Lady Juliette Thorndike is finally coming home. For most of her schooling life, she has been attending a finishing school in Switzerland. Following her graduation, she and her best friend, Agatha Montgomery, return to London to begin her debutante season. However, she is met at the shipping dock by her uncle. Her parents are missing, and she finds out later that her parents are spies for the Crown. There are several art pieces that have secret codes embedded in them that list the spies in their organization. If this comes into the wrong hands, all spies will be in danger.
Meanwhile, Bow Street police officer Daniel Swann is investigating all of these thefts, including one murder associated with one of the thefts. This leads him into a direct path to Lady Juliette who he starts to develop romantic feelings for. Can Lady Juliette keep her family secret to herself? Will Daniel Swann get at the truth? His boss continues to pressure him to conclude the case soon or else he will be fired. He is desperate to solve this, but what will be his reaction if he finds out about the spy ring?
This novel was described as Jane Austen meets Sherlock Holmes. This is inaccurate. It is more like Jane Austen meets James Bond. There is some degree of mystery, but it is mostly a spy novel. I thought this novel was very well done. It had romance, suspense, and great characters. I highly recommend it and I am looking forward to the rest of the series.
Next Book in Series: Millstone of Doubt (Thorndike and Swann Mysteries- Book 2) This is a three-book series.
Next Book to Review: Gentleman of Her Dreams (Ladies of Distinction- Novella) and Christmas Crime Cover-Up