Reviews for A dangerous engagement

Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

An English couple resolves to enjoy their holiday in New York despite Prohibition and murder.Although Milo Ames thinks their trip may be dull for both him and his wife, Amory, he's soon proven wrong. Amory is to be a bridesmaid in her friend Tabitha Alden's wedding, and although Tabitha's father, Benjamin, has been rumored to be in financial difficulties, both his posh car and his grand house indicate otherwise. Once settled in, they meet Tabitha's fiance, Thomas Smith; the other bridesmaid, Jemma Petrie; and advertising man Rudolph Elliot, a friend of Tom's. Late for dinner is groomsman Grant Palmer, tall, dark, and handsome but with something not quite right about him. While Amory goes about her business as a bridesmaid, Milo discovers that the law against alcohol is widely ignored and samples speak-easies and gambling dens with Tom. Tabitha worries about her father's strange behavior, and Amory's shocked when Milo says he's investing in Mr. Alden's shipping business. When Palmer is shot dead on the steps of the Alden home, Amory, no slouch when it comes to solving murders (An Act of Villainy, 2018, etc.), immediately realizes that detectives Andrews and Bailey will give her nothing like the leeway that Scotland Yard's offered her. Although Milo tries to talk her out of nosing around, she feels she must help Tabitha, who's sick with worry over her father and horrified by the murder. So she goes to visit Leon De Lora, a well-known gangster who owns night clubs and may have a hand in far less reputable businesses. Affecting an American accent, she pretends to be a reporter hoping for a story and finds De Lora magnetic, charming, and intimidating. Milo, who's not best pleased when he finds out, is conducting his own investigation to protect his interests. They dig up enough dirt to put them both in danger as their always dicey marital relationship keeps them pondering the future.Though Weaver supplies plenty of suspects, this isn't one of her best, as it lacks the usual sexual tension. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

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