Aside from my subjective issues with the path Huber chose for these characters, I like this series; you could say I enjoy them in spite of myself.  But while this book was a 4 star read on the strength of its plot, it might have been a 4.5/5 star read if not for the weakness of the editing.

The narrative is much longer than it needed to be because Huber, with admirable motivation, spends a lot of time ruminating on the devastation wrought on both the soldiers who fought in WWI, and those left behind to cope in fear and anxiety.  She does bring light to many aspects of the horror that is war, especially the first world war, but she spends too much time doing it, and this is a murder mystery, after all.  I'm confident a lot of it could have been cut without losing the more important message, and the overall story would have been a lot better for it.

Still, the plot is a strong one, with aspects of scavenger and treasure hunting spicing up what would otherwise be an ordinary nemesis plot running parallel to a murder mystery.  I'm still kid enough to enjoy rhyming clues and secret codes, as well as the touch of cloak and dagger when used judiciously, and it is here.

As I opened the post with, I still don't like what Huber is doing with the characters; while there are no love triangles or quadrangles, she has two other men in love with Verity who are dedicated to uncovering the series' plot; there seems to be no plan for this to change and it's tiresome.  Luckily, the murder mysteries have so far made up for it.  Can't see that lasting much longer though.

Each time after reading the first two books, I told myself I wasn't going to read the next one, because I really dislike the way she setup the characters.  To explain more would be a plot spoiler for book 1, sorry.  But yet, I keep on picking up the next book and reading it.  

Characters' lives aside, Anna Lee Huber writes a good mystery.  The plots are generally intricate and mostly avoid the trite or well-worn paths of the genre.  This one was no different, except that it's setting up a multi book arc with a nemesis, and I'm pretty wishy-washy about nemeses.  I also got a little bit tired of the constant references to Verity's spy career during the war.  I suspect this is a Kensington editorial thing as it's the type of over-reference I find a lot in their books, making me wonder if they underestimate their readers' abilities to reading comprehension.

Generally an enjoyable read, but once again, I find myself thinking I might not buy the next one, though of course, I probably will anyway.

Verity Kent is slowly coming to terms with the fact that she's a widow; and she gets an invitation to a house party that's going to have several of her husband's friends and co-army veterans there. It's somewhat awkward, particularly as one of the men there is attracting her, Max, who was her husband's commanding officer. When one of the men there dies and they're isolated on the island the party is on, things get very complicated. She works with Max to investigate hoping that they will discover who is behind the murder. And then there was another death and things keep getting complicated. The war casts a long shadow. It's an interesting read that I really enjoyed and found interesting. I'm curious to see what happens with Verity next.

Lady Kiera Darby and her pregnant sister and brother-in-law are on the road to Edinburgh when they stop off at a friends' house. Michael Dalmay is about to be married and there is pressure on him to assume the Baronetcy, but his troubled brother who was heir, is alive, not dead as rumoured, but his sanity is in question. He had been in an experimental asylum and now his brother is trying to do right by him. When a girls body is found all eyes turn to the madman but Lady Kiera is certain the story is more complicated, and she's right. Accompanied by Gage she once again investigates and the truth is complicated.

It was an interesting read and I look forward to more about this interesting character.