Deception at Sable Hill by Shelley Gray

★★★★★

The World's Fair is nearing its end, but the danger in Chicago lingers.

It's mid-September of 1893 and Eloisa Carstairs is the reigning beauty of Gilded Age Chicago society. To outsiders she appears to have it all. But Eloisa is living with a dark secret. Several months ago, she endured a horrible assault at the hands of Douglass Sloane, heir to one of Chicago's wealthiest families. Fearing the loss of her reputation, Eloisa confided in only one friend. That is, until she meets Detective Sean Ryan at a high-society ball.

Sean is on the outskirts of the wealthy Chicago lifestyle. Born into a poor Irish family, becoming a policeman was his best opportunity to ensure his future security. Despite society's restrictions, he is enamored with Eloisa Carstairs. Sean seethes inside at what he knows happened to her, and he will do anything to keep her safe – even if he can never earn her affections.

Eloisa longs to feel normal again in the midst of the danger surrounding the Chicago World's Fair, but a killer is on the loose. In the last month, three debutants have been accosted in the city by an assailant wielding a stiletto. As the danger in the city increases, and as Eloisa's and Sean's romance blossoms, they both realize they want to be seen as more than how the world views them. But will they catch the killer before all their hopes come tumbling down?

The follow-up to Secrets of Sloane House in Shelley Gray’s Chicago World’s Fair Mystery, Deception on Sable Hill offers another intriguing historical mystery and romance. Once again, I loved the exquisite backdrop of the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago Gray utilizes, as well as the characters she places within it. Eloisa Carstairs and Sean Ryan take the focus of this novel, as they seem to continually cross one another’s path, despite their class differences, in the pursuit of the fearsome Society Slasher. The closer they draw to the surprising culprit, the deeper their relationship naturally becomes and the more vulnerable each must be with their fears and past. An overall entertaining and satisfying read, this well-rounded story has a little bit of everything to give its readers, alternating easily between sweet and suspenseful moments. I really enjoyed reading Deception of Sable Hill and I would certainly recommend it to fans of historical fiction.

Thanks to BookLook Bloggers, I received a copy of Deception on Sable Hill and the opportunity to honestly review it. I was not required to write a positive review, and all the opinions I have expressed are my own. (I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”)

About the Author

Shelley Gray is the author of The Heart of a Hero series. Her Amish novel (written as Shelley Shepard Gray), The Protector, recently made the New York Times bestseller list. A native of Texas, she earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in Colorado, and taught school for ten years. She and her husband have two children and live in Southern Ohio.