A most intriguing lady A novel

This superior blend of mystery and romance from the Duchess of York (Her Heart for a Compass) introduces Lady Mary Montagu Douglas Scott, the younger daughter of close friends of Queen Victoria, who chafes at being expected to adhere to her era's rigid restrictions on women. She gets an opportunity to exercise her intellect and knowledge of human nature in 1872 when her parents host a party at a family home on the Scottish Borders. When a guest is distraught by the theft of her jewel-festooned brooch, Lady Mary solves the mystery, and this personally rewarding experience leads to other cases. By 1875, her reputation for handling sensitive inquiries discreetly--including probing the theft of charitable funds and the burglary of an aristocrat's safe concealed in her sitting room--has led to a secret life as a problem-solver for high society. Her detective work coincides with her growing interest in Col. Walter Trefusis, a 34-year-old war veteran who leads a covert life of his own. The author never lets the romantic plotline dominate and plausibly depicts the struggles of a capable woman who empowers herself to achieve her own potential. Claudia Gray fans will welcome a sequel. Agent: Lacy Lynch, Dupree/Miller & Assoc. (Mar.)

Against a backdrop of upper-class Victorian life, a quiet young woman turns out to be a talented sleuth. A second collaboration between the Duchess of York and historical romance writer Marguerite Kaye focuses on the younger sister of their original creation, again a real person about whom very little is known. The book proceeds in a series of episodes set between 1872 and 1877, over which time the romance between Lady Mary Montagu Douglas Scott, age 21 at the outset, and one Col. Walter Trefusis, is sparked and proceeds to its real-life outcome. This time out, the imaginary nature of these episodes seems more noticeable. The plot hinges on Lady Mary's unusual ability to sense the character and thoughts of others, enabling her to solve domestic mysteries of one sort and another. The most well-developed and believable of these incidents is the first, in which Lady Mary, with Col. Trefusis' support, finds a noblewoman's missing brooch, presumed stolen. Though Trefusis and she clearly begin to fall in love, stubborn obstacles in their own personalities will (of course) keep them apart. A woman as out of kilter with the conventions of her time as was her older sister, Mary is determined to avoid matrimony in any case. "Can't you understand, Mama? I don't want to be a dutiful wife. I don't want to have to love, honour and obey a husband at any price. I don't wish to be an--an appendage to my husband. I want to be something more than simply a wife." She will get her chance. In a final incident, Lady Mary gets theatrical training and goes undercover to solve a theft of documents of national importance lost by her friend the colonel in the course of his mysterious employment. This giddy episode includes some fun moments with a Victorian girl gang and its scar-faced, carrot-topped leader, Queenie Divers. Richly evokes the estates, house parties, and diversions of the Victorian period. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.