out which had an affect on a lot of families. I am ready to move on to the next book to see what happens!

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this series, but these new covers are so aggravating! How hard is it to show a Regency dress???

[Mskychick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Malcolm finds out who his true father is in this book
and also who Colin's father is


Quotes I like:

“You never told me. That you suspected Mr. O’Roarke might be your father.” He glanced down at their clasped hands. “I suppose—I was still working it out for myself. As I said, the idea was formed in my head before I was even properly aware of it.” “And you weren’t ready to share it. It’s all right, darling. As I’ve said, marriage shouldn’t wholly deprive one of privacy.”


‘People will remark on Malcolm’s good fortune. But it’s some comfort to know that one day he’ll realize what it is to be betrayed by one’s spouse.’


“I told you Malcolm Rannoch had proposed to me. That I was thinking of accepting. Which would make him the father of the child I was carrying. The child you and I created. Did it occur to you to tell me the man I was considering marrying was your son?”

Perhaps it was unfair of her, but part of her fear of exposure was what the truth would do to Malcolm.

“I don’t think Cordy will be unfaithful. Or I choose to believe it won’t happen. But if it did again, I rather think I’d prefer never to know.” “You don’t mean that.” “No?” Harry turned his gaze to Malcolm and lifted a brow. “You haven’t been through the pain of your wife betraying you. Why in the name of God would I want to put us all through that hell again?” In Harry’s eyes, Malcolm saw memories of a bitter misery his friend wouldn’t discuss directly. “It won’t happen.” “You know better than to say anything won’t happen, Malcolm. You aren’t the sort to offer comforting lies. But I think that’s the point. I’d prefer to believe the lie if I could. After all, as agents we spend enough of our lives telling them.” “And as agents we know how to spot them.”

Cordelia took a sip of Madeira. “I wouldn’t swear nothing could come between Harry and me. I’m just going to do my damndest to make sure it doesn’t.”

“Especially given that Suzanne had tête-à-têtes with not one but two of her former lovers at the Carfax House ball. Of course when it comes to me our involvement is strictly in the past. But I couldn’t swear the same about the other ex-lover she spoke with. They looked very cozy.”

Suzanne slipped off to meet this particular friend in León five and a half years ago. I saw them embracing. Of course, being so open I expect she’s told you all about it.” Radley took another sip of wine and regarded Malcolm over the rim of the glass. “Or hasn’t she?”

Malcolm took a half-dozen more steps and paused, gripping the black metal of a lamppost. The metal was cold even through the York tan of his gloves. He knew how to gather and sift information and follow it to its logical conclusion, however surprising. However unwelcome. The image formed by those fragments hung before his mind, inescapable, unavoidable. His wife had been the Raven. And the man who had fathered him had been her spymaster.

Until Alistair’s death and its aftermath had smashed the last of the barriers. Malcolm flinched as his raw sobs echoed in his ears, as he felt again the force of Suzanne’s arms round him. The seduction had been complete. He’d held nothing back. And so now he had no defenses left. No refuge to hide in because the refuge he had learned to rely on had proved to be a painted sham.

His gaze held her own for what might have been seconds or minutes. Long enough for a marriage to shatter like shards of crystal, never to be re-formed. “When you married me,” he said, “how long did you think it would last?”

She’d always known Malcolm would never be able to forgive her if he knew the truth. She saw now that it was much worse. He would never be able to forgive himself.

“You told him?” Blanca asked. “He discovered it.” In Blanca’s gaze, Suzanne saw her friend’s world shatter much as hers had done.

“What might be best for Malcolm is to be free of me.” “Rubbish, but even if you think that way Colin and Jessica come first.” That was true. It was what was going to get her through this. That and her own instinct for self-reliance. She wanted to barricade herself in the house that might not be hers anymore and hug her children to her, but that wasn’t what was called for at present.

You have the mind of a brilliant agent, Malcolm. Tania’s voice echoed in his head. But not the temperament. You haven’t learned that collateral damage is inevitable. Sometimes there are no good choices. Merely a choice of which is least damaging. And whom to try to avoid hurting. You do so much better in this business if you can accept it’s a game.

“What makes you so sure he won’t betray me?” “What I’ve seen of the two of you over the past five years.” “What you saw was an illusion that ended this afternoon. Malcolm now knows the woman he thought he loved never existed.”

“Loyalties conflict every day. Causes, countries, friends, comrades, lovers. It’s often impossible to be loyal to all. One has to make choices.” “And that’s it? There’s no right and wrong?” He set down the bottle and wiped a trace of wine from its neck. “You know nothing in our world can be neatly classified as right and wrong.” “No. But one can’t use that as an excuse to say anything is justified. I’ve seen people like that, people like Fouché. Perhaps it’s self-delusion, but I can’t believe we’ve sunk to that level.” “One’s still bound by one’s own conscience and what one can live with.” Raoul’s gaze rested on her face like the brush of fingertips. “You have to learn to forgive yourself, querida. If you don’t owe it to yourself, you owe it to your children. And your husband.” Malcolm’s gaze in the shadows of the theatre cut into her. “Even if he can’t forgive me?”

“How can you expect him to if you can’t forgive yourself?” “I accepted long since that we have to make compromises. That our work isn’t easy or pretty. But with that surely we have to give up the hope of a happy ending.” “Oh, my darling girl, surely you know better than to believe in endings.”

I don’t know that I’ll ever get past being angry. But for Colin’s and Jessica’s sake we have to find a way to coexist. After all, I was a diplomat for almost a decade. I learned how to dine with the enemy.” Some of the tension drained from her chest and left a gaping hole she knew would never heal. “That’s far more than I deserve.”

She’d been taken prisoner by the splinter group of guerrilleros she’d infiltrated. Logically Raoul should have left her there. She could have held out long enough to let him cover his tracks before she told them anything. Instead he’d rescued her at considerable risk to himself and the three operatives he’d brought with him. When, half out of her head, she’d asked him if he’d been afraid she’d break, he’d replied, No, I was afraid they’d kill you before you broke.

“Explain it. Make me understand.” “What?” “Why you did what you did.” She looked into his eyes and saw challenge but also genuine entreaty. “I don’t think you could understand, Malcolm. That’s the irony. Your empathy makes you a good agent. And plays merry hell with your conscience. It’s part of why I fell in love with you. But I don’t think you could put yourself in my shoes. I don’t think I’d want you to. I don’t want you to see the world that way.” “Rubbish, Suzette. That’s taking the easy way out. You’re not too horrible to explain yourself. And I’m not too innocent to understand.” “I put my goal first. And I told myself it was worth the damage. That without that ruthlessness nothing would be accomplished.” “And if you didn’t stop to consider your own feelings why consider anyone else’s?” “I look after myself. I’m no martyr.” “But you also put the goal ahead of what you might want.”

“I could never hate you, Malcolm. But I don’t know that you’ll ever be able to stop hating me.” He released his breath and she saw some of the tension drain from him, leaving a void that made her ache for his loneliness. And her own. “I don’t hate you, Suzette. A part of me can admire how well you did your job. Another part of me is horrified that you caught our children up in it. But I’d be a hypocrite not to recognize intelligence is a slippery slope. And God knows I can understand your reasons for entering into that world after what O’Roarke told me. In the end, you, like me, are left tied to a marriage that wasn’t of your choosing.”

know it sounds mad, but there are times when it seems you know me as no one else ever has.” He looked in her eyes, his own dark with what might have been pity. “My darling, if that’s true I think it only means you’ve come to believe your own deceptions.”

[Kristin · Rating 3 out of 5]

You know... this was kind of disappointing. I was so eager to read this book, because I knew this was going to be the one when the big reveal comes about Suzanne. However, I found that the story dragged at times when it focused on the mystery initial (or surface) mystery. That storyline also seems like it's going to be a recurring thing, (with recurring villains) and I don't care for those kinds of plot lines.

Malcolm discovers Suzanne was a spy because her code name was referenced in that plot point, but the way in which he comes to realize this is so quick and easy that I was a little flummoxed. It was anticlimactic. I would have discarded the league story and just made the mystery about her. It felt tacked on, and then basically there were two storylines going on at once. Once Suzanne admits that she did marry Malcom in order to spy on him, there was some decent dialogue to dig into, because her reasons for doing what she did, as well as concealing it even after realizing that she was in love with him (and later after she quit spying) are complex. She even says while she regretted that she hurt him, she did not regret doing so in order to further the cause she believed in. That's interesting, and it delves into the complex nature of spying. But the story could have gone much deeper into the philosophical and ethical quagmires of espionage by allowing that story time to breathe and develop. Instead, it was condensed into a couple of conversations and one realization following a non-lethal gunshot.

I'm fascinated by spying. It's the ultimate moral dilemma. But for the most part spy stories are less about ethical implications and more about thrills. I love the thrills, but what I really want is a spy story that merges thrills with the workings of people's inner lives. A tighter Dostoyevsky or a thriller with characters who have rich inner lives akin to the works of Virginia Woolf.

I really liked this story, but it was weak - probably the weakest one in the series, not counting those lame prequels. But did I immediately start reading the next one? Yes.

[Jack Vasen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I strongly recommend you do not start with this book until you have read at least the two preceding books, Imperial Scandal and The Paris Affair. This story can stand alone but it builds strongly on the preceding books and it leaves at least one significant open thread when it closes.

Like the others, this is not a typical romance. It is also more than a mystery detective story or spy thriller.

One wonders when reading these books if everyone in England is a spy and also cheats on their spouse or someone else's spouse.

There are an abundance of people and relationships and other things to keep track of. In some ways, it is almost too much.

There are two fairly significant revelations, albeit not quite twists, around the half way point. Unfortunately some other reviewers have maybe given enough away to spoil at least one of them. The final revelation near the end is also significant. as you would expect in a mystery.

Much of the book, especially later on, is focused on relationship. There is a lot of relationship dialogue. There are a lot of double meanings and deeper meanings. The main characters often have secrets that are similar to ones openly revealed in other characters. There are even comparisons to Hamlet.

Suzanne is much less of a superstar in this story in terms of her investigative or spy endeavors.

There are backstory references to murder, death, and war related rape. There is no description of sex.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m a little peeved at the lack of consistency in the death of Alistair—in the Fraser book (previous) he’s killed at Dunmykel. Spoiler alert in this one he dies in a carriage accident. After finishing this book, I didn’t see the point of the Fraser book in the series at all since the mysterious Elsinore League is introduced here thoroughly. It has just left me angry at wasting my time reading the Fraser book not to mention buying it. Readers would not suffer skipping to the Berkeley Square Affair.

[Linda Smatzny · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is set in late 1817 in London and seems to involve the investigation into a different version of Hamlet. However it involves so much more and so many secrets involving a lot of people especially people connected to Malcolm Rannoch and his wife, Suzanne. The theme of the book is loyalty and how it plays out in real life. The book was an easy read.

[Amy Eisenhart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous Once Again!

These books just keep getting better!!! I appreciated the way the secret finally came to light and the inevitable fallout that ensued. And of course the way things came full circle :)

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall I liked it, but I did find myself skimming some parts, as I felt it bogged down a bit.

[Cindie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I do not suggest that one reads this and tries to maintain life balance.....could not put this one down!!!

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

didn't like the mystery plot but thE REVELATIONS FOR THE MAIN PLOT IN THIS ONE... WHEW...... i cried!!!

[Katy Lovejoy · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a creative premise I'll admit

[Shalini M · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

At this point, you can not read these books without having read the previous ones, in my opinion. The mystery in this story is a puzzle, but really, that's not the focus of the book. It was almost liberating to have the Big Secret revealed. It was hard to read, but I finished the book liking it so much more than Secrets of a Lady. Maybe that was due to the fact that I got to know the characters more than just starting with the messiest most painful part of their lives?

I think, now, that this is going to be a real turn for the series, that it will move past the "Is he going to learn the truth?!" anxiety and really become a partnership between the two of them.

[Gaele · Rating 5 out of 5]

The opportunity to review this title could not have come at a better time! I had heard of Teresa Grant’s historical mysteries, and had wanted to read them, so I jumped at the offer to read this one.

The seventh (or 9th installment if you count the two novellas) in this series that mixes intrigue and political wrangling with British aristos, romance, and personal and family secrets into a gripping tale full of a sense of the time and place, historical references and plenty of heart.

Suzanne and Malcolm are now residing in the house on Berkeley Square: both have decidedly retired from the spy game, and are concerned with raising their two children, Colin and Jessica. Together they are a formidable pair: even with the secrets still between them that could derail their relationship, and the secret they are working to find the answers to now could threaten more than just their own relationship.

A script that could be another version of Hamlet has appeared, and the consensus is that there is a code buried within the script. Malcolm’s handler, Carfax, has again requested that he solve the mystery, one that reaches back to a dispatch case that was raided in Ireland some 20 years earlier. Several characters are introduced: each with a reason to withhold the truth, or share only pieces, and Malcolm and Suzanne are working to put all of the pieces together.

Unfortunately, Suzanne has several secrets that could unravel her relationship with Malcolm, and as more agents for the French, the British and potential dual-leanings are unearthed, along with hints to an art smuggling ring and other blackmail efforts from Malcolm’s purported father, the twists never end. While there are several characters, each with their own credible and well-defined stories, they are rarely confusing; Grant not only manages to keep characters and their myriad of ties in the story easy to follow for readers, but provides a clear listing of the Dramatis Personae in the beginning of the story for easy reference.

I was completely engrossed in this story as it progressed, with little bits of information shared with readers as Malcolm or Suzanne shared information, or started to piece the story together. Each solution and puzzle piece that fits in only serves to generate several more questions, and the story continues to hold readers in a spell, guessing and wondering where the next shoe will drop.

There is a terrific sense of place and time, with varied insertions of quiet domestic life and parenting from Malcolm and Suzanne, giving the story warmth and grounding their connection in a reality that shines through the mystery and questions. I was completely surprised at the final answers, and yet, it was the only possible solution to the mysteries that were wound tighter than a Gordian Knot. A lovely installment in the series, continuing the stories of Suzanne and Malcolm and developing more information about the others in the series that readers have come to know. This is an intelligently crafted and presented mystery that can be savored as it is enjoyed.

I received a Paperback copy of the title from the publisher for purpose of honest review for The Jeep Diva. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

[Brian Palmer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel feels like a pivot, where revelations from the past are brought up and the characters' relationships are forged anew -- perhaps weaker, perhaps stronger. That works well to the theme of the novel, which is primarily a new generation of British spies being confronted with the legacy of their parents' generation, with messy ambitions, intelligence and counterintelligence work, and personal feelings all flowing together into one stew. Malcolm and Suzanne are forced to investigate what might be a previously unknown version of Hamlet, which may be implicated in some past intelligence failures; but why Hamlet? And why is it still a concern?

All in all, it was a nice historical mystery, but there a few problems with it, I thought. The large cast was almost all related to the main characters and in a small social set ; the mystery solving primarily involved going to a social event -- often with small children in tow -- and asking questions. The revelations were often very embarrassing but it was very procedural, and it never seemed like there was any particular resistance. Furthermore, they explained precisely what it is they were investigating -- and what the current state of their affairs was -- to just about every person they talked to. It felt somewhat sloppy.

Also , parts of it were a bit heavy handed to drive home the past secrets that are brought up, and the impact it would have on people's lives.

[Nancy Steinle gummel · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Berkeley Square Affair by Teresa Grant is a first reads win and I'm giving my honest opinion. Husband and wife team Malcolm and Suzanne Rannoch are former spies but not on the same side. Suzanne fears Malcolm discovering she was a French spy. She married Malcolm as a cover story and fell in love with him. They have two children, a son named Colin aged 5 and a daughter Jessica who will shortly turn 1. Carfor, the British spymaster calls Malcolm out of retirement to investigate the recently discovered version of Shakespeare's Hamlet. Playwrite Simon Tanner is attacked on his way to give the manuscript to Malcolm. The manuscript is supposed to contain the codes for French agents. The Rannoch's start interviewing people for clues. Malcolm gives his Aunt Frances the manuscript for her opinion as to its originality. He eventually discovers his so called dad is not his father. Alistair Rannoch's was killed in a carriage accident that may not have been an accident. He learns Raoul O'Roarck is his father but he's also Susanne's French spymaster. Raoul was his mothers lover. He was also his wife he eventually learns. They learn of a men's club, The Elsinore League, formed by Alistaire while in school. In this cat and mouse game many secrets are exposed making you wonder if Malcolm and Susanne's marriage will survive the tragic fingings.

[Noodles78 · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I love most about these novels is exactly the same thing that makes me wince and have to put the book down at times. Not only are they strong, exciting, incredibly clever historical novels, that keeps the reader guessing which deftly slips in wit and light alongside murder, intrigue and betrayal.

They also have this whole other layer in that Suzanne is not what she seems. So much so, that her husband Malcolm has no idea that he married the enemy. However, Grant plays with her audience as much as with her characters and slowly drips information out, not just through one book, but several. Just when you think that you finally understand one element of the story, she cunningly drops in another 'oh my god!' 'I don't trust that person' arc that keeps you guessing and panting to read the next instalment.

This last book is more angst that the others, as one storyline comes to light and I found it difficult to read. This is more down to the skill of Grant, as I've become incredibly fond of the characters, and I just didn't want to read of them being hurt or in pain in anyway. Yes, I know, this makes me a wuss. I blame the writer!!

[Paul Burnette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two years after Waterloo, Malcolm and Suzanne Rannoch are happily married, happily settled in the Rannoch town house in London, happily raising their two children, and happily no longer in the espionage business as Malcolm is doing good things in the political world and Suzanne is running the household and becoming a force in British upper class society, ironically, given her social conscience and political convictions. Enter Carfax. Enter the Dunboyne affair. Enter the Elsinore League. Not to mention an apparently authentic previously unknown manuscript of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Teresa Grant has given us another study in careful characterization and imaginative plotting worthy of the Bard himself. Dramatic ironies strike us on nearly every page as we follow the slow peeling of the onion of secrets that wrap inward around themselves for both Malcolm and Suzanne. How much of the truth do we learn here? Well, reader, watch for what these people are doing with their hands when they are speaking or listening to each other. Fine writing, cleverly conceived conversations, and . . . secrets, secrets, secrets!

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second book in this series I've read and I enjoyed it.

This series is good historical fiction. It has engaging characters, interesting stories and a good balance of fictional plots and a smattering of actual historical events worked in. These books have great pacing, and I frequently found myself reading longer than I planned because the cliffhanger endings meant I just couldn't put the book down.

I also enjoyed the multiple couples who people the book and whose stories interconnect and play off against one another. At times it can get a bit confusing with such a large cast of characters and so many stories all of which are complicated and detailed. There were times when I had to go back and re-read sections to clarify who was who or what they were doing, to whom and why. But that's a small complaint.

Overall, if you enjoy light, fun fast reading historical fiction, this might be a series to check out. Lots of intrigue, spies, double-crosses and multiple motivations. Good fun!

[Cathy Farrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

My only problem with this series is the confusion I occasionally feel w/ the author's first few books (written as Tracy Grant). When she changed the name she publishes under, her previous books, about Charles & Melanie Fraser, stopped and she started writing about Malcolm & Suzanne Rannoch. They're essentially the same characters (she refers to them as "alternate realities"), but some of the discoveries that the lead couple make about each other in the first Fraser book are now in this one, set earlier in their lives. Still, it's a great book, with lots of historical detail, very real-seeming characters, and plenty of twists.