{"id":13409,"date":"2020-09-11T15:48:18","date_gmt":"2020-09-11T19:48:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/?p=13409"},"modified":"2024-01-29T20:10:03","modified_gmt":"2024-01-30T01:10:03","slug":"a-dangerous-deceit-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/13409","title":{"rendered":"A Dangerous Deceit"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Dangerous Deceit<\/a><\/em> (2017) Alissa Johnson<\/a> (The Thief-Takers)<\/p>\n

\"Dangerous<\/a>Set in England in the mid 1870s.<\/p>\n

Miss Jane Ballenger is a recluse.<\/p>\n

She’s tried going out in society, but it went very badly, so she remains at home, hiding her problems from the world.<\/p>\n

Sir Gabriel Arkwright is a famous thief-taker who now works as a private investigator with his best from Samuel Brass, and Samuel’s wife. Gabriel’s current assignment–to retrieve some papers the sister of a man who died unexpectedly while working for the government, doesn’t seem too difficult, but everything goes wrong almost from the start–including his fascination with Miss Ballenger.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is unexpected,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

Jane lifted her overlong skirts to nudge a small stool aside with her toe. \u201cMy brother\u2019s possessions were delivered here after his passing. His home was larger than my own.\u201d <\/p>\n

He closed the door carefully. \u201cNo apology necessary.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t apologize.\u201d Why should she? It was her home.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Jane’s problems are based on the author’s family members disorder, and the author’s desire to allow this young woman to see herself in a story.<\/p>\n

Gabriel wants to get Jane out of the house, so he can search for the papers. But Jane has no interest in leaving, and because of her past and her disorder, can’t explain to Gabriel why she doesn’t want to leave.<\/p>\n

“This house, in its current condition, is a danger to you and your staff.\u201d It would be a danger regardless, for a number of reasons, but some of them could be mitigated with a little organization. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt isn\u2019t. It just needs to be tidied up, that\u2019s all.\u201d <\/p>\n

He pointed to an open trunk near the window. \u201cThere is a saber sticking out of that trunk. Blade up.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cWell, don\u2019t grab it and it won\u2019t cut you.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

One of the things I generally dislike in a story, is characters hiding information from each other that leads to a big misunderstanding. Mostly because the hiding is often childish or foolish. But here, it’s completely understandable why Jane tries to hard to hide her issues–being locked in an asylum for two years as a child would do that to almost anyone. And she has absolutely no reason to trust Gabriel, whose ability to lie is second nature.<\/p>\n

One of the things I love about Alissa Johnson’s stories are the secondary characters. Even though they are happily married, the Harmons are distinct individuals and lovely in their own ways.<\/p>\n

It was Mrs. Harmon\u2019s habit to wiggle in her seat at the start of a story. Jane had never been able to ascertain if it was excitement that made her do it, or if she was merely getting comfortable in anticipation of a long sit.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It’s a small paragraph that tells you so much about this woman who is so important to Jane.<\/p>\n

And I like that although Gabriel isn’t a rake per se, he has developed his ability to lie not just for his profession, but because to survive his past. But unlike many liars, isn’t not a skill he especially enjoys.<\/p>\n

There was nothing amiss with his appearance. He made sure of it. Always. Mostly because he still remembered what it had been like to feel filthy, but also because a fine appearance served as a mask and shield. People rarely bothered to look deeper when they were satisfied with what they found on the surface.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This isn’t quite as bantery as the previous books, mostly because of Jane’s difficulties. But it still has some delightful bits.<\/p>\n

\u201cWould you begrudge a traveler taking shelter from the storm in Twillins tonight?\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cNo, I suppose not,\u201d she conceded. \u201cProvided they were respectful about it.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cWhy assume the owners of this house are less generous and compassionate than yourself? You\u2019re insulting them, really.\u201d He tsked and shook his head. \u201cAnd in their own home.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It’s a lovely story, and now I’m out of Alissa Johnson books.<\/p>\n

Rating: 8\/10<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Dangerous Deceit (2017) Alissa Johnson (The Thief-Takers) Set in England in the mid 1870s. Miss Jane Ballenger is a recluse. She’s tried going out in society, but it went very badly, so she remains at home, hiding her problems from the world. Sir Gabriel Arkwright is a famous thief-taker who now works as a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[12,30,48,33,608,742,41,26,56],"tags":[156,50,530,535,557],"class_list":["post-13409","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-8-10","category-british","category-female","category-historical","category-neurodiversity","category-physical-health","category-reread","category-romance","category-sexual-content","tag-alissa-johnson","tag-boinking","tag-disability","tag-neurodiversity","tag-victorian"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/piQkW-3uh","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":11620,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/11620","url_meta":{"origin":13409,"position":0},"title":"A Dangerous Deceit","author":"Michelle","date":"February 7, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"A Dangerous Deceit (2017) Alissa Johnson Miss Jane Ballenger is a spinster and a recluse. This is due to the fact she has difficulty hearing, and so avoids going out in public. At one point, he related a story involving three turnips and a brick. She was fairly certain she\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "8.5\/10"","block_context":{"text":"8.5\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/8-5-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Dangerous-Deceit-e1511015233441.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":9215,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/9215","url_meta":{"origin":13409,"position":1},"title":"A Dangerous Deceit","author":"Michelle","date":"August 22, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"A Dangerous Deceit (2017) Alissa Johnson That was completely unexpected. In a very good way. Gabriel Arkwright is the third Gentleman Thief-taker, and like Samuel, he has a past he doesn't talk about. He's also glib and very good at becoming who he needs to be for each case. Jane\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "8.5\/10"","block_context":{"text":"8.5\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/8-5-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Dangerous-Deceit.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":20124,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/20124","url_meta":{"origin":13409,"position":2},"title":"A Dangerous Deceit","author":"Michelle","date":"July 22, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"A Dangerous Deceit (2017) Alissa Johnson (The Thief-Takers) Set in England in ~1872 This is such a marvelous book. Jane, struggles with so many things, and is justifiably terrified of anyone discovering her secret, which makes it one of the few books where it is completely logical for the main\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "8\/10"","block_context":{"text":"8\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/8-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"Dangerous Deceit","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Dangerous-Deceit-e1511015233441.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":11413,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/11413","url_meta":{"origin":13409,"position":3},"title":"Destined To Last","author":"Michelle","date":"January 20, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Destined To Last (2010) Alissa Johnson Set in England in ~1814 Lady Kate Cole is a stunning beauty. She also, unfortunately, has a reputation. She was also, by all accounts, a woman so remarkably prone to accidents that it was generally considered wise to back away if she happened to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "8\/10"","block_context":{"text":"8\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/8-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Destined-to-Last-e1511013245528.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":13279,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/13279","url_meta":{"origin":13409,"position":4},"title":"Destined To Last","author":"Michelle","date":"July 5, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Destined To Last (2010) Alissa Johnson (The Providence Series) Set in England ~1815. Lady Kate Cole was, by most accounts, a young woman of exceptional beauty, extraordinary talent, and notable charm. She was also, by all accounts, a woman so remarkably prone to accidents that it was generally considered wise\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "8.5\/10"","block_context":{"text":"8.5\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/8-5-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"Destined to Last","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Destined-to-Last-e1511013245528.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":20113,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/20113","url_meta":{"origin":13409,"position":5},"title":"A Talent for Trickery","author":"Michelle","date":"July 13, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"A Talent for Trickery (2015) Alissa Johnson (The Thief-Takers) Set in England in 1872 Owen Renderwell, the first Viscount Renderwell and Gentleman Thief-Taker needs to solve a series of crimes. And to do so, he needs the help of a woman he hasn't spoken to in eight years. A woman\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "8.5\/10"","block_context":{"text":"8.5\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/8-5-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"A Talent for Trickery","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/A-Talent-for-Trickery-e1511012717126.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13409","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13409"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13409\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13409"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13409"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13409"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}