Katarzyna Kot Kot itibaren Kamnagar, West Bengal, Hindistan itibaren Kamnagar, West Bengal, Hindistan

I loved the first book in this series Thief, Liar, Gentleman?. Yes, the story stretches the limits of believability. An urchin with no education is readily accepted as a member of the upper classes in Victorian London. His transformation from callous thief to refined gentleman occurs overnight upon his attending his first opera. Yet, I decided to accept these improbable twists and go along with the story. But the second book Montmorency On The Rocks: Doctor, Aristocrat, Murderer? took a turn for the worst. Instead of developing their personality, here the characters became even shallower. The plot is random, the reasons behind the characters' actions non-existent or contradictory with their previous behaviors. The female characters even less developed that their male counterparts and that is to say something. There is no hint of any kind of sexuality on any of them, male or female, even though one of the females is a prostitute. And by the way, this is a YA novel, am I the only one to have a problem with that? Apparently so. For the protagonists, even the aristocratic lord, accept her easily enough. (view spoiler) Overall terribly disappointing.

I loved, loved, LOVED this author's first two books, and this one was great, too. Even though it is a young adult book, I think any reader would enjoy it. It tells a story of a teenager who was abandoned by her mother and the trouble she has dealing with her lack of history, while at the same time giving clues about a group a kids who lived in the same town years before that are somehow connected to this girl. It creates a sort of mystery-feeling that helps move the story along, and there are a couple spots that need the push to get past the angsty-teenager pages. I see that in this book as well as the author's previous books that most of the problems for her teenage protagonists, the thing that sends them over the edge and makes all the adults suddenly worry and pay attention, is that they aren't told all the information. The adults around them, trying to "protect them," hide information. The teenagers want the answers, especially this character who doesn't know who she is or where she came from. And when you're at an age where you're trying to define who you are, not knowing is a big deal. Worth running away and getting in trouble over. My only issue with this book is that that tragedies seem a bit over the top, the people a little too damaged, but it's worth over-looking that minor flaw.