When Verity's Tante Isle arrives from Germany unexpectedly, ill and confused, Verity decides it is finally time to return to her hometown, a place she has avoided since the war. Returning home means encountering her judgmental and overbearing mother, confronting the death of her brother Rob, and piecing together Tante Isle's inconsistent stories to get to the truth. Verity must work to finally come to terms with her brother's loss and mend the emotional wounds the war caused within her own family. When Bauer, Tante Isle's German maid, turns up dead in a barn, Verity learns that some of her past has followed her home, and she must uncover Bauer's secrets before her own secrets are forced into the open.

This book in the series is more emotional and less suspenseful than the previous books. As others have said, this really isn't a stand alone story, but instead allows readers to dive deeper into Verity as a character. I always like to watch Verity and Sydney in the thick of the action, so this book felt a bit slow in pace; however I have no doubt they will be back in the thick of murder and mayhem in the next installment.

The fifth novel in Anna Lee Huber’s Verity Kent series finds Verity surprised by the appearance of her German great aunt, Ilse. She’s surprised for one thing because it’s 1919, and in England, Germans aren’t especially beloved; and for another she knows her aunt is elderly and fragile and wonders why she’s made the arduous journey to her niece’s side.

The two have always been close, and during the war, when Verity worked for British Intelligence, she even placed a German deserter at her aunt’s home for a time. Verity is still wracked with guilt over this. Her aunt has appeared with a new and beautiful young maid, as her long time maid has died of the Spanish flu.

While this book is very much set in 1919, it’s also echoed in today’s universe, where we are dealing with a pandemic that’s not quite over and that has caused a massive amount of loss. While Huber doesn’t specifically deal with the 1918-1919 pandemic, she deals very much with the emotional aftermath. She frames it in terms of her 1919 characters, but the contemporary grief many of us are feeling is there on every page.

This is a beautifully written and observed depiction of grief in its many forms. Because her aunt is so elderly and so fragile, and because Germans are so reviled in London, Verity decides the best place for her would be her parent’s home in the Yorkshire Dales. Verity herself is returning home after a long time away.

She’s worked for British intelligence, something, thanks to the official secrets act, she can’t discuss; and for a time, she’d thought her beloved husband, Sidney, was dead. Happily Sidney is alive, but Verity’s brother Rob did not survive the war and she has not been able to force herself to return home since his death. It’s caused a large rift between Verity and her mother, who, when Verity does arrive, immediately criticizes her bobbed hair.

As anyone who returns to their childhood home after a long absence has found – things have changed. Verity’s surviving brothers, Freddy and Tim, are also veterans dealing with the war’s aftermath in different ways. Freddy is a physician with a wife and a child; Tim seems aimless and distracted. Her mother is angry that Verity has been away for so long. And Sidney is acclimating himself to Verity’s childhood home. As he’s a certified war hero with a medal to prove it, things are easier for him, though there’s still a bit of a gulf between him and Verity as she refuses to give in to her grief.

When her aunt’s maid is discovered murdered, Verity and Sidney snap into detecting mode, making an appealing and intelligent sleuthing couple. While I enjoyed the mystery and the threads that lead to a solution, what I thought was so strong about this book was the depiction of Verity’s grief. Reader, she does let it out, and the meticulous character delineation that is a hallmark of Huber’s writing makes it all the more powerful. This is a beautifully written and told story.

I love the Verity Kent series and this was no exception. This is one of the few series that I highly recommend reading in series order.
Verity's German Great Aunt arrives unexpectedly with a new maid and to better care for them Verity and Sidney return to Verity's childhood home. This book is understandably much more focused on family dynamics and Verity's family is still coming to terms with the death of one of her brother's during the war. Upon her return Verity finds that the village itself is also still coming to terms with the many deaths and changes wrought by the war.
Of course, it wouldn't be a Verity book without at least one murder and when her Great Aunt's maid is murdered Verity and Sidney work to uncover the killer.
Anna Lee Huber has crafted another wonderful book. Her writing never ceases to transport me to another time. I love Verity and her friends and now I love her family as well. I can't wait to hear about the drama that is sure to happen when Verity's younger sister Grace visits her in London.

Thank you, NetGalley, Kensington Books, and Anna Lee Huber for the advanced copy of Murder Most Fair, the newest book in the Verity Kent series. It comes out on August 30, 2021. Verity and Sidney are finally making a 5-year overdue trip to see Verity’s family, all of whom have been hearing her mother say how callous Verity has been in the family’s time of grief for not returning. Verity lost her older and favorite brother Rob in the war, and her other two brothers and sister have had to bear up against their mother’s insulting grief for five years while Verity has been burying her own.
Verity brings her elderly German Tante Isle with her to her family’s seat as she’s fled her homeland with her maid due to some threatening notes. While Verity enjoys renewing her acquaintance with her Aunt, the rest of her relationships with her various family members are full of tension. As Verity tries to avoid her grief in the place that holds the heart of it, she does anything she can to distract herself, including meddling in her family’s relationships - oh, and solving the murder of Tante’s maid.

I don’t mind the Verity Kent series - however, after reading Murder Most Fair, I can officially say that I prefer Lady Darby. I think Huber writes Lady Darby with just a squeak more of truth and authenticity; it seems that Huber might have more experience with self-confidence issues (Lady Darby) than personal grief. Verity is written well, but I just don’t get sucked into her emotions like I do Lady Darby’s. I also feel like the relationship between Verity and Sidney is a little too ambiguous; they seem like they make some progress outside of the books, but readers never get a clear picture of where they’re at as a couple. I’d like that to be a little more clear-cut so that I can better understand the perspective that each is coming from.
Although Verity and Sidney take a few steps forward and a few steps back in their relationship, they work together well when they have a case to solve. They work to keep each other safe and are respectful of each other’s strengths and weaknesses, which is nice to see. They actually remind me a ton of Milo and Amory Ames from Ashley Weaver’s series. Even the way they’re written is extremely similar.
In terms of cases, I don’t think that this case was the most complicated that Verity and Sidney have dealt with. It could have been a more remarkable plot, considering that we took a break from the Ardmore problem in this book (which was totally fine with me because it has been going on for so many books that I’m fairly confused, now). But, this novel was more about Verity facing her loss and her fears, and I’m glad that Huber took the time to do so. It shows some serious character development and I’m looking forward to seeing her progress in the next book.
What I’d really like to see in the next book is more about Sidney; we’ve seen a lot of Verity and have an idea of what she went through during the war and how it affected her. But, we don’t really know how Sidney is dealing with the aftermath of the war or how he feels that he’s damaged. He makes a point in this book of saying that if he could help heal Verity, there was a chance that he could be healed in the future as well, and I’d just like to know more of what he’s dealing with. He doesn’t talk about it much (understandably!) but I’d like some insight even if it’s just from Verity’s perspective. She mostly just mentions that Sidney won’t talk about it with her, but she never discusses any guesses with us either.
The writing was flawless, as usual - Huber always does an excellent job. I would like to look deeper into both Sidney and Verity, but if the series is long-running, that may come. I do prefer Lady Darby, but I won’t stop reading Verity Kent anytime soon.

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington for a copy of "Murder Most Fair" in exchange for an honest review.

This is book #5 in the Verity Kent series. While it works as a stand-alone book, there are many references and relationships that go back to the previous books and it makes figuring things out difficult if you have not read those books as well. There is a lot of looking back on previous cases, people are mentioned that were part of the previous books. Lord Ardmore for example.

The story begins in November 1919, a year after the war and weeks after the previous book ended. Verity and her husband Sidney - the war hero that everyone thought had died, are hosting her cousin Reg - who lost his sight in the war, and some other friends.

Verity is a former secret service agent who manages to get tangled up in murders. This time her Great Aunt Ilse is in trouble. Someone is sending her threats and she has left Germany. Neighbours of Verity are openly hostile towards her new guests, blaming Ilse for their loses and hardships from the war. When Ilse's maid is found dead Verity wonders if it is because of the war.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Kensington Publishing for this Advanced Reader Copy and the opportunity to review “Murder Most Fair.” All opinions are my own.

Will threats from the war ever be far behind? Not as long as enemies are on a mission of revenge, as the Kents realize in “Murder Most Fair.” And Verity must finally come to terms with her brother’s death.

“Dashing war hero Sidney Kent and his beautiful and intrepid wife Verity” (as described in the newspapers, we’re told) are back in the fifth of this fast-paced historical mystery series by Anna Lee Huber, set in a post-WWI era England. They’re still tracking the activities of the traitorous Lord Ardmore from previous books -- as he is tracking them. We’re also told that from the get-go. Indeed, the story practically takes up when it left off in “A Pretty Deceit,” the fourth book. These are not standalones.

The Kents are on vacation at their country cottage when a relative from Germany shows up. Great Aunt Ilse. This is quite the surprise. The lady had helped Verity with her undercover wartime activities, which didn’t set well with the neighbors. But she was also apparently put in danger by a superior officer of Verity’s and that shouldn’t have happened. Verity is not happy. Ardmore may find a way to use this, and since it’s Christmas time and they were going anyway, they decide to go to Verity’s family home early – a trip that Verity has put off for five years, for it is where her dead brother spent his happiest days. The hurtful memories are still fresh.

It’s also a book that involves their work in intelligence, both past and present. And family dynamics. There are problems there that have to be resolved. What Verity did during the war was not “women’s work,” and there are issues with the status of women that are definitely food for thought.

And since this is a mystery, we’re faced with plenty, including a murder. It takes a while to get there, but at last there’s something for the Kents to get to work on. A young woman determined to find answers for something that happened during the war underscores the drama in “Murder Most Fair.” And Verity gets a confession -- and suffers for it.

Sidney and Verity are finally “clicking,” finally getting along well together, getting used to being together again. Building trust. Still, there are secrets they’re not sharing, most of them Verity’s. Anna Lee Huber has developed this relationship throughout these five books, and it is well established. This is a book about the rebuilding of lives as much as anything else. There are strong scenes of heartache, of overwhelming memories that are very poignant. The murder investigation is almost secondary. Anyone who has lost someone will recognize these sentiments, will understand the emotions behind them. Read “Murder Most Fair” for how the author masterfully weaves a tale of loss and getting through the sorrows of the past alongside the necessity for doggedly pursuing justice.

This is the fifth book in this series and the best yet. Verity and husband Sydney are finally regaining a sense of normalcy after the great war when Verity's Aunt Ilse arrives from Germany with her maid. Elderly Ilse has been getting threats about the help she gave Verity during the war. The whole family is assembling at Verity's parents house for Christmas, the first time Verity has returned since the start of the war. Verity is reluctant to go since she must confront the loss of her favorite brother Rob. Tensions are high among the family. They are unaware of Verity's war work as a spy and think she was just too busy having "fun" in London working as a warehouse clerk. The German maid is murdered and suspects are plentiful. Many in the town are still angry at any German and there are rumors of a German man hiding in the countryside. Using their contacts for information, Verity and Sydney figure out who is the culprit, but not before Verity is in peril for her life. Verity and her critical mother make peace as much as they ever will. Her brothers have decided that she probably didn't just work in a warehouse and like that she probably did what she's not allowed to tell them. A really good book that expands on the characters of Verity and Sydney.

I was so excited to get the ARC of this book from Net Galley. I have loved this series more with each book, but I do believe this may be the best so far. The book picks up right where the last left off, which is an extra bonus for new readers of the series. Verity is with her cousin Reg in the country when her German Tante Ilse shows up with her maid. Knowing how difficult it was for her aunt to leave her home and come to England so soon after the war, Verity is concerned about not only her aunt’s welfare, but also about a strange man that she thinks Verity sent to her home during the war. After a quick trip back to London, Verity, Sidney and Tante Ilse return to Verity’s childhood home. She hasn’t been back since the war ended dreading facing the loss of her beloved brother Rob. Things go pretty much as expected, with a mysterious twist which put Verity snd Sidney on the trail of a murderer. Excellent writing with many clever twists and turns. Anna Lee Huber does not disappoint with this latest installment.

The fifth installment of the Verity Kent mystery series, this book feels more like a character study than a serious mystery. Definitely not a filler book, but the author allowed Verity and many other characters to finally deal with their grief, with each other, with the end of the war, and with how to keep on living. Verity and her husband Sidney do uncover more connections in regards to the big bad, Lord Ardmore, but this book is more about Verity and her familial relationships, including Sidney (and I was finally left feeling like their relationship is better than ever). Loved it.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

4.5 stars rounded up. I always look forward to more of Verity's adventures each year. Here, Verity pays a long overdue visit to her family estate to attempt to face her grief about her beloved brother's death in the war and to mend her strained relationship with her family. Although we had seen brief glimpses of her family members before, this was the first time we met many of the characters, and it was very interesting seeing how Verity fit into the dynamics. I though Huber did an excellent job of showing Verity's struggle to reconcile her past self from before the war with who she is now. Her feeling of being a stranger among family members -- partly from being forced to keep her true wartime role a secret from her family, but also due to the ways in which her family has changed while she has been away -- was very compelling and added an emotional and tension-filled layer to the story.

The mystery here was less dominant compared to Verity's personal reckonings, but after the last few action-packed stories in the series, it was a nice change of pace. Verity's investigation into the murder of her great-aunt's German maid (who had many secrets herself) forces her to confront childhood friends and the people in her village, which added another interesting layer to her emotional turmoil. It also ends up providing her brothers with a bit more perspective into who Verity is now and what she is capable of.

I know I always complain about how much I'd rather Verity be with Max and how annoying Sidney is, but I will begrudgingly admit that I finally started to like Sidney in this one. He was supportive of Verity as she battled it out with her mother/brothers and, eventually, with own grief and guilt. Unlike the last few books where he unjustifiably lashed out at Verity when she revealed more of her wartime spy work, here he clearly was annoyed but at least kept his thoughts to himself for the most part, which was an improvement. Even when he tries to take matters into his own hand to force Verity to confront her issues, despite being clearly the wrong move, he at least had good intentions. The brief glimpse of Max we had here seems to foreshadow a bigger role in the next book as he deals with his own demons about his father's involvement in shady government activities, which should be very interesting. I suspect Verity will be traveling to Ireland very soon!

Thank you to Kensington and Netgalley for providing an ARC for review!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for a gifted advanced digital copy.

In the new Verity Kent novel, we get to meet more people besides Verity's parents. We meet her surviving siblings and her German aunt.

Wonderful character driven mystery.

Highly recommended for fans of Historical cozy mysteries.

Really like Verity and Sidney stories
Verity and Sidney find another clue in their search of what happened during the war.
Drama ,mysteries suspense.
We meet a few of the other characters again which makes a good story.
Enjoyed reading.
Voluntarily reviewed

A year after the end of the Great War, Verity and her husband are enjoying a holiday at the seashore when her great aunt Ilse unexpectedly shows up. Ilse and her maid, Bauer, fled Germany where sickness and starvation is rampant. Hoping to spar Aunt Ilse from the strong anti-German sentiment in London, Verity and Sidney relocate her to the remote family estate in Northern England. Unable to deal with her one brother's death, Verity has stayed away from home throughout the war. Her return is fraught with tension. Some family members are more accepting and understand of Verity's reluctance to return than others. Verity's return to the remote area is exciting enough for the neighbors. That she brought her German great aunt is nearly inexcusable. Aunt Ilse had been receiving threats while in Germany. Those threats continue in England, and they now extend to Verity. Responding to a request for a secret meeting, Verity finds that Ilse's maid has been murdered. The hostile neighbors hardly seem concerned about the death of a German maid. But their conviction that another German is hiding out in the area urges them to action. Verity and her family have to stay one step ahead of their bloodthirsty neighbors as they search for mysterious German and Bauer's killer.

I have read all of the Verity Kent Mysteries, and, while I have enjoyed all of them, I found MURDER MOST FAIR to be the least captivating. The focus of the novel is on some of Verity's war work for the Secret Service—specifically how she used Ilse to help a German deserter sneak back into Germany so that he could spy on his fellow countrymen— as well as on her return home and the subsequent interactions with her family members. None of the Townsends come off as all that likable. Verity's mother and sister are absolutely horrid, and her father and brothers aren't all that much better. I couldn't bring myself to really care about any of them. Great Aunt Ilse was the only family member that I liked, but even she grew frustrating with her faulty memory and denials. After dragging for the first half of the novel, the action finally picked up around the halfway mark when Verity found the murdered maid. The second half of the novel revolves around finding the murderer.

Overall, the book was very well written. The descriptions of the landscape/settings and different fashions was spectacular. The novel also filled in some gaps in Verity's backstory. It also provided her character with a huge chance to grow. I just found the plot lacking for the first half, and I just couldn't get into the story.

Memoirs of War

Another great Verity Kent Mystery, I love reading with all the familiar characters. These books are enjoyable to read. I love the way that the fashions are described, the colors of the room, the wallpaper and even the scenery.

Verity and Sidney are enjoyed a vacation by the sea when Verity's Great Aunt Ilse appears with her maid Bauer from Germany. Her aunt has been receiving threats and was afraid to stay in Germany. Verity and Sidney decide that because of an investigation they are currently working on it would be safer for her Great Aunt in the country with her parents.

It is about coming to terms with death and those lost in the war. So many were damaged by the terrible war and feeling is still high against Germans. This is true even in the small village in Yorkshire. People all grieve differently whether from wounds physical or wounds mental from this war and are broken until they find a way to face them and move forward. Some have a harder time than other's .

People are not kind toward Verity's Great Aunt in town showing their dislike of the German's because of their hurts and losses inflicted by the war. They hold all German's responsible, even a frail old woman. This causes some friction and ends in the murder of her Great Aunt Ilse's maid which Verity and Sidney are asked to help investigate and find the killer. Is it a villager, could it be something to do with Verity's time in the service during the war? Was it another member of the domestic staff at her mother's house?

It is a very emotional and well written book. A great new mystery which delves into some deep emotional issues. I would recommend this book.

Thanks to Anna Lee Huber, Kensington Books, and NetGalley for providing me with a complimentary copy of the book for my honest review.

A Verity Kent Mystery #5

It’s always a treat to catch up with Verity and friends. I love that each book picks up right where the other one left off.

It’s 1919 and Verity has spent November with Sidney relaxing and healing from their last adventure.

Hoping things have settled down with the war over, they look forward to some much-needed together time.

Until Verity’s Great Aunt llse shows up with her maid from Germany. The same aunt who aided her in sneaking into Germany during the war. But the war hasn’t been good for Germans. They are turning on anyone who aided the enemy and Aunt llse looks to be in very delicate health. Someone is threatening her and she has returned to England hoping to recover and figure out why she is being targeted.

While the family heads to Verity’s parents in Yorkshire, her aunt is still experiencing hostility and someone may be looking to even the score. Using her Secret Service contacts Verity must find out if this is about aiding deserters or something else altogether.

Alas, the ever-present Lord Ardmore is a suspect, because, well he usually is a suspect.

This is one of my favorite Historical Fiction writers. Her characters are strong women and men who respect them.

Well Done!

NetGalley/August 31st, 2021 by Kensington Publishing Corporation

Verity and her husband are visiting her parents' estate along with her great aunt when the maid of the great aunt is found dead. Of course, Verity has to get involved in the investigation. And, her husband has to be there for her.

I received an ARC from NetGalley for my honest opinion.

I've enjoyed everything I've ever read from Anna Lee Huber - and the reason is because of her characters. They are so interesting, wrought with emotion, and struggle.

This book was so interesting to see the family dynamic between Verity and her family. Oh, am I glad her mum isn't mine. The miscommunications and misunderstandings make this novel feel so genuine. I love how Verity and her husband, Sidney, are always working to figure out their lives with each other after WWI.

This book does an excellent job of showing how fear and hatred can rule emotions. England was in such a bleak time after WWI. I love the car, the clothes, the dancing, and all the family scenes in this book.

Will I read the next book? Absolutely! And anything else from this author. She also does an excellent job of filling in details if you haven't read the first in the series, it is still completely approachable. If you like history or mysteries, you should definitely pick up this one.

Verity is a former WW1 spy now turned detective postwar. She works with her war hero husband. Their marriage is rocky as they try and process all that happened to them during the war. In this novel, they are visiting her family, who have no knowledge of her valuable war work, when her Aunt’s German maid is murdered.. Interesting historical perspective about post war England along with a pretty solid mystery makes this a very enjoyable read.

"All is far from quiet on the home front in USA Today bestselling author Anna Lee Huber's captivating mystery series, in which former Secret Service agent Verity Kent receives a visitor - who is being trailed by a killer...

November 1919. A relaxing few weeks by the seaside with her husband, Sidney, could almost convince Verity Kent that life has returned to the pleasant rhythm of pre-war days. Then Verity's beloved Great-Aunt Ilse lands on their doorstep. After years in war-ravaged Germany, Ilse has returned to England to repair her fragile health - and to escape trouble. Someone has been sending her anonymous threats, and Verity's Secret Service contacts can only provide unsettling answers.

Even deep in the Yorkshire Dales, where she joins Verity's family for the holidays, Ilse encounters difficulties. Normally peaceful neighbors are hostile, seeking someone to blame for the losses they've endured. When Ilse's maid is found dead, Verity must uncover whether this is anti-German sentiment taken to murderous lengths, or whether there is a more personal motive at work. Could Verity's shadowy nemesis, Lord Ardmore, be involved? And if so, how much closer to home will the blow land when he inevitably strikes again?"

Holidays in the Yorkshire Dales? YAS!

Those who have read the earlier entries will be eager to get their hands on this title which is number five in the series. The books are best read in order but, if a reader is willing to accept spoilers from the earlier novels, they can read in any order.

First, the cover. I love the period feel to each of the covers in the Verity Kent series. They beautifully evoke the time period and character of what is inside the book.

Readers know (or find out) that Verity has had several earlier adventures which evolved from her work during WWI. Because of the Official Secrets Act, Verity’s family has no idea of all that she has experienced. Her mother, especially, judges her daughter. Readers may be surprised (as her mother would be if she knew) to learn that so much has happened to this young woman who is in only her early twenties.

In this novel, readers become better acquainted with Verity’s family. Her great aunt Ilse, who is German, arrives on Verity’s doorstep unannounced. What has brought her to England? How will she manage being in England where she is often viewed as an enemy despite her advanced age? Who has she seen? What does it mean? How do events in the present relate to Verity’s connection with her aunt when the war was on-going? Are the repercussions from that time about to cause trouble?

Verity decides to leave London early for the Christmas holidays, feeling that this will be better for her aunt. This allows readers to spend time with Verity’s parents and siblings in Yorkshire. Some of these relationships are less than ideal. Readers will also get to know some in her community including old friends, and new vicars and their wives.

When a murder occurs Verity and her dashing husband, Sidney, are on the scene and ready to solve the crime. Readers will try to figure things out right along side them.

I very much enjoy this series and highly recommend this latest entry. Alas, now it will be at least a year before I can catch up with Verity and Sidney again.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title. All opinions are my own.