THE IMPOSTER

Author: Celeste Bradley ISBN: 0312984863 10/2003 HISTORICAL Publisher: ST. MARTIN'S PRESS
Time Period: Regency

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! Visit Celeste at her website http://www.celestebradley.com/

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Sometimes you're lucky enough to find a book where everything falls neatly into place. One page flows to the next, and before you know it you're at the end of the story, satisfied and feeling as well fed as a cat with warm cream. Fortunately, I know that THE IMPOSTER is not the end, for I have one more entertaining and masterfully written followup in this series (The Liar's Club) to look forward to, and thankfully, I don't have long to wait to get it.

In a nutshell, the plot revolves around widowed Clara, who has an artist's talent for caricature and cartooning. She secretly sells her political lampoons under the name Sir Thorogood in order to earn enough money to become self-sufficient. But not everyone appreciates her political and social satires, and soon Liar's Club agent Dalton Montmorency is sent undercover to ferret out Sir Thorogood by pretending to be the political cartoonist. What Dalton hadn't counted on, though, was falling in love with the cheeky lampooner, and when his mission suddenly turns deadly, he finds himself forced to choose between the love of his country or his love for "Sir Thorogood".

What makes this book so good is that THE IMPOSTER has a voice, a way of placing the characters and action outside the one-dimensional sheet of paper and ink, thanks to Celeste Bradley's articulate and skillful writing style. With wit and a deft hand, she renders her characters in flesh and blood; I want Clara to be my friend in real life. I like her. I respect her. I envy her her significant other. She and Dalton entertained me with their banter and intelligence, as did the multitude of secondary characters that weave in and out of the storyline, including a few from her previous release, THE PRETENDER. That's what I look most for in the books I read: to be entertained and escape this hectic and chaotic world I live in. And thanks to Ms. Bradley, THE IMPOSTER allowed me to do just that.

What more can I say? Not much. Just read it. You'll like it. 'Nuff said.

Nancy Davis