ARC Review: A Moment's Shadow by Anna Lee Huber

A Moment's Shadow
Author: Anna Lee Huber
Series: Verity Kent Mysteries (Book 8)
Publication: Kensington (August 26, 2025)

Description: Violence, reprisal, and intrigue abound in post-World War I Ireland as the bloody conflict between the Irish Republican Army and the British authorities continues to escalate. But former Secret Service agent Verity Kent must deal with a more immediate concern—the possession of poisonous gas by a ruthless adversary . . .

August 1920, Dublin, Ireland: A fraught task keeps Verity and her husband Sidney in the country after their initial clandestine mission has been completed: the traitor Lord Ardmore is scheming to employ the deadly phosgene gas he’s stolen for some terrifying purpose, and the couple will need both the Crown forces and the rebels’ help to thwart him.

As they pursue their quarry, they are drawn into a case involving a series of cunning and brazen jewel thefts. Many believe it is the work of the Irish rebels, seeking to fund their revolution, but when Verity and Sidney are also approached by Michael Collins and the IRA to unmask the thief, they suspect he may instead be an opportunist using the political unrest as a cover for his crimes.

As the thief continues to pull ever more risky jobs—including targeting Verity and their friends—the couple receive new intelligence that the gas they seek may be intended for a crowded event, one that the entire world will be attuned to. They must stop Lord Ardmore at all costs—or the consequences will be devastating . . .

My Thoughts: It is August 1920 and Verity and her husband Sidney are still in Dublin hunting down a missing shipment of phosgene. They know Lord Ardmore stole it and they know he must have some sort of nefarious plan. However, they don't know what the plan is or where the gas is now. 

This is a very political novel. Keeping track of the various factions who are working for Ireland's future is a complex task both for Verity and Sidney and this reader. Verity's friend Alex whom they were originally sent to Ireland to locate has switched to the Irish side rather than the British which Verity and Sidney have neglected to inform Verity's British bosses about. 

Verity herself is very conflicted about the whole war going on. She's seeing behaviors that remind her way too much of the way the Germans behaved in occupied Belgium. She also doesn't hold a very high opinion of the official British Intelligence in Ireland.

Just to make things more complicated, there is also a jewel thief removing valuable jewelry from the British upper classes in Ireland. They are tasked with locating the thief which gives them a reason to stay in Ireland after Verity's boss C demands that they come back to England. 

Despite the overabundance of politics, this was an entertaining story. I sympathized with Verity as her loyalties are tested. My only complaint about the story was the cliffhanger ending which will leave readers distressed until the next story in 2026.

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Knave of Diamonds by Laurie R. King

Knave of Diamonds
Author: Laurie R. King
Series: Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes (Book 19)
Publication: Bantam (June 10, 2025)

Description: Mary Russell’s allegiances are tested by the reappearance of her long-lost uncle—and a tantalizing case not even Sherlock Holmes could solve.

When Mary Russell was a child, she adored her black sheep Uncle Jake. But she hasn’t heard from him in many years, and she assumed that his ne’er-do-well ways had brought him to a bad end somewhere—until he presents himself at her Sussex door. Yes, Jake is back, and with a load of problems for his clever niece. Not the least of which is the reason the family rejected him in the first place: He was involved—somehow—in the infamous disappearance of the Irish Crown Jewels from an impregnable safe in Dublin Castle.

It was a theft that shook a government, enraged a king, threatened the English establishment—and baffled not only the Dublin police and Scotland Yard, but Sherlock Holmes himself. And, now, Jake expects Russell to step into the middle of it all? To slip away with him, not telling Holmes what she’s up to? Knowing that the theft—unsolved, hushed-up, scandalous—must have involved Mycroft Holmes as well?

Naturally, she can do nothing of the sort. Siding with her uncle, even briefly, could only place her in opposition to both her husband-partner and his secretive and powerful brother. She has to tell Jake no.

On the other hand, this is Jake—her father’s kid brother, her childhood hero, the beloved and long-lost survivor of a much-diminished family.

Conflicting loyalties and international secrets, blatant lies and blithe deceptions: sounds like another case for Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes.

My Thoughts: The nineteenth book in the Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes series reunited Mary with her Uncle Jake. She hasn't seen him for many years but remembers all sorts of childhood adventures with him. Jake has had a long career as a conman and thief.

He's come to see Mary after being sure that Sherlock wasn't around because he wants her help. Back in 1907, Jake was involved in the theft of the Irish Crown Jewels. The jewels disappeared somewhere along the way and Jake believes that he and Mary can find them now. 

Sherlock was also involved in the case at the request of his brother Mycroft. However, when the case led to uncovering homosexual scandal, the case was buried really, really deep. Holmes has had that unfinished case lingering in the back of his mind for many years. 

This story is told from three viewpoints. Jake, Mary, and Sherlock all take turns telling the story. It was another excellent historical mystery.  

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

Audiobook Review: A Killing in the Hills by Julia Keller

A Killing in the Hills
Author: Julia Keller
Narrator: Shannon McManus
Series: Bell Elkins (Book 1)
Publication: Brilliance Audio (August 23, 2012)
Length: 12 hours and 33 minutes

Description: What’s happening in Acker’s Gap, West Virginia? Three elderly men are gunned down over their coffee at a local diner, and seemingly half the town is there to witness the act. Still, it happened so fast, and no one seems to have gotten a good look at the shooter. Was it random? Was it connected to the spate of drug violence plaguing poor areas of the country just like Acker’s Gap? Or were Dean Streeter, Shorty McClurg, and Lee Rader targeted somehow?

One of the witnesses to the brutal incident was Carla Elkins, teenaged daughter of Bell Elkins, the prosecuting attorney for Raythune County, West Virginia. Carla was shocked and horrified by what she saw, but after a few days, she begins to recover enough to believe that she might be uniquely placed to help her mother do her job. After all, what better way to repair their fragile, damaged relationship? But could Carla also end up doing more harm than good - in fact, putting her own life in danger?

In this powerful, intricate debut from Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Julia Keller, a mother and a daughter try to do right by a town and each other before it’s too late.

My Thoughts: Bell Elkins has moved back to Raythune County, West Virginia, to become the prosecuting attorney. She moved there with her teenaged daughter but not her husband. He never wanted to return to West Virginia and is happy with his life in Washington, DC.

Bell had a troubled childhood and was placed in the foster care system when she was ten and her older sister killed their abusive father and burned down the run-down trailer that was their home. Her sister, who is up for parole, refuses all contact with Bell.

Meanwhile, Bell is on a crusade because prescription bill abuse is running rampant in the county. She is also working on the case of a mentally retarded man killing his six-year-old playmate and also on a murder investigation when an unknown gunman entered a local diner and murdered three elderly men who were having coffee there. 

Bell's daughter Carla was at the diner when the shooting occurred and thinks she recognizes the shooter. However, instead of telling her mother, she decides to investigate on her own which leads to her being kidnapped by the shooter. 

The third viewpoint character is that of the shooter who sees himself as a badass superspy, but is actually just an impulsive, amoral punk.

This was an interesting story well narrated by Shannon McManus. I thought there might have been a little too much repetition about the chronic poverty, joblessness, and hopelessness in West Virginia but enjoyed the mystery. 

I bought this one from Chirp. You can buy your copy here.

Audiobook Review: He Shall Thunder in the Sky by Elizabeth Peters

He Shall Thunder in the Sky
Author: Elizabeth Peters
Narrator: Barbara Rosenblat
Series: Amelia Peters Series (Book 12)
Publication: Recorded Books (May 27, 2004)
Length: 17 hours and 13 minutes

Description: In her best-selling Amelia Peabody mysteries, author Elizabeth Peters has created an award-winning mixture of vivid archeological detail, finely-tuned suspense, and witty romance. This, the 12th Amelia Peabody mystery, opens in 1914. As the tides of war rise, Egypt is threatened by attacks. Espionage abounds, pulling in several members of the Peabody Emerson household even as they embark on a new archeological season. Amidst a growing tangle of disguises and deceptions, Emerson's nemesis, the Master Criminal, appears. As increasing perils threaten the Peabody Emersons, their expedition, and Egypt, help arrives from a most unlikely source. He Shall Thunder in the Sky is a treasure; absorbing, intriguing, and highly entertaining. And the surprising resolution is one that leaves even the unflappable Amelia thunderstruck.

My Thoughts: This episode of the Amelia Peabody series is set in 1914. While most of World War I is occurring in Europe, Egypt is not completely spared. In fact, the Turks are eager to bring invasion forces across the Suez Canal and take over Egypt. They are hoping to foment revolution among the young Egyptian radicals to create chaos before their invasion.

Ramses, despite his outward persona as a pacifist uninvolved in war efforts, is acting as an agent of the police to prevent the Turkish invasion and preserve many of his friends among those eager for Egyptian independence. David, supposedly sent to India for his role with the Egyptian nationalists, is undercover in Egypt too. 

Ferreting out the spies and preventing the large-scale shipments of arms to reach the potential insurrectionists keeps both Ramses and David busy. Once Amelia and Emerson become aware of Ramses' work, they are eager - perhaps too eager - to help. But all agree that Nefret can't be told of Ramses' investigative work. She has proven to be too impulsive to be trusted with those secrets.

With many potential spies working in Egypt, all of the Emersons are busy trying to find out who is working to betray the British forces and encourage the Turks. Among the suspects are a merry widow with designs on any wealthy man, a Scottish major with a precocious daughter, and a smarmy French count. Oh, and cousin Percy is very active in Egypt too. For some reason, he is trying to make up his differences with the Emersons and being his usual smarmy self. Ramses fears that Nefret will be drawn in by his supposed charm. And the Master Criminal seems to have his hand in things too.

This was an excellent episode in the series. I loved the information about Egypt during World War I. I loved that Ramses and Nefret finally resolved their differences. I loved the intense emotion in this episode from fears for Ramses and the loss of Cousin Johnny in battle to Amelia finally being able to state that she loves her son. 

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.