A Talent for Trickery
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- £6.99
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- £6.99
Publisher Description
"In a plot that twists, turns and surprises, Johnson has woven a compelling romance between two stubborn, endearing people. If you love smart heroines, intelligent heroes, witty dialogue and clever mystery plots, this gem of a historical romance might steal your heart."—Bookpage
Detective Inspector Owen Rednerwell once found himself entangled with Charlotte Walker, the daughter of an infamous criminal. Now his new case will draw him back to the woman he could never forget.
Years ago, Owen Renderwell earned acclaim—and a title—for the dashing rescue of a kidnapped duchess. But only a select few knew that Scotland Yard’s most famous detective was working alongside London’s most infamous thief…and his criminally brilliant daughter, Charlotte Walker.
Lottie was like no other woman in Victorian England. She challenged him. She dazzled him. She questioned everything he believed and everything he was, and he has never wanted anyone more. And then he lost her.
Now a private detective on the trail of a murderer, Owen has stormed back into Lottie’s life. She knows that no matter what they may pretend, he will always be a man of the law and she a criminal. Yet whenever he’s near, Owen has a way of making things complicated…and long for a future that can never be theirs.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Opening a series set in Victorian England, Johnson (Destined to Last) displays her talent for depicting families whose relationships balance antagonistic frustration and well-meaning warmth. Viscount Owen Renderwell, once one of Scotland Yard's greatest thief-takers, arrives at the secret home of Charlotte "Lottie" Walker, whose father, Walter, was a thief turned informant who recently died. Owen hopes to search Walter's journals for clues to encrypted letters found where a London madam was murdered, but needs the support of his old crush Lottie. She hates Owen for his role in her father's death, and she wishes to hide her family's criminal past from her younger brother, Peter, as well as keeping the details of her own involvement from Owen. Night work on secret codes brings Lottie and Owen enticingly close, but a stalker in the woods leads Owen to dedicate himself to catching the criminal, while young Peter is determined to take on a man's protective role. The romantic thread is never lost, though it sometimes takes a backseat to plot, and the leads' blend of cleverness and stubbornness makes their push-pull dynamic a joy.
