Within days it becomes apparent that what at first seemed to be a terrible accident is actually something far more nefarious. Someone deliberately compromised the integrity of the structure, though the police are unsure of the culprit’s aim. Sergeant Maclean requests Kiera and Gage’s assistance in figuring out who would wish to harm the bidders. As they dig deeper, it becomes increasingly apparent that the victim was not the killer’s intended target . . . and that Kiera was lured to the auction deliberately. Kiera and Gage must utilize all their resources to unveil a monster willing to risk the lives of dozens of bystanders to achieve their ends. But they’re on the verge of making a dire miscalculation. For one of the cleverest tricks in a painter’s repertoire is the art of misdirection, and their eyes have been drawn far from the gravest danger.
Comment: This is installment #13 in the lady Darby series, which I have been buddy reading for the past months.
Kiera and Sebastian have been enjoying their life in Edinburgh and Kiera has been painting so she can have her own art exhibit soon when she is invited to an art auction. She and Sebastian decide to go but something goes wrong and the floor collapses where the auction is taking place, killing one of the men attending. With several possibilities on hand, Kiera and Sebastian embark on a new investigation, for perhaps the intended target could be Kiera... what they discover is that the reason for this crime, for there was interference with the supporting beams, might be related to something that happened years ago...
It felt really good to go back to these characters. As I've said before, reading the books in this series is already like comfort reading and the fun is as much about the plot as it is about the emotions linked to the characters and how they have evolved. Of course, this is the best thing about a beloved long series...
This story was not amazingly plotted, to be honest, and the investigation of how the floor collapsed and why was good but didn't thrill me in any specific way, especially when compared with other installments which I've found more intriguing. However, it does show how clever the author is in planning things and in setting up the narrative...for instance, I'd never think of such a detail but the use of the floor collapsing as a starting point for an investigation was certainly a novelty.
As a matter of fact, when we learn about the reasons why and who is the culprit, I wasn't shocked nor surprised and not because the identity of this person was meant to be a big twist; more so because my focus had been on the main couple and their domestic life. Still, it can be said that the details about structures, about architecture and then about art and auctions (since it was the setting in which the collapse happened) were all interesting enough and gave veracity to many of the things that were done by many of the characters involved.
As it happens with all investigations, one thing led to the other and so on, and we obviously learn a lot about how the whole situation came to be. In the process, Sebastian and Kiera need to deal with the repercussions of their work, and once more the character of Bonnie Brock shows up to give a convenient hand when necessary. I cannot say I love this character and I actually wish the author could set him up in a different course, but their combined efforts took things to where they had to go.
Kiera and Sebastian are in a very stable relationship and while we only see things from Kiera's POV, it seems clear he respects her as much as does him, which we can see in the scenes related to her upcoming art exhibit. I do like these scenes in which we see the more domestic or vulnerable side of the characters and how things are going around them, even apart from their "work", and this time was no exception. It's fantastic to have characters who do not get themselves into ridiculous conflicts just to keep the plot moving or something.
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