The suspense begins with the first sentence of this romantic mystery from the pseudonymous Quick (Jayne Ann Krentz uses this pseudonym for her Victorian novels). Gossip spreads fast about the liaison between "unimportant, unfashionable, excessively dull" Louisa Bryce and wealthy, handsome Anthony Stalbridge. In reality, their first kiss was a spur-of-the-moment coverup when the two are caught snooping around Elwin Hastings's mansion. Louisa, an undercover reporter for the sensational newspaper, Flying Intelligencer, is investigating Hastings's crooked financial dealings, while Anthony seeks the truth about his fiancee, one of three society women who supposedly committed suicide a year ago. Under the guise of their romance, Louisa and Anthony expose Hastings's many criminal schemes. Their relationship isn't all business, however, and Louisa's profession isn't her only secret. Quick's tightly woven tale allows little room for extraneous subplots-every cracked safe and mysterious prostitute plays an important role. Light humor and playful love scenes temper the more gruesome moments for an alluring combination of foggy nights and steamy afternoons. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Dashing Anthony Stalbridge and dowdy Louisa Bryce have one thing in common: a conviction that Mr. Hastings is hiding some terrible secrets. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

She didn't mean to kill the man who broke into her room. Especially since he was a member of Victorian England's nobility, a protected class that could, literally, get away with murder. Now Louisa Bryce feels compelled to fake her own death and assume a new identity. Her fine writing skills land her a job as intrepid investigative reporter I. M. Phantom, whom everyone assumes is a man. It was so easy for Louisa to feign her demise, she now wonders if two other recent drownings were actually suicides. Anthony Stalbridge is wondering the same thing about his fiancee's drowning. When Louisa and Anthony run into each other while snooping in the rooms of a likely suspect, he gets off on the wrong foot by assuming a woman has no business conducting a dangerous investigation, while Louisa is annoyed and fascinated by his alpha-male behavior. Louisa is the archetypal Amanda Quick heroine, an adventurous woman full of grit, gumption, and determination. And Anthony is the perfect hero, a man with an edge. The incomparable Quick (aka Jayne Ann Krentz and Jayne Castle) has once again penned a superbly tantalizing romantic suspense, replete with smart and snappy dialogue, witty humor, and fast-paced action. --Shelley Mosley Copyright 2007 Booklist

A bookish undercover reporter teams up with quirky gentleman to uncover the truth behind the suspicious drownings of several young ladies in late-Victorian-era London. After his fiance, Fiona, is pulled from the inky Thames, Anthony Stalbridge must endure rumors that his imminent jilt caused her suicide. An independent thinker wealthy enough to know that his standing in society is assured, Anthony is driven less by concern for his reputation than by his growing suspicion that Fiona was murdered. His digging leads him to a party at the mansion of high-profile investor Elwin Hastings, whose wife Victoria also plunged into the Thames. There, Anthony crosses paths with Mrs. Louisa Bryce, a bespectacled, unfashionably dressed young widow (and proto-feminist) who believes Hastings is a partner in a well-known brothel catering to respectable gentlemen's darker impulses. The two forge an unlikely alliance, and Anthony finds himself increasingly fascinated with the elusive Louisa. It turns out that she is secretly I.M. Phantom, popular columnist for a tabloid dedicated to scandal among the upper crust. She is also, under her glasses and plain gowns, quite a sexy minx. Mistaking her for a woman of the world, Anthony attempts an al fresco seduction, only to discover that she is not as experienced as he thought. His miscalculation matters naught to Louisa, who gamely throws herself into their "illicit" affair. In fact, she is almost disappointed when Anthony introduces her to his charming, unconventional family. Could he possibly have real feelings for her? Meanwhile, bodies connected to Hastings pile up as the lovers get close to some very shady characters in organized crime, and Louisa has even more surprises in store for Anthony. Quick (Second Sight, 2006, etc.) does it again with a naughty-and-nice romp. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.