Review of THE COLD LIGHT OF DAY by Anna Lee Huber

THE COLD LIGHT OF DAY (Verity Kent Mysteries #7) by Anna Lee Huber will be released on September 24, 2024, by Kensington.

Former Secret Agent, Verity Kent, and her husband, Sidney, travel to the hotbed of Dublin in search of her former associate Captain Alec Xavier. Alec, who had been sent to Ireland to spy on the Irish Republican Army, seems to have disappeared. Tensions are high in Dublin as the IRA and the British authorities clash in the streets. While covertly trying to discover Alec’s location and where his allegiances lie, Verity gets caught up in investigating the suicide of a young woman who took her own life after a supposed assault by members of the IRA. The Kents find themselves facing off against various former adversaries—including the illusive Lord Ardmore—as they scour Dublin for the truth of the young woman’s assault and Alec’s whereabouts.

THE COLD LIGHT OF DAY is very heavy with historical facts. Huber thoroughly explains the issues in Ireland following the first World War. It was a very tense and treacherous time for people in Ireland, and the Kents are in the thick of it. Their fame offers them some protection, but it also places them under scrutiny. There is an undercurrent of danger throughout the novel. The Lord Ardmore plot takes a backseat in this novel—the Kents are still trying to find him, but the search for him does not dominate like it does in previous novels. I’ll admit I was relieved to get a break from Lord Ardmore. The dueling plotlines of the search for Alec and the investigation into the young woman’s death balanced well and kept the Kents busy. I really enjoyed THE COLD LIGHT OF DAY, and I look forward to Verity’s and Sidney’s next adventure.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.