{"id":23715,"date":"2024-06-28T20:30:15","date_gmt":"2024-06-29T00:30:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/?p=23715"},"modified":"2024-08-08T19:58:19","modified_gmt":"2024-08-08T23:58:19","slug":"a-deceptive-composition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/23715","title":{"rendered":"A Deceptive Composition"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Deceptive Composition<\/em><\/a> (2024) Anna Lee Huber<\/a> (Lady Darby Mystery #12)<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>Set in England in 1832<\/p>\n

Lord Gage has received a letter from his aunt Amelia, informing him that his Uncle Branok Roscarrock, is dead, she believes it was murder, and asks Lord Gage to come investigate–even though Lord Gage hasn’t spoken to his relatives since he was a child.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy aunt,\u201d Lord Gage finally replied. His eyes when they lifted to meet ours shimmered with repressed emotions. \u201cHer maiden name was Roscarrock.\u201d <\/p>\n

I straightened in realization. For Roscarrock was Lord Gage\u2019s mother\u2019s maiden name. He had long described them as smugglers and rogues, but two months prior he had elaborated upon this report. Not only were they smugglers and rogues in truth, but Lord Gage had been arrested at the tender age of eleven for taking part in their free trading. The magistrate overseeing his case had given him three options\u2014go to prison, pay a hefty fine, or purchase a commission in the Royal Navy. His father had washed his hands of him, but his Grandfather Roscarrock had chosen the latter.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Kiera and Sebastian convince Sebastian’s father to travel to Cornwall to investigate, not only for the possibility of murder, but because Sebastian is curious about the family he knows almost nothing about.<\/p>\n

\u201c?\u2019Tis always sad when the opportunity to mend one\u2019s differences\u2014nay matter hoo small\u2014closes forever. \u2019Tis something to be lamented.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

how do you mourn someone you never really knew? Perhaps you merely mourn the space in your life they should have occupied, the void their absence left behind. Like an echo of pain rather than the ache itself.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The mystery was good, however, the story again chose the dramatic bit I saw coming from a mile away. It’s not that it was a bad choice, it was just glaringly obvious, much like when it came time for Kiera to give birth and I KNEW something terrible was going to happen so she had to give birth in some strange place.<\/p>\n

I just prefer it when stories don’t take the obvious route.<\/p>\n

It was good to see Lord Gage’s family, and how what happened in his childhood shaped who he became and how he raised Sebastian. I’m still not sure how much I believe the reconciliation between Sebastian and his father, but at least it wasn’t unrealistic, with both men still prickly and uncomfortable with each other.<\/p>\n

It wasn’t a bad book–not at all–I just wish she didn’t always take the obvious and dramatic route for the resolution of every mystery.<\/p>\n

Characters<\/strong>: Stephen Lord Gage, Emma Gage, Amelia Killigrew, Branok Roscarrock, Bree, Anderly, Tristam Killigrew, Dolly Killigrew, Morgan Knill, Anne Wolcott, Imogen Trewhella, Jago, Pasca Grenville, Dr. Wolcott, Meryasek Roscarrock, Bevil Killigrew, Joan<\/p>\n

Cover art by Larry Rostant<\/p>\n

Publisher: Berkley<\/p>\n

Rating: 7.5\/10<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Deceptive Composition (2024) Anna Lee Huber (Lady Darby Mystery #12) Set in England in 1832 Lord Gage has received a letter from his aunt Amelia, informing him that his Uncle Branok Roscarrock, is dead, she believes it was murder, and asks Lord Gage to come investigate–even though Lord Gage hasn’t spoken to his relatives […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_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},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[194,30,292,204,33,8],"tags":[114,115],"class_list":["post-23715","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-7-5-10","category-british","category-ebook","category-good","category-historical","category-mystery","tag-anna-lee-huber","tag-lady-darby"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/piQkW-6av","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":11825,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/11825","url_meta":{"origin":23715,"position":0},"title":"An Artless Demise","author":"Michelle","date":"April 5, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"An Artless Demise (2019) Anna Lee Huber Set in London in November 1831 Kiera and Sebastian are in London, trying to settle into married life, but murder and body snatchers are reminding people who Kiera left in the first place, and Lord Gage is reminding Sebastian that his marriage 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\/2019\/04\/An-Artless-Demise.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5683,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/5683","url_meta":{"origin":23715,"position":1},"title":"A Study in Death","author":"Michelle","date":"February 23, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"A Study in Death (2015) Anna Lee Huber When Lady Drummond dies in front of Lady Darby, Kiera immediately believes the death not due to be apoplexy, but to poison. Unfortunately, Lord Drummond all but throws Lady Darby out, and so she cannot--even with the help of Gage--openly investigate the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "8\/10"","block_context":{"text":"8\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/8-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"A-Study-in-Death","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/A-Study-in-Death.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":22133,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/22133","url_meta":{"origin":23715,"position":2},"title":"A Fatal Illusion","author":"Michelle","date":"August 6, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"A Fatal Illusion (2023) Anna Lee Huber (Lady Darby) Set in England in 1832 This book picks up immediately after the events of the previous book. Kiera and Gage are rushing to Yorkshire after receiving a message that Lord Gage had been shot. 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Except it isn't really a short story, as much as it would truly be an excerpt from either the end of the previous book or the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "British"","block_context":{"text":"British","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/british"},"img":{"alt_text":"a_pressing_engagement","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/a_pressing_engagement.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5968,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/5968","url_meta":{"origin":23715,"position":4},"title":"As Death Draws Near","author":"Michelle","date":"July 14, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"As Death Draws Near (2016) Anna Lee Huber Set in England and Ireland in 1831 Lady Kiera Darby and Sebastian Gage are honeymooning in Keswick when he receives orders from his father to go to Ireland to investigate the death of a nun, who happened to have been the niece\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":"As-Death-Draws-Near","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/As-Death-Draws-Near.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":24709,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/24709","url_meta":{"origin":23715,"position":5},"title":"A Tarnished Canvas","author":"Michelle","date":"July 19, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"A Tarnished Canvas (2025) Anna Lee Huber (Lady Darby #13) Set in Edinburgh in 1833 Kiera and Sebastian are getting ready to celebrate Emma's first birthday, with Kiera's sister, Alanna doing much of the planning while Kiera finishes up the series of paintings she has been working on. 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