A Gift for Guile

In a witty, quirky, and altogether fun sequel to A Talent for Trickery, Johnson continues to explore the entanglement of the children of William Walker, a criminal turned police informer, with the thief-takers of Victorian-era Scotland Yard. “Curmudgeonly giant” Sir Samuel Brass spots “prickly, unpredictable, infuriating” Esther Walker-Bales waiting alone in Paddington Station, even though she’s not supposed to be in London at all. She’s wearing a widow’s veil and he suspects she’s running some kind of scam, but when he confronts her, somehow she talks him into helping her locate her natural father and make overdue amends. Despite Sam’s overprotectiveness and Esther’s tendency to offer “a bite with the sweet,” the two of them have a teasing warmth together and solve their interpersonal problems with sensible discussion as often as with quarrels. Hilarious moments—including Samuel worrying that he has developed a foot fetish, a game of badminton in which the players make up the rules as they go, and a half-shot-off beard—fill out a story arc that balances light romance, clever sleuthing, slowly building intimacy, and heart-racing suspense. This series is pure pleasure. Agent: Emmanuelle Morgen, Stonesong Literary. (July)