Sophia Rose Reviews - A Moment’s Shadow by Anna Lee Huber

 

A Moment’s Shadow by Anna Lee Huber

#8 Verity Kent

Historical Mystery

Publisher:  Kensington Books

Published:  8.26.25

Pages:  389

Rating: 4 stars

Format: eARC

Source: NetGalley

Sellers:  Amazon

ADD TO: Goodreads 

GoodReads Synopsis:

Violence, reprisal, and intrigue abound in post-World War I Ireland as the bloody conflict between the Irish Republican Army and the British authorities continues to escalate.  But former Secret Service agent Verity Kent must deal with a more immediate concern—the possession of poisonous gas by a ruthless adversary . . .

August 1920, Dublin,  A fraught task keeps Verity and her husband Sidney in the country after their initial clandestine mission has been the traitor Lord Ardmore is scheming to employ the deadly phosgene gas he’s stolen for some terrifying purpose, and the couple will need both the Crown forces and the rebels’ help to thwart him.

As they pursue their quarry, they are drawn into a case involving a series of cunning and brazen jewel thefts. Many believe it is the work of the Irish rebels, seeking to fund their revolution, but when Verity and Sidney are also approached by Michael Collins and the IRA to unmask the thief, they suspect he may instead be an opportunist using the political unrest as a cover for his crimes.

As the thief continues to pull ever more risky jobs—including targeting Verity and their friends—the couple receive new intelligence that the gas they seek may be intended for a crowded event, one that the entire world will be attuned to. They must stop Lord Ardmore at all costs—or the consequences will be devastating . . .

 

Sophia Rose's Review:

Last we saw of Verity and Sydney in The Cold Light of Day, they were on the hunt for the stolen canisters of lethal phosgene gas a sinister spy out to harm the British government has sent to Ireland.   With a missing British agent who was after the gas, a volatile situation on the streets of Dublin and elsewhere in Ireland between occupying English troops and Irish nationalists, Verity and Sydney are surrounded on all sides by danger.  A Moment’s Shadow picks up where that left off.

 

Anna Lee Huber’s Post-WWI era Verity Kent historical mystery series featuring former British Agent Verity and her capable former army officer husband, Sydney is one of those deeply intriguing series held together by a few tight series plot threads so really needs to be read in order.

 

A Moment’s Shadow has Verity reeling from the recent shocking reveal she got at the end of the last book and trying to navigate the highly volatile situation in Ireland, but still needing to track down those canisters of poisonous gas that Lord Ardmore plans to use before its too late. 

Of course, it wouldn’t be a Verity Kent mystery without a new dazzling crime that needs solving at the same time.  This time its jewel heists and the general blame is going toward the Irish rebels.  Michael Connor and those with him convince her that this may not be the case and for them to look deeper.

Meanwhile, Verity and Sydney who are employed by the Crown find it difficult to hold a neutral stance when they both sympathize with the Irish bid for independence and see all the atrocities and complicated issues on both sides.  Still, to bring down a powerful enemy with horrific plans, they have to find a way to gain support for their efforts from both sides of the equation. 

 

While starting slow and working through the details, A Moment’s Shadow builds in pace and suspense until it was a nail-biter in the end and gasp, a cliffhanger finish.  Come on 2026!  Those who like their historical mysteries to be chock full of history as well as mystery need look no further than the Verity Kent series.

 

Author Bio:

Anna Lee Huber is the USA Today bestselling and Daphne award-winning author of the Lady Darby Mysteries, the Verity Kent Mysteries, the Gothic Myths series, as well as Sisters of Fortune: A Novel of the Titanic and the anthology The Deadly Hours. She is a summa cum laude graduate of Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee, where she majored in music and minored in psychology. She currently resides in Indiana with her family and is hard at work on her next novel. Visit her online at www.annaleehuber.com.

Sophia’s Bio:

Sophia is a quiet though curious gal who dabbles in cooking, book reviewing, piano-playing, and gardening. Road trips and campouts, museums and monuments, restaurants and theaters are her jam. Encouraged and supported by an incredible man and loving family. A Northern Californian transplant to the Great Lakes Region of the US. Lover of Jane Austen, Baseball, Cats, Scooby Doo, and Chocolate.

As a lifelong reader, it was inevitable that Sophia would discover book blogs and the joy of blog reviewing. Sophia is a prolific reader and audiobook listener which allows her to experience so many wonderful books, authors, and narrators. Few genres are outside her reading tastes, but her true love is fiction particularly history, mystery, sci-fi, and romance. Though, sorry, no horror or she will run like Shaggy and Scooby.

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