A Pretty Deceit

Verity Kent, Book 4

By: Anna Lee Huber

Narrated by: Heather Wilds

In the aftermath of the Great War, the line between friend and foe may be hard to discern, even for indomitable former Secret Service agent Verity Kent, in award-winning author Anna Lee Huber's thrilling mystery series.

Peacetime has brought little respite for Verity Kent. Intrigue still abounds, even within her own family. As a favor to her father, Verity agrees to visit his sister in Wiltshire. Her once prosperous aunt has fallen on difficult times and is considering selling their estate. But there are strange goings-on at the manor, including missing servants, possible heirloom forgeries, and suspicious rumors - all leading to the discovery of a dead body on the grounds.

While Verity and her husband, Sidney, investigate this new mystery, they are also on the trail of an old adversary - the shadowy and lethal Lord Ardmore. At every turn, the suspected traitor seems to be one step ahead of them. And even when their dear friend Max, the Earl of Ryde, stumbles upon a code hidden among his late father's effects that may reveal the truth about Ardmore, Verity wonders if they are really the hunters - or the hunted....

©2020 Anna Aycock (P)2020 Tantor

Another entertaining installment

The Verity Kent series continues to be a hit for me! Set in England, Post WWI, it’s a fascinating time where the country is trying to recover from the devastations Great War inflicted. It’s best to read the series in order to appreciate the relationships, connections, and the continuing story arc of Lord Ardmore and his conspiracy during the war.

Verity and Sidney were married right before the war, and it took a toll on their marriage, and even though they are deeply, and passionately in love there’s still lingering hurts over what happened. I love them together and appreciate the realistic way the author is presenting their relationship.

There’s a double mystery here that somehow comes together in the end. Verity and Sidney continue to pursue evidence against Lord Ardmore for crimes he’s committed during the war, but he seems to be one step ahead of them at every turn. Still, they are getting closer to the truth which puts them as well as Max, and Xavier in danger. There were a couple of close calls for Verity here! Verity and Sidney are also dragged into her aunt’s troubles: thefts of artwork and other valuable as well as damage to her aunt’s home when the Air Force took over the estate as a base for their flyboys during the war.

I alternately listened to the audio version and read an e-copy. Heather Wilds performance is wonderful! Her English accent is perfect for Verity and her male voices are really good, too. Looking forward to the next installment!

Perfection all around!!

My new favorite series and writer!! I also ** love ** the narrator—- perfect for the class and time!!

Love this series!

These are interesting mysteries that keep me listening for hours. The narrator really captures Verity in my mind.

great addition

Loved it, great addition to the series, enjoyed having all the main characters together. Also excited to see the next chapter of thier story. Loved the progression of Sidney and Veritys story.

An enjoyable series

This is the 4th book of the series. I have enjoyed them all. The narrator does a great job. I like the way she does not attempt to speak the male parts in an artificial low voice - somehow the dialogue flows as evenly as the descriptive parts. I hope the next book in the series completes the challenges presented by the villain. That story line needs to draw to a close. The author writes creatively, the characters are well developed and allowed to evolve. I highly recommend this series for good escapist literature, so appreciated during these Covid days.

Author needs some British Beta readers

As a big fan of this series and a British English speaker (living in AmericaI) I have always been impressed with the relative lack of Americanisms in these books plus other bonuses like the proper use of “ fortuitous”. In fact, for the first couple of books I was unsure of the nationality of the Author.

This book was much less particular. The use of Cohort for colleague or sidekick is not found in UK English especially at the time these books are set - google it under British English if you like. There are other solecisms - an increased tendency for “gotten” and other American constructions. Beta readers or editors should have picked up some glaring language errors. - the one that really grated is a horrible use of leveraged for levered. Tract is not the same as tact! Either - though possibly that was a mispronunciation by the narrator.

Call me picky but if you are going to write period fiction set in a fairly recent period an author needs to be precise. As a small child, many old people had gone through the Great War and I know how they spoke.

It is a very good story with plenty of excitement and unexpected developments. I really enjoy the interactions between the main characters The narrator does a very good job. It was the small things that made me cringe and interrupted my enjoyment.

Best one yet!

I have enjoyed all of the previous books, but this one is the best one yet!

A very enjoyable read

A pretty story. lots of twists and turns with a surprise at the end. Well written and narrated.

Best one yet!

Most twisting storyline and all out engaging of the series. Illustrates the horrors and suffering of wars' unsung heroes, the women "left behind", as they struggle to keep it all together and Carry On while they clean up after yet another mess made by men.

Excellent Series

This is one of the most exciting series I have listened to in quite some time and I have listened to over 500 audibles – most mysteries / thrillers.

This is a dynamic series with each book building upon the last. We get to know the main characters in more depth and the author does an excellent job portraying the survivor guilt and PSTD of post WWI soldiers. Also, the anger felt by women who are ‘forced’ to return to pre-war society expectations. The war allowed women to show their potential in a working environment; after the war women were expected to return to their roles as mothers and housewives.

The story line will is thrilling and engaging and I can not wait for the next book in the series. I like the narrator and she is the reason I stumbled across this series. I enjoyed her readings of the Lady Darby Mystery series