Secrets Lie in Wait (An Emmeline Kirby and Gregory Langdon Mystery ) by Daniella Bernett

Book Blurb

Lost, found, stolen, dead…

In a den of enemies, there’s nowhere to hide

Debonair jewel thief/insurance investigator Gregory Longdon has always relied on his wits to extricate himself from tricky situations. But when he’s kidnapped and framed for murder in Amsterdam by Russian mafia boss Bogdan Kozlov, living on a knife’s edge stops being a game. Meanwhile, his wife, journalist Emmeline Kirby, is stirring up trouble-as usual-with articles about Kozlov’s diamond smuggling operation and the Golden Tulip, a looted 130-carat yellow diamond with a long, colorful past.

As husband and wife fight to clear Gregory’s name, they stumble into a web of blackmail and cover-ups that reaches the highest echelons of the British government and society. Rival under-world figures and the rich and powerful all have designs on the Golden Tulip. Emmeline and Gregory soon learn that running into danger means running for their lives.

My Review

I’m taking a break from blogging but it seems fitting that my last blog post for a while should be the new book in one of my favourite mystery series, The Emmeline Kirby and Gregory Longdon Series by Daniella Bernett.

Picking up Secrets Lie in Wait is like meeting old friends for a cozy, if thrilling, evening of fun. I love the rapport between the regular characters that seems to develop book after book. Emmeline and Gregory do seem like an unlikely couple, she is an investigative journalist and he an ex jewel thief and insurance investigator. Emmeline is a dogged journalist, pushing boundaries to the point of putting herself in danger in search for the truth. Her only blindside is her husband who can do no wrong in her eyes, and is convinced he is no longer a jewel thief. It’s easy to understand why, he is charming, suave, sophisticated and of course good looking. However he can’t charm everyone, the over worked Superintendent Oliver Burrell blames his ulcer on Gregory and his shenanigans.

Daniella is a masterful storyteller. I love her plotting of the story, the twists and turns that always surprise me and the intricate details that makes these books such a joy to read. The suspense and intrigue is broken up by plenty of wit and wry humour that always makes me smile, Daniella maybe American but she picks up the nuances of British humour perfectly.

A lot of Secrets Lie in Wait is about a diamond, stolen by a by a Nazi Officer, and the diamond trade and thus set in the diamond capital of Amsterdam. I love Amsterdam and through Daniela’s descriptive prose I could have been there with Emmeline and Gregory. She really captured the beauty of the floating flower market, the museumplein and the stunning architecture; she really encapsulated the ambiance of this beautiful city for me. The thrill of a diamond smuggling ring, jewel thieves, MI5 and MI6 made the city even more exciting than it usually is.

As always I loved this book so much. Daniella perfectly balances her nuanced characters with a compelling and suspenseful plot line. The prose is engaging and its all go from page one, with no preamble, so you are straight into the action. Full of detail, with complex and suspenseful plot that yet again ends on a cliffhanger this is a perfect thriller. I cant wait for the next instalment.

I’d like to thank Daniella Bernett for sending me a copy of her book in return for my honest review.