Treacherous is the Night: A Verity Kent Mystery

Felicitations!  Murder Wears a Little Black Dress by Debra Sennefelder is out today along with The Wartime Sisters by Lynda Cohen Loigmar.  Dead as a Door Knocker by Diane Kelly comes out on January 29.  Diane Kelly is the author of A Paw Enforcement series (they are delightful).  

Treacherous is the Night by Anna Lee Huber takes us back to July of 1919 in London.  Verity Kent is still adjusting to having her husband, Sidney back from the dead.  They have yet to have an in depth discussion about their time apart and the tension is so thick you would need a hacksaw to cut through it.  The Spiritualist movement is spreading across England and Verity’s friend, Daphne wants to attend a séance to contact her deceased brother.  Verity reluctantly attends and is surprised to see Max Westfield in attendance.  During the séance, Madame Zozza claims to have connected with Emilie who wants Verity to unearth her secrets and warns her to beware of the man in the mask.  Verity is shocked because she met Emilie during the war when she worked for the Secret Service and was undercover in Europe.  Verity does not believe Emilie is dead and she is determined to get answers.  Unable to speak with the medium that evening, Verity returns the next morning to find the woman’s home in flames with her trapped inside.  Verity’s attempts at getting information from the Secret Service are unsuccessful, so she departs for Belgium to search for Emilie.   On the journey, Verity is hoping that she and Sidney will get a chance to reconnect and salvage their marriage.  Someone, though, is determined to thwart their inquiries.  Will Verity find her old contact?  Join Verity on her latest quest in Treacherous is the Night.

Treacherous is the Night is the second tale in A Verity Kent Mystery series.  If you have not read This Side of Murder, you will not be lost.  Everything a reader needs to know is included.  Verity Kent is a strong and intelligent woman who served her country during the World War I.  She believed her husband, Sidney was dead until he recently returned to the living (it is a long story).  Sidney has not been forthcoming with Verity and she still resents what he put her through.  Verity and Sidney have been changed by the war.   Their marriage is suffering, and they need to communicate.  Of course, they married in haste and have spent little time together since they said I do.  Then there is the dashing Max Westfield who is attracted to Verity (if only Sidney had really been dead).  I admit to not liking Sidney.  He is a bully with a quick temper, and there is a lot of Sidney in this book.  Anna Lee Huber is a detailed oriented writer which makes for a slow paced story.  I found it challenging to wade through this historical mystery.  I thought Treacherous is the Night lacked an ease to it.  It seemed formal and stilted.  The mystery is overly complex and the plot farfetched.  There are a number of officers introduced and it is impossible to keep them all straight (they just blend together).  I liked the clever clues left for Verity to find which she amazingly solves quickly.   I enjoyed the Kent’s trip through Belgium with the descriptions of how the country looked after the war.  I also liked how the author incorporated historical information into the story.    I am giving Treacherous is the Night 3 out of 5 stars.  While there are some interesting sections, I felt the book was a miss.  I will let Verity continue on with her adventures without me.

Thank you for joining me today.  I plan on highlighting Hooks Can Be Deceiving by Betty Hechtman tomorrow.  It is the latest installment in A Crochet Mystery series.  I hope you have a fascinating day.  Stay warm and Happy Reading!

Kris
The Avid Reader