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Review
The Lion's Shadow
The Lion’s Shadow by
Marthe Arends
Avid Press
322 pages, 1999
ISBN 1929613059
Reviewed by our UK Editor Rachel A. Hyde

Read our interview with the author



Suffragette Cassandra Whitney is devoted to her cause and during a protest outside a theater, she bumps (literally) into Griffin St John – explorer, author and very much against women’s suffrage. His brother is Lord Sherringham who is even more of a voice against women’s rights, while his sister Helena wants to join Cassandra in the fight, much to her family’s disapproval. Soon they are pitched into a murderous plot that seems to involve all of them. Who is the man with the gold tooth, why does Griffin keep having near-fatal accidents and why are the demonstrations getting more and more violent?

Ms. Arends has managed to combine a teasing plot with a feel for the period and two very entertaining characters. This is an enjoyable tale sure to appeal to all those who love Elizabeth Peters’ Peabody series, with a spirited heroine who knows how to handle herself in a crisis and a charmingly infuriating hero.

There is plenty of background information about the women’s suffrage movement during the early years of this century, which complements rather than overshadows the plot. I for one look forward to reading
The Lion Sleeps when it comes out, the next novel in the series.



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