The Counterfeit Guest: A Novel [Paperback]

Rose Melikan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 4, 2009

In this rousing sequel to The Blackstone Key, Rose Melikan’s heroine returns to the world of espionage for an intelligent, thrilling adventure in Georgian England.

When the story begins Mary is a wealthy heiress. Young ladies in her situation ought to marry well—as her friend Susannah Armitage has. But is Susannah’s marriage to Colonel Crosby-Nash all that it seems? Mary thinks not, and when her suspicions lead to a meeting with the elusive spymaster, Cuthbert Shy, he reveals the terrible truth—the colonel is a traitor. At Shy’s request, Mary agrees to accompany the Crosby-Nashes to their country estate, in order to discover his secrets. It is a perilous assignment, and the danger increases when her only means of communicating with Shy is murderously cut off. If only Mary could contact the redoubtable Captain Robert Holland, but as he has inexplicably ended their friendship, his help seems out of reach.… In the grand tradition of Charlotte Bronte and Daphne du Maurier, Melikan presents a gripping tale of adventure and romance, while enhancing both with flawless details of time and place. The combination will keep readers holding their breath until the next explosive installment.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Set in England in 1796, Melikan's sprightly sequel to The Blackstone Key (2008) finds Mary Finch, once a poor teacher, now a wealthy heiress. At a ball given in London by Mary's friend Susannah and Susannah's new husband, Colonel Crosby-Nash, Mary witnesses Crosby-Nash meeting with a disguised stranger. Mysterious espionage expert Cuthbert Shy guesses that Crosby-Nash is involved in sedition and encourages Mary to travel with the couple to their Kent estate to gather more information. Mary's researches are aided, yet also complicated, by Capt. Robert Holland, an artillery officer whose headquarters in Woolwich is one of the plotters' targets—and whose romance with Mary is stymied by her new fortune. Overdoses of conversation and coincidence weaken the middle chapters, but the novel's confident voice, quirky characters and sparkling period detail should keep fans of light historical thrillers turning the pages. (Aug.)
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About the Author

Rose Melikan was born in Detroit, Michigan.  Since 1993, she has been a Fellow of St. 

Catharine's College, Cambridge.  Her academic research centers on 18th and early 19th 

British political and constitutional history.  She lives in Cambridge, England with her husband.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Touchstone; Original edition (August 4, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416560874
• ISBN-13: 978-1416560876
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (43 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,009,874 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Rose Melikan was born in Detroit, Michigan. Since 1993, she has been a Fellow of St. Catharine's College, Cambridge. Her academic research centers on 18th and early 19th British political and constitutional history. She lives in Cambridge, England with her husband.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Historical, August 3, 2009

By 

Elaine C McTyer "avid reader" (Dawson, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Counterfeit Guest: A Novel (Paperback)

(What's this?)

If you are looking for a historical this is a good one, however it is a so-so romance. The author has written a very precise look at this time in history. Women at that time were very limited in their ability to seek out a mate of their choice. The mores of the day prevailed. A woman did not come into contact with very many eligible men and the men were the ones with the right to decide if they would offer for the woman. Love was not ever part of the equation.

Mary is an heiress, due to the fortunate passing of an elderly relative. In the previous book she and Captain Robert Holland were attracted to each other. At that time each was relatively poor and depended upon their work for their livelyhood. Now there is a gulf between them and although men are encouraged to better themselves when they marry, Robert feels unworthy, so he has stopped all correspondence with Mary.

When Mary's friend marries for wealth and station after her father dies, she invites Mary to visit. An aquaintance, who Mary had helped once with an investigation, asks for her help again. It seems that the new husband is suspected of being a traitor. As Mary looks for proof of the traitor it brings Captain Holland back into her sphere of friends, as he is related to the young lady who is now married to a man she hardly knows.

Not only is the mystery good but the plight of women in that time is clearly defined. I did enjoy the read.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A disappointment after the first book, October 17, 2009

By 

Debra Hamel (North Haven, CT) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Counterfeit Guest: A Novel (Paperback)

Mary Finch, orphaned teacher at a girls' school turned wealthy heiress, was introduced in Rose Melikan's 2008 novel The Blackstone Key. In that outing, Mary found out about her late uncle's surprising bequest, fell in with smugglers, and met the dashing artillery expert Captain Robert Holland. The Blackstone Key was delightful, a slow but still compelling pseudo-Victorian novel. Having finished it, I was eager to read the second installment in Melikan's proposed three-book series.

In The Counterfeit Guest, Mary is again required to act in a manner ill-befitting a proper 18th-century lady of means. After her father's death, Mary's friend Susannah Armitage--a cousin, as it happens, of Captain Holland--marries an older man, Colonel Crosby-Nash. When suspicions arise that Crosby-Nash is in league with the French, Mary stays with her friend and acts as a mole in the Crosby-Nash household, a dangerous business if in fact he is a traitor. Meanwhile, against a backdrop of general unrest in the military, Captain Holland is required to deal with mutinous gunners at his own base.

Unfortunately, though The Counterfeit Guest offers much the same elements as Melikan's first Mary Finch novel, the book doesn't quite work. The story plods along as slowly as an evening spent in the tedious company of Susannah and Colonel Crosby-Nash. The writing itself is good, taken sentence by sentence, but the book is too long and the plot mostly uninteresting. There is too little development in the relationship between Mary and Holland, who don't share the same stage, as it were, as often as one would like.

If I had not so enjoyed The Blackstone Key, I'm afraid I would never have stuck with this one to the end. As it was, I was just curious enough about the development of the book's romance to see it through. The third book in the series is due out in 2010. Here's hoping Melikan will be able to recapture the magic of the first novel.

Note: Review copy received from publisher.

-- Debra Hamel

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful voice, August 6, 2009

By 

Mae Adamson "The Popster" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Counterfeit Guest: A Novel (Paperback)

(What's this?)

I won't go over the plotting since that has been effectvely covered by the synopsis and other reviewers, but I would like to express how impressed I am with the narrative voice of this wonderful new(to me) writer.

I have not come across such an authentic tone in a very long time. I admit being put off by the drap cover art which, by the way, does not do justice to the fine story telling within. I am glad I bit the bullet and set aside such supercial reservations.

I liked how the writer let the characters play out the mores of the day. Many writer fall pray to too much telling and not enought showing. Not Rose Melikan.

While reading this book, I felt like a fly on the wall listening to real people having real, interesting conversations and experiencing genuine emotions.

Very well done.