An Honorable Deception

A missing woman, an attempted murder, and a cache of secrets keep detectives Lord Yates Fairfax and his sister, Marigold, busy in the hair-raising third installment of White’s Imposters series (after A Noble Scheme). In early 20th-century London, Lady Alethia Barremore enlists Yates to help find her children’s nurse, Samira, who’s recently gone missing. Bigger problems arise when two masked men burst into their meeting and shoot Lady Alethia. Yates whisks the badly wounded Alethia to a house in the country, where a pregnant Marigold and their childhood friend Lavinia are staying. As the three investigate who might want Alethia dead and why—and whether the culprit might also be responsible for Samira’s disappearance—clues point them toward the Empire House, a charity for women and children that’s linked to a ring of high-profile male aristocrats. Meanwhile, Yates develops feelings for Lavinia, and the case forces Lady Alethia to confront a secret that’s been haunting her since childhood. White seamlessly balances the high-energy, twist-filled plot with fine-grained character development as the three sleuths harness their faith to expose the dark underbelly of London society. The result is a thrill ride with surprising depth. (Nov.)