The Deception of the Emerald Ring
Lauren Willig
Dutton, Nov 2006, $21.95
ISBN 0525949771

Harvard Ph.D. aspirant Eloise Kelly researches her third potential nineteenth century female spy (see THE SECRET HISTORY OF THE PINK CARNATION and THE MASQUE OF THE BLACK TULIP) as she begins to find information on nineteen-year-old Letty Alsworthy. Apparently, Letty married Lord Geoffrey Pinchingdale-Snipe, her older sister Mary's fianc . This happened because she, the younger sibling, tried to prevent Mary from making a mistake that ironically ended with Letty making a mistake; alas the consequence turned out to be her hurried marriage to Geoffrey.

The League of the Purple Gentian sends Geoffrey to Ireland to prevent a rebellion. Letty assumes he is fleeing her so she investigates where he may have run off to after they ran off and married. She cleverly traces him to Dublin where she concludes her new spouse is a spymaster. Believing in supporting one's husband, Letty is active in his secret vocation though her bumbling amateur ways causes Geoffrey much consternation as she keeps trying to don his black cloak.

This is a terrific and amusing historical romance that is at its best when the storyline remains in the nineteenth century. When Eloise periodically takes center stage, the plot feels disrupted. Still this is a superb tale filled with warm characters in dangerous situations turned ironically humorous. Now if Eloise can be kept to pre and post game commentary, Lauren Willig's colorful female spy series would be perfect.

Harriet Klausner