England, 1919. Verity Kent’s grief over the loss of her husband pierces anew when she receives a cryptic letter, suggesting her beloved Sidney may have committed treason before his untimely death. Determined to dull her pain with revelry, Verity’s first impulse is to dismiss the derogatory claim. But the mystery sender knows too much—including the fact that during the war, Verity worked for the Secret Service, something not even Sidney knew.
Lured to Umbersea Island to attend the engagement party of one of Sidney’s fellow officers, Verity mingles among the men her husband once fought beside, and discovers dark secrets—along with a murder clearly meant to conceal them. Relying on little more than a coded letter, the help of a dashing stranger, and her own sharp instincts, Verity is forced down a path she never imagined—and comes face to face with the shattering possibility that her husband may not have been the man she thought he was. It’s a truth that could set her free—or draw her ever deeper into his deception . .
Comment: I have buddy read the Lady Kiera Darby series by Anna Lee Huber with a friend and we have enjoyed those books immensely, which is why we also decided to give it a go at this other series. This one, set right after the end of WWI, presents another determined and resourceful heroine, just like Kiera in the 19th century was/is.
Verity Kent is a young woman, a war widow in fact, who is on her way to attend a house party, to celebrate the engagement of a friend of her husband. She wasn't too keen but she had received an intriguing letter and decides to investigate. She is quite self conscious to realize the other male guests are all men who knew her husband since they all belonged to the same division, and some are evidently not as laid back as they were before the war. In fact, some are clearly still feeling the effects of returning home after seeing or suffering terrible things and this affects their moods. Then, some secrets start to being hinted at and it becomes obvious someone wants them to not be shared, but at what price...?
I will start by saying that while I did my best not to compare this story with those of the other series I love, I wasn't fully successful and I struggled quite a bit to adjust expectations. I mean, the writing is as competent and composed as I imagined, and the mystery regarding who is the culprit of what happens is good on its way, but the rest - characters and setting - wasn't as great for me.
Stories set after WWI and in the 20s aren't things I look for on purpose but I have read other books set in this period and some have been appealing. However, there is this sense of sadness - rightfully so - and an overall notion society is changing and evolving into certain features, which I'm not as interested in, namely how people would socially behave. I mean, when doesn't this happen, especially the closer we are to contemporary times, but in this novel, the attitude towards life, feminism and relationships put me off.
Of course this would not need to be as negative, despite the reality of having people who went through so many traumas, mostly the psychological ones - I did like the fact the story didn't try to hide the sadness and the effects on people, despite those elements making the narrative slightly depressing - if the characters had been as captivating as I know the author can make them. In this regard, however, I wasn't impressed either and, as a matter of fact, had to push myself to keep reading about these people.
The truth is, I wasn't taken by Verity and her way of coping with the news of having lost her husband. I will be a prude and say I'd rather have her be alone and a martyr than dealing with loss by going to parties and being with other people. I can understand the psychology of why this happens but to my personal taste, I cannot connect with characters who do these things, it seems so obviously like acting, and I think that or this should not have been her choice of life, or the author should not present it this specific way, giving it the importance it apparently has. I didn't connect with Verity.
Anyway, regarding plot, everyone is reunited at the house party with an obvious goal, which is so that it becomes possible to discretely investigate if someone was a traitor during the war, to the point of some men being killed over those actions. This case was intriguing enough, it's not something overly complex, but with the setting - an isolated island - and the little things about the house and the guests giving a dark aura to everything made for a satisfying mystery to solve. As for the murderer...well, I will simply say the reasons for the crimes don't seem to be very solid.
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