The Queen of Fives
A Novel
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3.7 • 31 Ratings
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
A mysterious heiress sets her sights on an illustrious family and nothing is quite what it seems in London high society in this clever novel from the bestselling author of The Housekeepers
“Audacious, cunning, quick-witted—this is a jewel of a book from the seriously talented Alex Hay. I was rooting for the Queen of Fives from the very first line.”
—Louise Candlish, author of The Other Passenger
1898. Quinn le Blanc, London’s most talented confidence woman, has five days to pull off her most ambitious plot yet: trap a highly eligible duke into marriage and lift a fortune from the richest family in England.
Masquerading as the season’s most enviable debutante, Quinn puts on a brilliant act that earns her entrance into the grand drawing rooms and lavish balls of high society—and propels her straight into the inner circle of her target: the charismatic Kendals. Among those she must convince are the handsome bachelor heir, the rebellious younger sister, and the esteemed duchess eager to see her son married.
But the deeper she forges into their world, the more Quinn finds herself tangled in a complicated web of love, lies, and loyalty. The Kendals all have secrets of their own, and she may not be the only one playing a game of high deception...
“A thrilling and multi-layered story of trickery and deception, truth and lies, poverty and riches, that is sheer delight from start to finish. Absolutely enthralling!”
—Janice Hallett, bestselling author of The Appeal
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Bridgerton meets The Sting in this effervescent offering from Hay (The Housekeepers). In 1898, London con artist Quinn Le Blanc, known as the Queen of Fives, sets her sights on Max, the wealthy Duke of Kendal, whom she plans to marry and fleece out of his fortune. Pretending to be an heiress, she finagles an invitation to a party at Buckingham Palace, where she catches Max's eye while pretending to stop a fake royal assassination plot. According to the Rulebook that governs confidence schemes, Quinn has exactly five days to spring her trap. Standing in her way are Max's sister and their formidable stepmother, both of whom have reasons for not wanting to see the marriage take place. As Quinn and Max get to know each other, she realizes she's not the only one well-versed in the art of deception. Hay has conceived of a wholly original take on Victorian London and populated it with a gallery of colorful underworld types. The plotting will have readers on the edges of their seats as one twist after another sets the stage for a series of jaw-dropping revelations. This literary confection is a delectable treat.
