A Shadowed Fate

Ambrose’s excellent sequel to 2018’s Claire’s Last Secret finds Claire Claremont, Mary Shelley’s stepsister, living in near-poverty in 1873 Florence, Italy, with her niece and grand-niece, though her memories of reckless youthful passion provide solace. Claire has kept her valuable letters from Lord Byron and Percy Shelley, which ruthless men in Last Secret made clear were worth murdering for. Claire’s not out of danger yet. Moreover, she’s learned that her illegitimate daughter with Byron, Allegra, did not die of disease in a convent as she was told decades ago. Accompanied by friends, Claire embarks on a desperate search for Allegra across Italy, but those offering answers are often not what they seem. The surprising revelations that populate the book, mixed with a mood of regret and wistful longing for dead loves, imbue the story with a seductive power. Ambrose ratchets up the suspense over the fate of Allegra and the truth about mad, bad, and dangerous-to-know Byron. Readers will eagerly anticipate the final volume in this trilogy. Agent: Nicole Resciniti, Seymour Agency. (Mar.)