By Patricia Veryan

I was a bit disappointed in this one. Piers Cranford didn’t have the charm or humor that his twin Perry did. He was very earnest and responsible. His love, Mary, was a little blah as well despite a promising beginning and a reveal that I didn’t see coming. His estate has come under attack by means of sabotage and dirty tricks driving the Cranford family into severe financial straits. The main plot rests on the fact that his uncle, Sir Nugent, will not help him out with a loan until he rescues the family name by stepping into the breach left by a distant cousin who jilted his fiance. The whole thing is a lot more complicated, but it just didn’t make a whole lot of sense. A lot in this one did not make sense, including why our sensible heroine put herself into a hated enemy’s power necessitating a rescue near the end. The one thing that I did like was that many of our friends from the previous two series, The Jewelled Man, and The Golden Chronicles, make appearances in this one or are at least mentioned. Some play important roles. It is the only reason why I would recommend it. **3 stars out 4**

This is the last, or should I say latest Patricia Veryan that I have re-read and reviewed. I Probably, at some point, will finish the Riddle series with Deplorable Dandy, but first, I intend to re-read some of the Sanguinet series. I say some because a few of them I did not enjoy at all, but read out of loyalty and to not be left out of some of the connections between her books. Life is too short. If her books were on Kindle, I would read them sooner. Although I treasure my paper books, they are inconvenient to read and I love the features that my paperwhite has. My intention is to start before summer begins.

September 5, 2020