Review: The Cold Light of Day by Anna Lee Huber

The Cold Light of Day (Verity Kent Mysteries #7) by Anna Lee Huber

Publication Date: September 24th 2024 by Kensington

Pages: 384

Source: Publisher

Rating: ★★★★½

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Libro.fm | Audible | Goodreads 

My Thoughts:

Verity and Sidney are in Dublin, Ireland at the request of Verity’s British Secret Service handler, “C”, to locate fellow spy, Alec Xavier since he’s dropped out of communication after being sent to infiltrate the IRA. With the situation so volatile and dangerous, they’re understandably very concerned. By day, Verity and Sidney go undercover, Verity to track down Alec and Sidney to see if he can locate the phosgene canisters, stolen by their nemesis, Lord Ardmore. At night, they keep up the ruse of only being in Ireland for pleasure by attending dinner parties and rubbing elbows with the elite in society and government.

 

Along with her assignment Verity is tasked by a Lord French, to investigate an attack on a woman, demoralizing her to the point that she took her own life soon after. He wants Verity to find out what happened and get justice for her and her grieving family.  I was outraged for this young woman and so was Verity, which made her more determined to find the culprits responsible.

 

Love Verity and her pluck! She’s quick and clever, even when faced with frightening situations.

 

The Verity Kent series is one of my favorites and best read in order. It’s a captivating combination of mystery, political intrigue, crime procedural, danger and a splash of romance! Verity and Sidney have had to contend with personal struggles stemming from their experiences in World War I. Even several years later (this story being set in 1920) the aftermath is still playing out. While some of the mysteries presented are solved in this installment, some are not, and it ended on an unsettling note. I eagerly await the next book!

4.5 Stars

Book Description:

The latest novel in the action-packed historical mystery series featuring Verity Kent, fashionable former Secret Service agent turned intrepid sleuth and high-society darling on her next clandestine mission—from the USA Today bestselling author of the Lady Darby Mysteries. A treat for fans of Jacqueline Winspear and Susan Ella MacNeal.

June 1920, Ireland: The streets of Dublin seethe with revolution as the Irish Republican Army clashes with British authorities. Roving assassination squads mean nowhere is truly safe, particularly for Verity Kent and her war hero husband, Sidney. Given their celebrity as society darlings and intrepid sleuths, they must tread carefully to go unnoticed—nearly impossible when they are called upon to search for Verity’s fellow spy and friend . . .

Captain Alec Xavier has seemingly vanished after traveling to Dublin to infiltrate the IRA at its highest levels. Doing her best to maintain a modicum of normalcy and stay under the radar of both the rebels and British Intelligence, Verity works undercover by day and waltzes through the city’s elite social scene by night. Still, she fears the worst for Alec—until shocking evidence mounts that not only is he alive, but that he has switched sides . . .

Already disillusioned with the British government, the news leaves Verity and Sidney reeling. Worse, they learn of a conspiracy within Dublin Castle, where personal vendettas are being carried out and sanctioned by British Intelligence under the cover of revolution. With the distinction between friend and foe never more blurred—or the margin for error narrower—Verity and Sidney cannot turn a blind eye. Especially when a familiar adversary appears, bringing a threat almost too terrifying to confront—even in the cold light of day . . .