Book Review: The Counterfeit Wife by Mally Becker (Revolutionary War Mysteries #2)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Strong characters, setting, and mystery

Cons: None for me

The Bottom Line:

Strong trip back in time

Track counterfeiters, killer

Can’t wait for the next

Nothing About My Enjoyment of This Book was Counterfeit

Earlier this year, I completely enjoyed the first in Mally Becker’s Revolutionary War Mysteries, so I was looking forward to The Counterfeit Wife, the second in the series.  I enjoyed it just as much as the first.

This book finds us in June of 1780, and reintroduces us to widow Becca Parcell and former printer Daniel Alloway.  They met six months before when they went undercover on an assignment for General Washington.  Now, they are heading out again, this time to Philadelphia.  They are pretending to be married, which, considering the sparks between them, isn’t that hard for them.  But their official mission is to find the source of the counterfeiting that is threatening to end the war by destroying the economy.

Since Daniel was an apprentice printer in Philadelphia when he first immigrated to the colonies, he is able to talk to them and begin to gather some clues about what is happening.  But just as Daniel and Becca begin to get an idea who might be behind it, someone they’ve met is murdered.  Unfortunately, the prime suspect has a surprising connection to Becca.  Can the two of them figure out what is going on?

I have always loved this period of American history, so that drew me to these books immediately.  Once I started reading, I was back in life in 1780.  Not only does this book have a great mystery, but it also does a good job of capturing the conflicts that were going on in everyday life at the time.  I appreciated that look at that time period.

But, as always, I’m here for the mystery.  And what a great mystery.  While the book does reintroduce Becca and Daniel to us, it doesn’t have quite the set up that the first book needed to start the story.  As a result, we jump right in meeting potential counterfeiters, and the pace only increases once the murder victim is found.  Several twists caught me off guard and made me want to keep reading.  The ending was especially satisfying as it wrapped things up well.

I mentioned earlier the sparks between Becca and Daniel.  They are so strong we can feel them across a couple hundred years.  Yes, the book does go a little beyond the cozies that I typically read, but it’s still handled fairly discreetly, and it’s worth noting only in passing.

One reason I cared as much for the romantic subplot as I did is because of how strong the characters are.  Since we get scenes from both Becca and Daniel’s points of view, we truly get to know them.  Not that the rest of the cast aren’t well developed.  We get some real people alongside the fictional cast, and I enjoyed getting to meet them as well.

While I was satisfied as I turned the final page on The Counterfeit Wife, I immediately wanted to know what would happen next to Daniel and Becca.  If you are looking for a strong historical mystery, you need to check this series out.