A Counterfeit Suitor

Rosalind Thorne, a disgraced nobleman’s daughter who discreetly helps society ladies with their more delicate problems, has her hands full in Wilde’s meticulously crafted fifth Regency mystery (after 2020’s A Lady Compromised). She’s assisting Mrs. Valentina Walford with organizing a charity ball while quietly investigating the suitability of Mrs. Walford’s daughter’s unsavory new beau, who was involved in an 1814 stock fraud. Rosalind’s task is complicated when her own drunken father shows up in London as the “guest” of her bitter enemy, Russell Fullerton, and promptly makes an embarrassing public scene. Attempting to figure out what Fullerton has up his sleeve at the same time she’s trying to help Mrs. Walford, Rosalind uncovers plot upon plot—blackmail, political intrigue, faithlessness, family drama—and every question answered inevitably leads to another as tangled as the first. Rosalind is an empathetic, perceptive lead, and her relationships with her caring friends add much to the book’s appeal. A plot as complex as a Chinese puzzle box will keep readers turning the pages. Wilde offers a fascinating, richly detailed look at Regency society. Agent: Lucienne Diver, Knight Agency. (Dec.)