Karyn Monk, My Favorite Thief

My Favorite Thief

Karyn Monk

Bantam, Jan 2004, $6.50, 368 pp.

ISBN: 0553584413

In 1875 the Marquess of Redmond is the guardian of respectable Charlotte "Lottie" Kent, who runs a London refuge shelter for unfortunate women and children. Lottie attends high society events hoping to raise money for her center. While at one of these galas, Lottie interrupts a bungled jewel robbery and abets the wounded Dark Shadow enabling the thief to escape.

Lottie knows that Earl Harrison Payne is the thief, but her intentions are to ignore him. When someone blackmails her threatening to expose her past, Lottie worries for her guardian and her refuge center. Feeling she needs to pay off the blackmailer, Lottie tries to blackmail Harrison. However, he cannot picture the beautiful woman who risked everything to rescue him trying to embezzle money from him. As they share notes and fall in love, neither realizes that a common enemy lurks for the moment to destroy both of them.

MY FAVORITE THIEF is an action-packed Victorian romantic suspense that hooks the audience from the moment that Harrison and Lottie meet while he botches his assignment. Lottie is a superb protagonist combing reticence and courage that blend very well together within her. Though the villain seems superfluous except perhaps in Lottie's childhood memories, fans of the era, author or those just wanting to read a good novel will enjoy this tale and some other favorites by Karyn Monk (see THE PRISONER and THE WEDDING ESCAPE).

Harriet Klausner