cover image Last Deception Palliser

Last Deception Palliser

Imogen de La Bere, La Bere Imogen De. St. Martin's Press, $23.95 (320pp) ISBN 978-0-312-20329-0

A near-penniless 45-year-old Salom Wentwood and her four young daughters face eviction when a syndicate of creditors lays claim to their fertile but demanding New Zealand farm, in this quirkily charming first novel. Salom was abandoned by her husband, lovable Irish rogue Palliser Wentwood, who left two Christmases ago to make his fortune--or at least clear his debts. Armed with a shotgun, she faces down her creditors. One of them, wealthy bachelor Philip Butterworth, decides that instead of harassing Salom , he will be her financial adviser, and eventually the two become partners in a fruit cordials and wine-making business. Meanwhile, Palliser, who's fetched up in Hertfordshire, England, is also broke, and since it's become imperative for him to return home with enough money to excuse his unconscionable absence, he tries his last and most desperate scheme. Contriving to meet wealthy Blanche Lovelace, an obese unmarried heiress, he ingratiates himself with her and with her brother Hubert, a clergyman, eventually landing a job as their butler. Planning to seduce and then abandon Blanche after siphoning away all her money, Palliser, who still loves Salom , is surprised to find himself feeling a great tenderness and genuine responsibility toward Blanche, who does indeed fall in love with him. Although it's set in the 1950s, the novel has a whimsically old-fashioned tone, due in part to Palliser's romantic reliance on great chunks of poetry, and the author's wry editorial commentary. De la Bere's characters may be manipulative, but thanks to their respective consciences they manage to remain sympathetic, especially when they manage to do good despite their worst intentions. (Aug.) FYI: The author, an Elizabethan scholar, lives in London and New Zealand, where she has published books on music and religion.