Canadian author Iona Whishaw spins another engrossing tale of murder, Russian assassins, British spies and local Canadian constabulary while deftly braiding the many story threads into a twisty plot in A Deceptive Devotion. In September 1947, retired spy Lane Winslow is happily contemplating her upcoming marriage to Inspector Darling when an elderly Russian woman seeks her aid. She takes the destitute lady into her home while Darling searches for the woman's missing brother. Meanwhile, in the Soviet Union, an aging spy Lane once tried to recruit for the U.K. is forcibly retired and sent off to a prison camp. He escapes, using his experience as an agent to seek a way out of the the country and reach asylum in Canada.
When bucolic King's Cove is rocked by a shocking murder, Lane and Darling's search for her guest's brother must take a backseat. But are they overlooking an integral connection between the missing sibling, the escaped Soviet spy and the grisly murder--one that could catch the killer?
Without slowing the pace of the main plot, Whishaw cleverly explores each of her main characters' life experiences that have brought them to this seemingly inevitable confrontation in King's Cove. This sixth entry in the Lane Winslow mystery series can be enjoyed without reading the prior titles and is sure to satisfy fans of riveting, well-conceived stories and smart, interesting characters. --Lois Dyer, freelance book reviewer