Huge plot twist in the Veronica Speedwell series when she’s asked to see if a formerly presumed dead traveling companion who has suddenly appeared very much alive at his family estate is an imposter. Veronica and Stoker head to the estate and she has to confront a ghost from her past as well as save the family’s heirloom diamond and her relationship with Stoker. Fast paced, always witty dialogue, another gem in a wonderful series. Thanks Netgalley for giving me an ARC.

AND ALL IS WELL!
I have loved this series from the get go, but was a wee disappointed in the last book..... But An Impossible Imposter was brilliant!! If you have read this series, you are missing out!

Veronica and Stoker have received a personal request to investigate a man who is claiming to be the long-lost heir to a noble family. They travel to the moors to begin their investigation. For Veronica, this is more than helping out an acquaintance. She has a very personal relationship to this long lost man that will test her relationship with Stoker. This was another great addition to the Veronica Speedwell series. There was plenty of adventure and excitement that gave the reader several surprises. The ending is sure to have you begging Deanna Raybourn for the next installment immediately!

The Veronica Speedwell series is so reminiscent of the Amelia Peabody mysteries, and that is a good thing because I loved the Peabody mysteries. You have an independent woman with a quirky hobby/profession and is supremely confident in her abilities; a handsome/dangerous looking partner who also has a quirky profession; a light mystery. One of the more interesting aspects of Veronica's character is that she is the illegitimate daughter of the Prince of Wales and has never been recognized by her father or his royal family. In the latest outing, the reader learns much more about Veronica's past. There is an imposter, a stolen jewel, an abduction and the moors. Fun, quick read.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. "An Impossible Imposter" will be released in Feb. 2022, which gives you time to read the earlier books.

I really like the character s in these books. The love affair, bantering, and comraderie between Speedwell and Stoker makes for an enjoyable read. The writing is superb. Veronica is to find out if an acquaintance is real or an imposter. But it seems there is more than one imposter in this adventurer.

I like this series quite a lot, but have to say that the complications raised by this installment feel forced. We learn more about Veronica's past, Stoker gets pensive, there are the usual unpleasant villains and unpleasant side characters (NPCs), and a lot of uncertainty about who is on whose side and who is betraying whom and in the end everyone gets betrayed, maybe, and ends with Veronica setting off on more adventures and to track down Stoker. It's not bad, but it's not as good as some of the earlier books in the series.

Still LOVE this series!!!! My patrons can't wait for this next installment!! I love the adventure, the banter between Veronica and Stoker, the settings, the whole cast of characters. I just hope Raybourn still has many plans for this series cuz we are hooked and never want it to end.

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Pub. for this earc

I am so happy I got to read number 8 in the Veronica Speedwell series. I’ve been following these books for years and even 8 books later I Love Veronica and Stoker even more.

This book was definitely a little less about the mystery and a little more about Veronica’s past and her trying to find her place. I loved that I was still surprised by this book.

Veronica? Married? What is this madness? I was so happy we finally got to see a little more of Veronica’s past and the time she spent before these books. Harry was definitely an interesting character and showed us a different side of Veronica. But we also got to see how much Veronica changed and how now she needs to decide what the next step will be.

I totally understood why she didn’t tell Stoker about Harry but at the same time we all know communication is the most importan part of the relationship.

Was I heartbroken when Stoker left? Hell yeah! But I also feel like when they get together again, they will come back stronger.

What an amazing book! Can’t wait to see where the story goes next!

As book seven in the Veronica Speedwell series, we once again follow Veronica and her irresistible companion Stoker as they work together to solve yet another mystery. This mystery includes a stolen jewel and an imposter. Veronica and Stoker face merciless villians and find themselves in yet another trying situation. After reading the other books in this series, I found this book to be rather slow until the second half of the book. The story ends with the possibility of yet another book in the series. This is a fun read and does deliver they same intrigue and spunk as Raybourn's other books in this series. It just seem to take a while for the story to develop.

I just love Veronica and Stoker, but alas, all is not well between them. Veronica’s biggest secret comes back to haunt her and not even the man she loves can save her from its repercussions. One of my favorite parts of this series is how Veronica continues to collect interesting women acquaintances and connects them to the wider society of learned women. This series continues to deliver and I find myself to be already impatient for the next installment. Excelsior!

Another great addition to the series! This time we meet someone from Veronica's past that may not have the best of intentions...

Even with the seventh book in the Veronica Speedwell series, Deanna Raybourn is still able to surprise the reader. For that matter, An Impossible Impostor manages to shock the unflappable Veronica as well.

In April 1889, Veronica and Stoker, the natural historian, have just returned home to Belvedere, the estate where they both work. Instead of a little time for relaxation and the kind of work they both love, they’re summoned by Sir Hugo Montgomerie, head of the Special Branch of Scotland Yard. He has a request on behalf of his goddaughter, Euphemia Hathaway.

Six years earlier, Krakatoa erupted near the island of Sumatra. Euphemia’s brother, Jonathan, disappeared there, and is presumed to be dead. But, now a man has shown up at Hathaway Hall, claiming to be Jonathan. While Euphemia and her brother, Charles, don’t recognize the stranger, their grandmother, Lady Hathaway, is eager to accept him as the grandson she lost and mourned.

Sir Hugo hopes Veronica can help solve the mystery of the newly arrived claimant. Veronica was on one of her adventurous trips in 1883, and joined up with Jonathan and his companions. She managed to escape Krakatoa, but left behind her young hopes as she grew more cynical and careful after that trip. Can she identify Euphemia’s brother?

Oh, Veronica can identify the man in the Hathaway household. She’s shocked to discover him as a “feckless, reckless, and utterly unreliable” man she once knew. Now, she’s pressured to keep his secret. Veronica is angry to discover an emotional side of herself that she’s always tried to contain. And, worst of all, she fears she’ll make Stoker suffer for that secret.

Of course, Speedwell and Stoker are in danger again. This time, Veronica makes an enemy that could cause future trouble.

Just when the reader feels a little tired of Veronica’s constant adventures, Deanna Raybourn puts an unusual twist to the Speedwell story. We discover a side of Veronica we haven’t seen, and uncover one more secret from her past. The Impossible Impostor is a surprise, and one of the strongest entries in the series in recent years.

Not the best in the series but still a strong, entertaining historical mystery. I will at least try anything Raybourn has written and this one only disappoints a little.

Veronica and Stoker are asked to investigate after a long-lost heir returns who happens to be a blast from Veronica's past. Is he who he says he is and will Stoker and Veronica's relationship be able to handle the truth?

Another great adventure for Veronica Speedwell. This series reminds me of the way people talk about those old Saturday morning serials. It's so fun to drop in to each new chapter and you can always rely on a fresh batch of bad guys and intrigue and of course the faithful hero(ine). There are plenty of fresh takes on expected mystery tropes and Raybourn's writing never lacks emotional reality, no matter how far fetched plot machinations might become. I recommend this series to historical mystery readers regularly and with this new entry I don't think I'll be stopping any time soon.

Another impossibly wonderful foray into the world of Miss Speedwell. She and Templeton never disappoint.

Every time I finish one of these books I feel a ridiculous urge to become a lepidopterist. But I digress.

On her latest adventure, Veronica Speedwell finds herself trying to determine if the man claiming to be the long-long lost heir to a noble family is who he says he is. She also soon realizes that she can’t run from her own past.

This book felt a little different than the previous Veronica Speedwell mysteries. The story was lighter on the mystery, and heavier on personal revelations and character developments. We get to learn a lot about young Veronica and see how her relationship with Stoker is progressing. I enjoyed the book a great deal. I even enjoyed the mystery which, as previously mentioned, was lighter.

Overall, I have a suspicion that a lot of what happened in this book will one into pay in the next book or even the next few books. I’m not super looking forward to the wait. If the next book was available tomorrow it still wouldn’t be soon enough.

Note: I received and e-ARC of this book from NetGalley, but thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was such a fun mystery! the pacing was well done, the dialogue was fun and witty, and the story really drew me in

Deanna Raybourn's Veronica Speedwell returns for her seventh compelling adventure in An Impossible Impostor! Veronica must confront a ghost from her past when her and Stoker have been asked to investigate a case of a returned heir, who had been presumed dead.

In the scope of the series, this installment doesn’t do too much to further the overarching plots, choosing to focus on a different angle of Veronica's backstory than that of her family. Her romance with Stoker becomes a bit stalled, in order to stretch things out for more books. Some of the issues that I had with the previous novel are ironed out a bit here, but I feel like some elements are just added just to throw a spanner in the works, and to have a few more adventures before we reach a sweeping conclusion to the series. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, I do always enjoy my time with Veronica and Stoker.

I continue to recommend this series to all lovers of historical mysteries. As always, these are fun reads, and I look forward to the next one! Excelsior!

4 stars.

Thanks to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for this copy, in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Deanna Raybourn never disappoints with her Speedwell series. For me it gets better with every book. Can this series never end?