In An Impossible Impostor, Deanna Raybourn (An Unexpected Peril) brings readers a new entry in her delightful Victorian mystery series featuring Veronica Speedwell, a natural historian and amateur detective. Veronica has been to the ends of the world and back in search of rare and unusual butterflies. But in recent years, her investigative adventures with Stoker, her business and romantic partner, have kept her busier than her lepidopterology.
Stoker and Veronica have just solved a mystery abroad and are back home in London when they are approached by Sir Hugo Montgomerie, the head of Special Branch of Scotland Yard. Family friends of Sir Hugo are shocked by the sudden reappearance of Jonathan Hathaway, their long-lost eldest son, whom they presumed died in the eruption of Krakatoa years earlier. The Hathaways are divided: some of them believe this person is Jonathan, while others insist he is not. Given that Jonathan is the heir to the estate, a great deal of money is on the line. Sir Hugo believes that Veronica, who was traveling near Krakatoa just before its eruption, may have recently seen the adult Jonathan. He sends Veronica and Stoker to the Hathaway family home to see if they can determine if Jonathan is who he claims to be.
Enigmatic and surprising, An Impossible Impostor will surprise long-time Veronica fans. Those new to the series are sure to enjoy Veronica's imperturbable joie de vivre as she uncovers shocking truths about the Hathaways--and about her own past. Well-researched and amusingly written, An Impossible Impostor is historical mystery at its finest. --Jessica Howard, bookseller at Bookmans, Flagstaff, Ariz.