Can I say, this is the first book I haven’t been able to put down in a long time. I mean, seriously, wow. The sad thing is it’s not exceptionally well done or surprising. The plot seemed a little typical, but I couldn’t stop turning pages, eager to see what became of Jo Slater and the Countess de Passy.

When Jo Slater, one of the grandest of New York’s grande dames and great patron of the arts, befriends a young French countess, trouble begins. Ignoring warnings from friends, Jo abruptly discovers the truth about her mysterious guest. But it is too late. Jo is knocked off her pedestal and the young woman takes her place in society. Dethroned and dispossessed in the world where she once reigned, she sets out to recoup her fortune and reclaim her throne. Using her knowledge of the eighteenth century, she concocts an ingenious scheme based on the greatest historical swindle of all time, a true story involving Marie Antoinette. In order for the scheme to work, however, she must resort to the most desperate of all measures: murder.

This is a neat little mystery written in classic mystery form with just enough wit to keep a person’s interest.