Murder Most Fair: A Verity Kent Mystery

It’s November 1919 in Huber’s convincing if initially slow-moving fifth mystery featuring British spy Verity Kent (after 2020’s A Pretty Deceit) when Verity’s German great-aunt, Ilse Vischering, arrives with her maid at the door of Verity’s parents’ home in the Yorkshire Dales. Ilse has fled Germany after receiving threatening letters that suggest she collaborated with the British during WWI. Verity and Sidney, her dashing war hero husband, attempt to discover the truth behind the threats. Extensive backstories of everyone who sets foot near Verity fill up the pages, along with ruminations on Verity and Sidney’s wartime experiences and musings on nationalism, until finally someone close to the family is murdered and the action picks up. This entry will be a treat for WWI buffs and the legion of fans who have grown fond of Verity, who must keep her daring activities secret from her family, especially her censorious mother, but some readers will feel such issues as the perils of unbridled nationalism overshadow the crime solving. This is not the place to start for those new to the series. Agent: Kevan Lyon, Marsal Lyon Literary. (Aug.)