by Sandra Murphy

Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of the book, and a link to purchase it from Amazon and an indie bookstore.

Elizabeth Miles is a con artist, semi-retired. She’s trying to retire fully, but well, things keep happening. Right now she’s getting ready for her wedding to Gideon Bates. She’s shocked to find news of her wedding has been leaked to all the gossip columnists in town. Her worst fear comes true when Oscar Thornton, a true enemy, who thought she was dead, reads the news.

One of Gideon’s friends, Logan, is back from the war. He’s in a jam for sure, having fallen in love with a French woman while engaged to Rosemary back home. Being the dutiful sort, he feels obligated to go through with the wedding.

When Logan receives a letter from his French sweetheart, asking for money, he’s torn. He explains the situation to Gideon, an attorney, who suggests speaking to Elizabeth. She grasps the situation at once—a Spanish Prisoner con. Since Elizabeth believes Rosemary is behind the gossip columnist’s information, she’s only too happy to help Logan find a way to marry his French love.

Enter Lord Percy, on a trip to America to buy horses for his estate. His own horses were confiscated by the English army. There’s also a bit of diplomatic work to be done.

Will Elizabeth be able to dodge Oscar, rescue Logan, get her revenge on Rosemary, plan her wedding, and keep Gideon mostly but not entirely in the dark, for his own good?

This is book four in the series and one I always look forward to. Think of the television show Leverage or the Ocean’s movies where nothing is as it seems but all is revealed in the end, to the satisfaction of everyone except the mark. The story is full of humor, some danger, twists, and turns, making the mystery a satisfying read. Start with this book but be prepared to go back to book one to see how a con woman meets a respectable attorney and falls in love.

To enter to win a copy of City of Schemes, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “schemes,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen March 27, 2021. U.S. residents only, and you must be 18 or older to enter. If you are entering via email please include you mailing address in case you win, it will be deleted after the contest. You can read our privacy statement here if you like. BE AWARE THAT IT WILL TAKE MUCH LONGER THAN USUAL FOR WINNERS TO GET THEIR BOOKS DUE TO THE CURRENT CRISIS.

Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & mystery short stories in our mystery section. And join our mystery Facebook group to keep up with everything mystery we post, and have a chance at some extra giveaways. Also listen to our new mystery podcast where mystery short stories and first chapters are read by actors! They are also available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Spotify. A new episode went up this week.

You can use this link to purchase this book from indie bookstore Mysterious Galaxy, and KRL gets a portion of the sale:

City of Schemes (A Counterfeit Lady Novel #4)

You can use this link to purchase these book from Amazon. If you have ad blocker on you may not see the link:

Sandra Murphy lives in the shadow of the Arch in St. Louis Missouri. She’s editor for Peace, Love, and Crime: Crime Stories Inspired by the Songs of the ’60s, with twenty-two cozy stories. She also edited A Murder of Crows, twenty-one stories featuring animals and crime (no animals were harmed). She also writes for magazines, newsletters, and the occasional guest blog. Both anthologies are available at the usual outlets, print or ebook.

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.