The set-up of this is great. Elizabeth Miles is a con artist, it's 1917 (presumably), the suffragist movement in the US is in full swing. The story opens with Elizabeth fleeing a con gone south and being arrested with suffragists. The first part of the book which dealt with the suffragists and their prison stay was fascinating, unfortunately the "mystery" was not really a mystery and the second half dragged.

3 1/2 stars - A fun and enjoyable read with enough attention to period detail to support suspension of disbelief. Some events were a little too predictable and some of the characters were a bit flat, but a good book overall.

This book surprised me with its unique and unconventional heroine and storyline. It was quite enjoyable with a bit of history and a romance with a little twist. I’m interested in where the series goes from here.

2022 - RATING: 4 STARS
I am rereading this novel so I can catch up on the series. My thoughts are similar to my feelings in 2018. I enjoy the characters (good and bad) and enjoyed the story. I am excited to read the rest.

2018 - RATING: 4 STARS
I have been wanting to read Victoria Thompson's Gaslight series for awhile, so of course I would pick up City of Lies - the first book in a new series. I just happened to see it on my library's catalogue and it had no holds yet. Having a shiny new book in my hand, I delved into this one pretty quick and read the bulk of it in one day. This is the type of book that a reader falls into a time and place and goes on a little adventure along with the characters. It reminded me a bit of C.S. Harris' Sebastian St. Cyr series - not as steeped in historical detailed or as gritty. Instead of Sebastian we have Elizabeth Miles, a grifter in the family business. When Elizabeth and her brother con the wrong man they both go on the run. She finds herself in prison after being arrested with a group of Suffragettes. Booked under a fake name, she is able to hide in the last place he would look. And this is just the first part of the book. The characters and the various relationships (ie: more than romantic) are well written. I cannot wait till book two and more from Elizabeth and her love interest, Gideon. I would recommend this to historical mystery lovers.

I've read most of Thompson's Gaslight Mystery series so I picked up this one which is the first in a new series. It follows con Elizabeth Miles, and per the author's note the woman's suffrage portion of the story was rooted in the real history. It's plot driven, as with her other writing there's a little too much telling instead of showing, but the chemistry between Elizabeth and Gideon, and learning some history about the 19th amendment makes it worth the read.

3.7

DNF @ 42%
It's not you, it's me.

A solid piece of popular historical fiction with an engaging heroine, an interesting plot, and some nice details about the suffrage movement and about grifting. Recommended.

In a departure from her long-running Gaslight Mystery series, Thompson has written a new historical set in the 1917 at the height of the Suffrage movement.

Elizabeth (last name changeable) is working a con with her brother that goes horribly wrong. Now the mark, Oscar Thornton, is out for revenge and Elizabeth ends up throwing in with a group of Suffragists (who land in prison) to escape Thornton's clutches. But what starts out as one more cover story becomes something else when Elizabeth comes to realize the seriousness of the women's goals and just how much there is yet to do.

Though the blurb on Goodreads suggests this is a murder mystery, it might be better be described as an historical caper novel with a hint of romance thrown in. And while some of the characterization needed some fleshing out, I really just enjoyed this. The author immerses the reader pretty quickly in the suffrage movement and those scenes pulled me right in.