Title: The Counterfeit Viscount
Series: A Novella in the Wicked Gentlemen -verse
Author: Ginn Hale
Publisher: Blind Eye Books
Length: 123 Pages
Category: Fantasy, Mystery
At a Glance: The Counterfeit Viscount drew upon my sentimentality and the affection I have for this vivid alternate reality -verse, and, as always, Hale’s writing exudes atmosphere.
Reviewed By: Lisa
Blurb: When Prodigal devils begin disappearing, Archie Fallmont, Viscount of Granville, finds himself in the unenviable position of being required to investigate. He has, after all, sold his soul to the handsome devil—and flashy dresser—Nimble Hobbs. Now Archie must join Nimble, sleuthing out the knotty scandals of noble families and an infamously exclusive club.
But Archie and Nimble are soon up against much worse than absent actresses, debauched drunks, and dreadful poetry recitals. Bullets fly and top hats fall, as secrets are unearthed and a murderer decides to put an end to their inquiries.
Review: Ginn Hale’s Wicked Gentleman instigated my years-long love affair with her writing when I read it (the first time) ten years ago. It prompted me to go on to read everything, or close to it, that she’s written since. While The Counterfeit Viscount is not a direct sequel to that book, it is a book set in that world; it assumes some familiarity between readers and the world of humans and the Prodigals who reside in Hells Below, and therefore, in my opinion, for maximum fulfillment this novella shouldn’t be read without indulging in Belimai Sykes and Captain Harper’s story first, which is not at all a hardship.
The Counterfeit Viscount takes place some years post-Wicked Gentlemen, offering a bit of insight into where our beloved Belimai is now, and centering not only a new couple but a mystery to boot. Prodigals are disappearing without a trace, and when a young Prodigal boy appeals to Nimble Hobbs—a Prodigal himself—for help in investigating one disappearance in particular, the intrigue and danger are set into motion.
Running alongside and intersecting with the investigation is the relationship between Nimble and Archibald Granville, Viscount Fallmont, a man with whom Nimble shares a past, a particular connection, and no small amount of mutual regard and affection. Archie is running a long con, to put none too fine a point on it—albeit it a justifiable one given the odiousness of his mark—with Nimble’s help and support, which becomes entangled with their work to find the missing Prodigal Nancy Beelze. As the plot thickens, Hale parses out some of the secrets and intrigues that have nothing to do with the mystery and everything to do with the complicated relationship between Nimble and Archie, the ways in which the Prodigals are still the outcast and downtrodden relegated to Hells Below, and the inequity that exists between Nimble and Archie because of it.
As always, Hale’s writing exudes atmosphere, the reader’s senses fully engaged while drawing an emotional connection between characters and reader. She also takes care to advance this world she created in 2007, which left me to wonder what one B. Sykes would think of such change occurring in his lifetime. The Counterfeit Viscount drew upon my sentimentality and the affection I have for this vivid alternate reality -verse, and allowed my complete indulgence, once again, in this author’s words. Here’s to more Nimble and Archie mysteries, please?
You can buy The Counterfeit Viscount here:
[zilla_button url=”https://books2read.com/The-Counterfeit-Viscount” style=”black” size=”large” type=”round” target=”_blank”] Amazon & Other eTailers [/zilla_button]