Barbara Dawson Smith Countess Confidential

Countess Confidential

Barbara Dawson Smith

St. Martin's. Feb 2006, $6.99, 368 pp.

ISBN: 0312932391

In 1817, aristocratic detective Simon Croft arrests Shakespearean scholar Gilbert Hollybrooke as the notorious jewel thief the Wraith, who leaves behind quotes from the Bard at his crime scenes. Gilbert's daughter, Claire, a teacher at a girls' boarding school, knows her dad is too busy with his studies to purloin jewelry, though the diamond brooch found in his home is difficult to explain. Claire believes someone from her late mother's estranged family found a means to punish the tutor for marrying their daughter. She vows to learn the truth, so taking a leave of absence from her job, Claire obtains a position as a servant at the home of the Marquess Warrington.

Her plan to be an invisible servant falls apart from the start because Simon sees her as a desirable woman with a secret that he plans to uncover one kiss at a time. To her chagrin Claire is attracted to the male; justice aside while she wonders of all the men in England does Simon make her love. Still in spite of her cheating heart, Claire continues to seek evidence that her father is not the Wraith.

COUNTESS CONFIDENTIAL is a tremendous Regency romantic amateur sleuth tale. The exhilarating storyline smoothly combines the undercover, initially ineffective inquiries of the invisible granddaughter with the romance by the one aristocrat who notices her. Claire is a delight as she tries to stay focused while avoiding sleeping with the enemy. Fans will wonder who the Wraith is, with even Claire becoming increasingly convinced that her dad did the dastardly deed. Barbara Dawson Smith provides a fun historical that deserves a sequel investigation starring the sleuthing combo.