A Talent for Trickery

by Alissa Johnson

Overview

"In a plot that twists, turns and surprises, Johnson has woven a compelling romance between two stubborn, endearing people. If you love smart heroines, intelligent heroes, witty dialogue and clever mystery plots, this gem of a historical romance might steal your heart."—Bookpage

Detective Inspector Owen Rednerwell once found himself entangled with Charlotte Walker, the daughter of an infamous criminal. Now his new case will draw him back to the woman he could never forget.

Years ago, Owen Renderwell earned acclaim—and a title—for the dashing rescue of a kidnapped duchess. But only a select few knew that Scotland Yard's most famous detective was working alongside London's most infamous thief…and his criminally brilliant daughter, Charlotte Walker.

Lottie was like no other woman in Victorian England. She challenged him. She dazzled him. She questioned everything he believed and everything he was, and he has never wanted anyone more. And then he lost her.

Now a private detective on the trail of a murderer, Owen has stormed back into Lottie's life. She knows that no matter what they may pretend, he will always be a man of the law and she a criminal. Yet whenever he's near, Owen has a way of making things complicated…and long for a future that can never be theirs.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781492620501
Publisher:	Sourcebooks
Publication date:	11/03/2015
Series:	The Thief-takers , #1
Pages:	372
Product dimensions:	4.30(w) x 6.90(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Alissa Johnson is a RITA nominated author of historical romance. She grew up on Air Force bases, and attended St. Olaf College in Minnesota. She currently resides in the Arkansan Ozarks where she spends her free time keeping her Aussie dog busy, visiting with family, and dabbling in archery.

Editorial Reviews

09/14/2015
Opening a series set in Victorian England, Johnson (Destined to Last) displays her talent for depicting families whose relationships balance antagonistic frustration and well-meaning warmth. Viscount Owen Renderwell, once one of Scotland Yard’s greatest thief-takers, arrives at the secret home of Charlotte “Lottie” Walker, whose father, Walter, was a thief turned informant who recently died. Owen hopes to search Walter’s journals for clues to encrypted letters found where a London madam was murdered, but needs the support of his old crush Lottie. She hates Owen for his role in her father’s death, and she wishes to hide her family’s criminal past from her younger brother, Peter, as well as keeping the details of her own involvement from Owen. Night work on secret codes brings Lottie and Owen enticingly close, but a stalker in the woods leads Owen to dedicate himself to catching the criminal, while young Peter is determined to take on a man’s protective role. The romantic thread is never lost, though it sometimes takes a backseat to plot, and the leads’ blend of cleverness and stubbornness makes their push-pull dynamic a joy. Agent: Emmanuelle Morgen, Stonesong. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

"I have never read a book by Alissa Johnson before, and after I read A Talent for Trickery I had that "Nomnomnommoremoremore" feeling which is a problem because Alissa has written a ton of other books and I don’t know when I’ll find time to read them all. But I do know that I want to read them NOW. Because A Talent for Trickery was so good, you guys. Really superlative. I ate it up. I stayed up late to finished it. It was nommy historical romance goodness. Grade: A." — Smart Bitches, Trashy Books

"[T]he leads’ blend of cleverness and stubbornness makes their push-pull dynamic a joy." — Publishers Weekly

"In a plot that twists, turns and surprises, Johnson has woven a compelling romance between two stubborn, endearing people. If you love smart heroines, intelligent heroes, witty dialogue and clever mystery plots, this gem of a historical romance might steal your heart." — BookPage

"If you like your historical romances with a touch of suspense, strong heroines, and dashing, driven heroes, then I recommend A TALENT FOR TRICKERY. I can't wait to read the next installment in this new series. Night Owl Reviews Top Pick!" — Night Owl Review

"Johnson begins her new Victorian-set Thief Takers series with a bang with a richly nuanced cast of characters whom Dickens himself might envy, and an expertly crafted mystery sweetened with just the right amount of passion." — Booklist

"Setting a consistent pace from the start, the romance between Lottie and Owen unfolds with plenty of humor — at times acidic, which makes it even more fun! — and an escalating danger that discourages readers from putting down book one in The Thief-Takers series for any reason other than they’ve reached the end." — USA Today HEA

"From the first page, Johnson seizes readers’ attention with both the intriguing mystery element and the heated romance. Losing none of her witty dialogue or clever plotting, she pulls readers this way and that as the story swiftly turns from suspense to romance and back again. Even when the pacing slows toward the middle, readers will hang on until the exciting conclusion." — RT Book Reviews, 4 Stars

"The author manages to surprise the reader time and again...This is worth a read..." — Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

2015-08-17
A viscount investigating a murder for the crown is reunited with the beautiful daughter of a criminal he nabbed several years before. Johnson (A Christmas Dance, 2014, etc.) returns with the first book in her new Victorian-era Thief Takers series. Owen Renderwell was awarded a viscountcy for service to the crown, but now he's in a quandary. A string of robberies culminating with a murder is leading him back to an old investigation. William Walker, notorious swindler and thief, often used codes and ciphers to communicate with his colleagues. Similar codes are showing up in letters left at this latest series of crime scenes, but Walker died 8 years ago, and his daughter Charlotte, now living under an assumed name with her younger sister and brother, hasn't forgiven Owen for her father's death. Owen needs Lottie's help to crack the code before the killer strikes again. But when he and his men visit Lottie in the country, they realize they've led the criminal right to the Walker children, which may have been the killer's intent all along. While Charlotte and Owen work to decipher the letters using William Walker's old journals, someone besieges the house by setting fire to the barn and firing a gun through the window. Lottie and Owen must learn to trust each other amid a decade's worth of lies and deception, and Lottie must face the fact that her 14-year-old brother is growing up and is not going to believe her whitewashed version of their family history forever. The author manages to surprise the reader time and again, making this a successful mystery novel, but the romance itself is rather humdrum and predictable. This is worth a read because of the twists in the criminal investigation, in spite of a not-so-scintillating love story.

Kirkus Reviews