Historical mysteries really aren’t a favourite of mine so I’m really surprised to find that I’m adoring this series.

At the beginning of this book I was a little thrown by the setting. I have only read this book’s immediate predecessor in this series and that book was set in 1918 in the aftermath of the first world war. This next book in the series is somehow set in the time immediately preceding the war. Linscott soon orientated me in history and now I find I really don’t care what she does with the timeline of the series I just want to read some more.

In this story Nell Bray is accused by her cousin, a high ranking naval officer, of misleading his “perfect daughter” who has come to London to study art. Nell of course has done no such thing but is determined to get to the bottom of what has happened to her cousin’s daughter.

What I really like about this book is that it manages to make me feel like I’m reading about 1914 without making me feel like I’m reading through the author’s research. And there’s a damned good and interesting plot to boost.