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johnw613's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Elizabeth Miles is a scrappy independent minded young woman from New York City around the time of the First World War. She makes her way as a grifter, creating false identities at the drop of a hat and playing fast and loose with the truth and the strictures of polite society. In this first novel in the Counterfeit Lady series she gets involved with a group of war profiteers, a band of energetic suffragists, and an Old New York Family that is brimming over with secrets.
This book is clearly laying the groundwork for an ongoing series and author Thompson brings her vast research into New York society, much she shows of brilliantly in her Gaslight Mysteries series, energetically to the fore. This story cycle appears to be more in the suspense and thriller veins and I’m curious to read future titles. Sarah Brandt Malloy from the Gaslight Mysteries is one of the most deftly drawn characters to come along since Kinsey Millhone and V. I. Warshawsky. Elizabeth Miles may join them, but at this juncture I feel that this new series marks Thompson’s trial run at stepping away from a genre she knows how to manipulate with ease. We shall see how well her mastery of a new genre will develop.
This book is clearly laying the groundwork for an ongoing series and author Thompson brings her vast research into New York society, much she shows of brilliantly in her Gaslight Mysteries series, energetically to the fore. This story cycle appears to be more in the suspense and thriller veins and I’m curious to read future titles. Sarah Brandt Malloy from the Gaslight Mysteries is one of the most deftly drawn characters to come along since Kinsey Millhone and V. I. Warshawsky. Elizabeth Miles may join them, but at this juncture I feel that this new series marks Thompson’s trial run at stepping away from a genre she knows how to manipulate with ease. We shall see how well her mastery of a new genre will develop.
sarah_moynihan's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this book. I purchsed it on a whim off of a mass market paperback rack and hadn't read from tbis author before so I wasn't expecting very much, but I was pleasantly surprised. I liked Elizabeth's character and her interactions with Mrs. Bates and Anna. I actually didn't care much at all for Anna at first, I found her flighty, whiny, and weak, but after her experiences with the Suffragists, she really comes into her own and toughens up.
I found Thornton sufficiently sinister. Many villians in a book come across as merely cheesy and over done. But he was just the right blend of arrogant stupidity and violent anger.
I enjoyed the suspense of the book, I stayed up late to finish because I just needed to know what would happen with all the characters.
I loved how Elizabeth was so passive aggressive with Gideon. They were quite the foil to each other. He was the honest and just lawyer and she was the con artist on the run.
My only complaint is probably how the relationship between Gideon and Elizabeth changed rapidly at the conclusion of the novel. It seemeed to jump from mutual attraction to "I love you, let us marry" all within the space of a few pages. I could tell this was where their relationship was headed anyway, but it just seemed like a quick transition to me. Other than that, no complaints!
Very excited to see this will be a series, on to the second book: City of Secrets!
I found Thornton sufficiently sinister. Many villians in a book come across as merely cheesy and over done. But he was just the right blend of arrogant stupidity and violent anger.
I enjoyed the suspense of the book, I stayed up late to finish because I just needed to know what would happen with all the characters.
I loved how Elizabeth was so passive aggressive with Gideon. They were quite the foil to each other. He was the honest and just lawyer and she was the con artist on the run.
My only complaint is probably how the relationship between Gideon and Elizabeth changed rapidly at the conclusion of the novel. It seemeed to jump from mutual attraction to "I love you, let us marry" all within the space of a few pages. I could tell this was where their relationship was headed anyway, but it just seemed like a quick transition to me. Other than that, no complaints!
Very excited to see this will be a series, on to the second book: City of Secrets!
shleyg's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
a_kira's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting idea and plot. A bit unrealistic of happy ending for everything that transpired.
deb_is_reading's review against another edition
This was too fast paced where we got nothing from any of the characters.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Misogyny, Sexism, and Police brutality
ginia552's review
adventurous
informative
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
3.5
melissasbookshelf's review against another edition
2.0
I really liked Victoria Thompson's Gaslight mystery series and so when I saw that she had written a new series, I was excited to read it. Unfortunately, I just didn't like it as well. I didn't like the main character of Elizabeth and the story frankly bored me in many places. There was also a lesbian suffragist character who I didn't really like and seemed a bit cliche. I don't think I'll continue the series. There was too much insta-love and it was hard to believe.
maggienack's review against another edition
DNF. I gave it a chance, but it is simply not good. The plot picks up after about the first third, but it has too many enormous unexplained holes, and I didn’t care about any of the characters.
magpiesnest's review against another edition
3.0
I've really enjoyed the author's Gaslight Mysteries, so decided to check this out when I saw it on my library's website. The setup is frankly pretty improbable and convoluted, but I was willing to trust the author and see where she was taking the reader with it. This book is setting up for a new series, so a lot of the character development and plot mechanics seem geared towards that more than a standalone story. Not my favorite of this author's books, but I'm looking forward to reading the next in the series and seeing what happens to these characters next.