Synopsis
He is a member of The Liar's Club, an elite group of renegade spies who work in the service of the Crown. His missions are difficult, dangerous, and undercover, requiring him to study his subject very, very intimately. And he is accustomed to always having his way-whether it's in work or play...The Imposter.
It isn't easy moving about Society dressed like a dandy-especially when one is a ruthless spy. But that's precisely the latest mission for Liar's Club agent Dalton Montmorecy. Dalton is posing as Sir Thorogood, the elusive cartoonist whose scathing political caricatures have all of London abuzz. The true identity of Sir Thorogood is a mystery, and Dalton hopes that impersonating him will flush out the real menace before his cartoons do further damage to the Crown. Now, if Dalton could only find a way to get the irksome, yet oddly appealing widow, Clara Simpson, off his trail...
When Clara meets Sir Thorogood at a ball, she's certain he is an impostor-because she's the true Sir Thorogood. Secretly penning the cartoons under the frothy nom de plume, Clara hopes to save enough money so that she can leave her in-laws and find a new residence. Now she is determined to reveal an imposter's identity-and that means doing some undercover work herself. But pretending to be someone you're not has a funny way of making a woman do things she wouldn't ordinarily dream of-even if it drives her straight into the arms of her devilishly handsome adversary!
Publishers Weekly
Bradley's Regency-era Liar's Club series (The Pretender, etc.) is based on a trite premise that a band of aristocratic gentlemen are really "ruthless" covert operatives for the Crown but this fast, frothy second installment proves that even old formulas can yield surprising results. When young widow Clara Simpson inadvertently rouses the Crown's ire with her reformist cartoons, penned under the nom de plume of Sir Thorogood, Liar's Club member Dalton Montmorency decides to pose as Sir Thorogood to flush the elusive cartoonist out into the open. As Sir Thorogood, Dalton finds himself fending off several attempts on his life. Clara, meanwhile, makes it her mission to unmask him. The game becomes even more complex when Dalton tries to break into the house where Clara is posing as a maid to dig up material for her next cartoon. Clara mistakes Dalton for a thief, and he, in turn, believes her a maid. In these roles, the two allow their attraction to blossom. Bradley carefully layers deception upon deception, keeping the intrigue level high and the tone bright. Despite the book's sober second half and bittersweet denouement, readers will race through this delightful comedy of errors and eagerly anticipate the next installment. (Oct.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.