Anne, Perry’s, Victorian England and the series set there hold much more appeal to me than the Elena Standish World War 2 era series. Yet why do I keep reading them? This is the third book in the series and I have read everyone. I don’t have an answer to that. Too much time is spent in jibber jabber between characters without any actual action. I grow old, just waiting for something to happen. Yes, the conclusion of the story was satisfactory, but boy was it a slog to get there. Thanks to NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

Anne Perry is a prolific author. She has written three different historical mystery series. The Thomas Pitt series about a working class police inspector in Victorian London. Then she writes a spin off series, about Daniel Pitt Thomas and Charlotte's son, a reluctant lawyer living the 1910s. The William Monk series about a policeman who suffers from amnesia after an accident. When he fired he becomes a private detective, with the assistance of Hester and Sir Oliver Rathbone solving crimes.

Her newest series stars Elena Standish, a young determined photographer, who after carrying her dead lover's final message into the heart of Berlin as Hitler is coming to power earns herself a secret position with the British Secret Service. A Darker Reality is the third novel in this series. This time Elena has traveled with her parents to the United States for the 60th anniversary party for her grandparents.

Her grandfather travels in very impressive social circles and the guest list involves many important political figures. In a back room President Roosevelt is a having a meeting during the celebration. When but when the beautiful wife of a renowned scientist is found murdered in the driveway, the President is whisked out the back door. Later Elena's grandfather is taken into custody accused of murder.

Elena was the photographer at the party. Can her pictures help tell the story of what unfolded? She and her father try to help her grandfather with his case to be released from prison. They must decide if he was set up and why. Is he involved with growing war movement in Europe and which side is he on?

Perry writes an entertaining mystery that is easy and quick to read, setting the scene with some political and factual historical information.

Book #3 in the Elana Standish series. Each book can be read as a stand alone but the stories are much richer and the characters much more real as you see them grow and mature in each book. An Anne Perry binge is always a treat! The stories are set in the era preceding the rise of Hitler's Germany. The general feeling across Europe has spread to the surrounding countries and the unease has grown. Elana has joined MI6 as a spy.

The story picks up in 1934 as Elana and her parents travel to Washington DC for the 60th wedding anniversary celebration of her maternal grandparents. Elana's grandparents are influential in the circles in which they live, work and socialize. But even here, far from the brewing trouble in Germany, the talk is clearly divided by racism and reluctance to act. When a young woman is killed on the same night as the party, Elana realizes this young woman has been trying to tell her something.
The back story is now set for Elana to use her contacts and investigate the murder. The police suspect her grandfather and she knows he did not commit this crime. Anne Perry paints a picture readers can clearly see and hear the sounds of the party. She's an accomplished author with many titles and series to her credit and it shows in the quality of her work.

Spring 1934, Elena Standish and her parents are visiting her maternal grandparents in Washington, D.C. The occasion is the 60th wedding anniversary of Wyatt and Dorothy Baylor, Elena's grandparents.

Elena who works for MI6, works as an amateur photographer, and as such, she takes many photographs of the guests. She is immediately drawn to Lila Worth and they promise to meet up later. Unfortunately, even in the midst of tight security (President and Mrs. Roosevelt are in attendance), Lila is killed, then run over by a car to make it look like an accident. Police start their investigation and Elena's grandfather is arrested for murder. Elena finds that Lila was actually a spy, ostensibly for Britain, but possibly a double agent. Elena is aided in her investigation by Allenby, who works at the British embassy and is also a member of MI6.

The middle part of the book seemed to be hash and rehash, with many details that seemed unimportant to the story. It just plodded on. Elena's actions often seemed very immature and rash. Her mother, the wife of a longtime British diplomat, seemed to be very petty as well. There was a lot of discussion about "Free America," an unofficial group of people who supported Hitler and his aims. Elena had spent some time in Germany and seen firsthand the work of Hitler, was appalled by this.

Not the best addition to the Elena Standish series, but I will probably read the next book. Hoping to hear more of James Allenby.

A Darker Reality is the third instalment of the Elana Standish series. Elana and her parents travel to Washington, DC to celebrate her maternal grandparent's 60th anniversary. Tragedy strikes as there is a death during the party. Now Elana must help solve the mystery of who and why. I truly enjoy Ms. Perry's books, I hope you will too. Thank you #Netgally for allowing me to give my honest and voluntary opinion of #ADarkerReality.

I have read all of this series, and loved everyone of them. This one was no different. It started off slow, but picked up midway through and didn't slow down after that.

Elena and her parents have come to America for her maternal grandparents 60th wedding anniversary. Elena doesn't know them, as she has only seen them once since she was little. A murder happens and her grandfather is the prime suspect. Of course, he treats her as if she's a woman that knows nothing, but she may be the only one to save him.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballanite for the Kindle Version of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Happy Reading 📚😀📚

#netgalley
#randomhousepublishinggroup

Elena is traveling to Washington DC with her parents to visit her Grandparents to celebrate their 60th anniversary. The last time she was with them she was very young. This time she is taking pictures of the whole event.
Elena is making this trip after finding herself in an uncompromising situation. Her reputation is tarnished can it be restored.
During the festivities a worker comes in and says that one of the guests has been run over and killed. The security was very tight so it had to be someone at the party.
Who would want beautiful Lila dead? There is mystery and intrigue. The conclusion will leave you amazed.
Anne Perry writes a great mystery!

A big thank you to the author Anne Perry, the publisher Ballantine Books, and NetGalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for my candid review.

I have loved the Elena Standish series of books which tell the story of a woman who is enlisted into being a British Spy for MI6. She finds out that she has entered the family business by following in her grandfather's steps. The series tells the stories of events leading up to the start of WWII. This story starts with Elena and her parents traveling to the US to attend the 50th wedding anniversary of her mother's parents. Elena finds out that her grandfather is a high placed influencer in the US politics.

The story revolves around solving the mystery of how a guest, who we find out is a British Spy, ends up murdered at the party. The premise was good and gave a lot of back information regarding the pre history of WWII. But, I found a lot of the personal story to be repetitive and boring....i.e. how will the grandmother take the suspicions about her husband?

The story resolves nicely due to Elena's deductive prowess. I will look forward to more books by this author about Elena Standish.

# Whenever I see a novel by #Anne Perry I know it’s going to be outstanding. This is a thriller and a mystery. Catching your attention throughout.
Thank you for the advance copy,
#Netgalley, # Anne Perry, and # Random House

This is a great book covering the times just before WWII in America. The times are very accurate and realism, and the popular beliefs in America are very true. The well off people seem to support Hitler's ideas, and the idea is to remain on the sides, and still up of the war. Elena Standish comes from England to attend a 60 anniversary for her grandparents. A terrible murders of a beauty woman ends with Elena's grandfather accused the murder. The balances has Elena determines the true killer. The style of writing provides depth on the descriptions without interfering with the flow of writing. Three generations of the families combined with England and America provides a engrossing and education telling the story. The beliefs of the well-to-enough reflected is very close to the opinions may have similar to today. The book is entertaining, educating, and thoughtful.

This book is well written and very atmospheric of the era prior to WWII. I enjoyed the characters and Elena’s developing story. There were some surprises throughout and I was kept engaged. Historical fiction fans will definitely enjoy.
Many thanks to Random House Publishing and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I really like the Elena Standish Series by Anne Perry.

As Hitler is building up for World War II, Elena and her parents are finally making a trip to visit her mom’s family in Washington, DC. Elena’s grandfather is a prominent industrialist who has many political friends, including President and Eleanor Roosevelt. During her grandparent’s anniversary party, a guest, Lila Worth, is run over on the driveway. There are no witnesses despite the fact that many secret service agents are on site because of the Roosevelt’s attendance.

Elena is contacted by MI6, her employer, that Lila was a British spy and Lila had hinted that she had something to tell Elena. With the help of another agent, Elena attempts to find out the information that Lila had. In addition, the car that hit Lila was Elena’s grandfather’s and he is arrested. He claims that he was framed by his enemies but Elena discovers business and investment secrets that could be damning.

#ADarkerReality #NetGalley

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

I have read and enjoyed many of Anne Perry's novels. This is the second Elena Standish book for me.

The story provides a realistic picture of the different views that many Americans held in the years between WWI and WWII. Elena, an undercover agent for Britain's MI6, and her parents are visiting Washington, D.C. to attend her grandparents' anniversary party. Having recently witnessed the cruelties and the anti-Semitism of the Nazis in Germany, she is shocked to learn that many of the high-ranking people in attendance share those same opinions.

Elena is an avid photographer and is busy taking pictures of the celebrities. One of the guests is murdered! Elena must use all of her skills to find the murderer. There are many twists and turns before the culprit is discovered.

A personal trip turns perilous for Elena Standish after the murder of a British spy forces her to face dark family secrets in this exciting 1930s mystery by bestselling author Anne Perry. On her first trip to Washington, D.C., Elena Standish finally gets to visit her American mother’s wealthy parents and their magnificent home.

It was interesting to see how Ms. Perry dropped the Standish family into the United States for the most recent installment in the series. I found it very interesting. I am not sure we always give a lot of thought to what happened before the United States was drawn into the War and who was on what side at that time. This book did deal with that issue somewhat.

The Elena Standish series is my least favorite of all the Ann Perry books. I realize that she was probably tired of writing some of the others but Thomas and Charlotte will always be my favorite. Maybe Elena will grow on me as time goes by. This one did have some twists and turns that were quite interesting. I admit that I did not figure it out and was surprised at the ending. Very readable and surprising.

I would like to think the author, the publisher and Netgalley for my copy of the book. The comments are my own.

The Elena Standish series keeps getting better and better, with this third installment. It is 1934, and Elena is visiting her American grandparents with her parents. Tensions are high as talk of isolationism includes anti-Semitism and support for Nazis amongst some of Elena’s grandparents’ friends. When a murder occurs at her grandparents sixtieth anniversary party, the question is whether it was personal or political? Elena becomes enmeshed with the investigation as her grandfather is arrested for the crime. I highly recommend this series, especially for its relevance to today’s political atmosphere, no thank NetGalley for the ARC.

Anne Perry never fails to provide a good story. I like her newest character, Elena. She’s smart young and brave, but also vulnerable. I highly recommend this book.

"A Darker Reality" was a good addition to the Elena Standish series. This book sees Elena traveling with her parents to Washington DC to celebrate the sixtieth wedding anniversary of her grandparents, Wyatt and Dorothy Baylor. Elena met the Baylors a few times as a young child, but does not really know them; her mother has not been home for many years. The party is somewhat unsettling for Elena, as she hears a number of the guests make statements that support isolationism (not particularly surprising considering memories of the Great War), but also make statements supportive of Hitler and some of his ideas. She finds the prejudicial/racist opinions abhorrent on their face, but her experience in Berlin has also given her insight into Hitler and the Nazis that many of the guests lack. A significant aspect of the plot is how one deals with learning that someone they care about may hold abhorrent views. Making the situation worse, during the party, one of the guests (Lila Worth) is brutally murdered and Elena's grandfather, Wyatt, is arrested for the murder, as the woman was run over by his car and because he is the only one without a solid alibi for the time the murder was believed to have occurred.

The story focuses on the efforts to prove Wyatt's innocence and find the real killer of Lila Worth. Was Lila the intended victim? If so, why? As Elena quickly discovers, there was much more to Lila than her public persona suggested. Was the intention to have Wyatt blamed for the murder and if so why? Wyatt is wealthy and well-connected politically, including serving as an advisor to President Roosevelt; President and First Lady Roosevelt were guests at the party. Who are his enemies? Is it connected to the Free America group of which Wyatt and a number of the guests seem to be members? You will have to read the story to find out.

I received a copy of the e-book via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

Third in the Elena Standish Series, A Darker Reality, opens in the spring of 1934, as Elena, an M16 agent, has made the long journey from London to Washington D.C to celebrate the sixtieth wedding anniversary of her maternal grandparents Wyatt and Dorothy Baylor; a couple known to be of great wealth with political and influential connections. As a photographer, Elena is interested in capturing elegant guests such as scientist, Harmon Worth and Austrian wife, Lila, President Franklin Roosevelt, and Eleanor- and others of “high society, politicians, the rich and ambitious.” Anne Perry’s lush description of the magnificent home and luxurious setting helps settle readers into a comfortable niche to observe and listen in on Elena’s conversations with the well connected, distinguished guests that lead her to question her grandparents’ political beliefs. Elena’s background and involvement in M16, the British secret service, as well as extensive descriptions of the radical, political leanings of the Baylor’s and their guests are seamlessly woven into dialogue. These details become immensely important as a chauffeur interrupts the lavish party to announce Lila Worth has been run over in the driveway! Chaos and mystery ensue; police are summoned, guests questioned. Anne Perry leads readers on a steady march; keenly analyzing suspects, subjecting readers to palm sweating confrontations with Agent Elena in disguise, and deep, emotional delving into grief. Through quiet conversations characters’ conscious and innermost feelings develop as Perry explores the close relationship of Elena and Grandfather Lucas, former head of M16, and casts suspicion on fellow agent James Allenby. Political intrigue or a domestic issue? Elena and Allenby concur; the killer is among the guests! A “tangled web of distrust” leads readers through this maze to an appalling and ghastly conclusion. What’s next for Elena Standish?

It's spring, 1934. Plucky young MI6 operative, Elena Standish is finally on a much deserved holiday to America. She and her American mother and British ambassador father, arrived in New York city's port and after a few days have continued on to Washington, D.C. to visit with family. Elena's maternal grandparents are celebrating their sixtieth anniversary with a wonderful fête at their home where scions of industry and government staff are in attendance. Being the gifted photographer she is, Elena circulates the room capturing the moment in shots of elegant women, high-powered men and people celebrating the couple's good fortune. All goes well until one guest is killed and one of Elena's family is held on suspicion of murder. Surely, it can't be true. Elena is incensed and commits to unearthing the details and finding who the true culprit is.

This third book in the Elena Standish mystery series is well written and deftly explores the mixed sentiments of folks concerning political developments in Europe. Some see tensions between rising Bolshevism and conservative nationalism. Others merely wish to avoid another war at all costs. And there are some who look at the developments as wonderful opportunities to make a fortune. Elena has insight into the rising specter of Germany but is unable to share such knowledge owing to the covert nature of her experience.

The scene settings with all their fashionable elegance are lushly described. One can easily imagine the fluid movement of gowns of silk taffeta and organza, the crisp and elegant black tie tuxedos of the men in attendance and the sparkle of the ladies' jewels glistening beneath the room's elegant chandelier. The character development is good, especially that of Elena as she has gradually over the course of three books recaptured the acceptance and respect of those around her. The family dynamics and differences of sensibilities drawn on nationalistic lines are touched upon in a thought-provoking manner. There are a number of surprising twists in the story. The tension gradually increases in the last quarter of the book and gently releases as it draws to a satisfying close.

This is an interesting series and well worth the venture for the historical fiction fan who enjoys a touch of added mystery.

I am grateful to Ballantine Books for having provided a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Their generosity, however, has not influenced this review - the words of which are mine alone.

I read A Question of Betrayal last year and I thought that was book 1 in Anny Perry's Elena Standish series since it was about Elena's first MI6 mission. So when I say book 3 A Darker Reality I thought I had missed a book somehow. I have missed a book but it is book 1 Death in Focus as I have read book 2. I say all this because it is okay if you start the series with book 3. It is still early enough in the series that plenty of backstory is provided to fill in any gaps in knowledge the reader has due to not reading the previous novels.

As someone who reads a lot of WWII fiction, I like this series because it is set just before the war but deals with events that lead to the war. It is also different than the other WWII fiction I've read about the intelligence community. While many of them me on the edge of my seat, I found A Darker Reality to be a lighter read, more in line with being a cozy mystery than a historical novel. That doesn't make this any less interesting as a mystery.

I liked that we see Elena's American family side in this novel. I watched Atlantic Crossing this summer and while I knew that the U.S. didn't want to get pulled into another European war, there was a lot I didn't know about the whys and what for's. The historical elements of A Darker Reality fleshed out that knowledge a bit more for me. I particularly found the details about the Free America movement enlightening.

As with any spy novel, there are plenty of twists and turns and Elena walks a fine line between wanting to prove her grandfather's innocence and the political ramifications of her investigation.

This is a good series for fans of 1930s mysteries and spy novels. The characters are interesting and there is plenty of political intrigue to balance on the often precarious personal relationships.

My review will be published at Girl Who Reads on Wednesday, Oct. 27 - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2021/10/3-mysteries-to-curl-up-with.html