A Desperate Fortune

Kearsley (The Winter Sea) entwines the contemporary and historical narratives of two unmoored women looking for their place in the world. In the present day, jobless Sara Thomas travels to France to crack the cipher of an encrypted 18th-century diary. In 1732, the diary's author, young Mary Dundas, gets caught up in the intrigues of the continental community of Jacobite exiles. A plan gone awry sweeps her into murder and a flight south to Rome under the protection of the indefatigable, indestructible MacPhearson, eluding bounty hunters, wolves, spies, and betrayal. Sara's quieter tale mainly involves enjoying French hospitality, scenery, and the beautiful, attentive Luc Sabran. But Sara is inspired by Mary, who "found she liked this woman she had chosen now to be%E2%80%94this Mary Dundas, who had traveled and seen trouble and been changed by it." Mary's vividly described travels and threats add thrills to their shared tale. Fans of historical spy fiction will enjoy the dangers risked by Jacobite sympathizers, while Kearsley's gentle drama and accurate detail are sure to satisfy lovers of historical fiction and romance. (Apr.)