When a day at the races reveals sabotage and
subterfuge, Elizabeth Miles must use every ounce of her craftiness to
even the score in this all-new Counterfeit Lady novel from USA Today bestselling author Victoria Thompson.
Wealthy
but uncouth Sebastian Nolan has invited his lawyer, Gideon Bates, and
his lovely new wife, Elizabeth, to attend the famous Belmont Stakes.
Nolan is anxious for Gideon and Elizabeth to help his daughter, Irene,
acquire a bit of polish, now that his venture into thoroughbred racing
has allowed them entry into society. He is also hoping to find her a
rich potential suitor. Elizabeth is not exactly the society girl Nolan
believes her to be, but she is eager to attend the races. Her con artist
family has made a lot of money at racetracks, although not from betting
on the horses, and she enjoys the excitement of the track.
Irene
Nolan seems more interested in horses than husbands, and she jumps at
the chance to show Elizabeth her horse, Trench, and introduce her to his
rider, Cal Regan. Elizabeth soon realizes there is more than just a
working relationship between Irene and Cal. But she also knows that
Irene’s father would never allow his only daughter to marry a jockey.
When Cal takes a terrible tumble injuring both himself and Irene’s
beloved Trench, Elizabeth and Gideon learn that the mishap was not
simply bad luck—the horse and rider are victims of sabotage.
It
turns out that Sebastian Nolan has more than a few skeletons in his
closet and someone is out to get their long sought-after revenge.
Elizabeth knows that to help Irene and Cal, she is going to need some
help in creating the quintessential con. With the ever honest Gideon at
her side, she enlists those closest to her to come up with a scheme that
will either ensure young Irene and Cal a first-place finish or have
disastrous consequence...
I love this series. Elizabeth is finding her way around the society crowd as Gideon Bates' new wife. The target for this con is Sebastian Nolan and Daniel Livingston. These two have a long-running feud that is still on fire some twenty years later.
Sebastian Nolan is one of Gideon’s clients. When he talked to Gideon about setting up a trust for his daughter, he invited Gideon to Belmont for the big race. Sebastian has a couple of horses in the race that he wants to show off. Livingston also has a horse farm with horses in the race. As these two men lock horns, their feuding puts them off guard and makes easy marks.
This is a great story that continues the character development, an interesting con, with a nice dose of New York racing history thrown in. Elizabeth and her mother-in-law’s relationship continues to develop. “Mother Bates,” as Elizabeth calls her, can’t help but encourage Elizabeth when there is a potential con. Gideon has come a long way, too, as he cautiously supports his wife with her cons. He prefers that Elizabeth won’t be involved, but he understands that she only helps people.
Depending on how closely you follow the characters, there is a slightly unexpected twist and a satisfying ending. I missed the clues, but some of my reading friends knew the “secret” before I did. City of Fortune can be read as a standalone, but there is a lot of history missed if you jump in at book six. It makes me crazy when people give a one or two-star review because they didn’t read the series from the beginning, then complain about what they didn’t know.
Now I’m waiting for the next Gaslight Mystery by Ms. Thompson. Victoria Thompson is one of my favorite authors of historical novels. Every book highlights her research and makes me do a little more on my own.
Kate Forbes continues as narrator for this series. She does an excellent job. Her voice, inflections, and enthusiasm bring this story to life.
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