"Combines history, romance and mystery in one neat package"
In 1876 Chicago, Allan Pinkerton worries about the
safety of one of his best female operatives. Too many
recent incidents in which the cover of Sarah "Yancey"
Calhoun has been blown have occurred. Allan and Yancey
consult and she explains to him about the letters from
England and the death of another Chicago resident with her
name. Since all roads lead back across the Atlantic, Allan
sends Yancey to England to straighten out why someone wants
her dead. Sarah journeys to the remote estate of Lord Samuel
Treyhorne, husband to her dead namesake and son to the
letter writer. Samuel distrusts Yancey especially when she
claims his mother sent for her. As they struggle with one
another love blossoms between them, but a killer wants both
of them dead. Unless they learn to trust one another,
Sarah and Samuel may fulfill their unknown assailant's
fondest wish. Fans of Cheryl Anne Porter's western romances (see WILD
FIRE) need to understand that though the novel starts in
the 1870s the Pinkerton Office, the plot is a romantic
Victorian mystery. The author easily transitions into the
genre with this wonderfully written tale. The lead couple
is dynamic, as the aristocratic Samuel and the working
class Yancey battles one another as much as they war with
their enemy. The romance lightens yet embellishes the who-
done-it of THE MARRIAGE MASQUERADE because the audience
understands the lead couple so that their efforts make for
a stronger story line. Ms. Porter's current fans will want
more novels like this one while a horde of new admirers
should surface. Harriet Klausner
Reviewed by PNR Group Member
Posted February 18, 2002
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