Product Description

Hired to tutor four orphaned girls at remote, ramshackle Aldwick Castle, Miss Concordia Glade is pleased to find her pupils both eager and bright. Indeed, they are bright enough to have noticed some oddities about their situation. Provided for by an unseen benefactor, they are surrounded at all times by hard-eyed guards in the guise of gardeners - and their previous tutor, she learns, disappeared under mysterious circumstances. Stepping into this uncertain atmosphere, Concordia sees at once what must be done. The plan is daring in scope and execution, but with the help of her four students, the great escape stands a good chance of success. Of course, even the best-laid plans can go awry . . . and even the most independent, strong-minded lady must occasionally accept an offer of help. During an investigation into a woman’s death, private inquiry agent Ambrose Wells finds himself on the castle grounds - and in the middle of chaos. The building is in flames. People are dead. And a woman and four girls are fleeing on horseback. A confirmed loner, Ambrose nevertheless finds himself taking Concordia and her students under his wing. His past has made him eminently suitable to protect them from the person behind the events at Aldwick Castle: a notorious London crime lord who will stop at nothing to destroy those who know his secrets. Their lives at risk, Concordia and the girls must remain safely in hiding until Ambrose is able to unravel the dark conspiracy. But if the girls have learned anything from Miss Glade, it is the value of curiosity - a quality their teacher possesses in great abundance. She has never been one to sit back quietly and let others take care of her. As the danger circles ever closer, Ambrose and Concordia must work together to discover a way out of the darkness. In the process, they will learn a few lessons themselves - about stubbornness, courage, and love.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1980865 in Books
• Published on: 2006-04-28
• Released on: 2006-04-28
• Formats: Abridged, Audiobook, CD
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: .81" h x 6.10" w x 5.18" l, .27 pounds
• Binding: Audio CD

From Publishers Weekly
Quick (aka Jayne Ann Krentz) gives her fans what they want in her latest historical romance, set in a movieland Victorian England. Concordia Glade, a teacher with past secrets and unconventional ideas about educating women, meets Ambrose Wells, a "private inquiry agent" with secrets of his own and an unusual tattoo, as she and her four orphaned pupils flee Aldwick Castle, which they have set on fire to hide their escape. Ambrose escorts the lovely fugitives to safety, protecting them from the criminal mastermind and his aristocratic partner who'd kept them as part of a dastardly plan to use them for profit and pleasure. Concordia returns the favor by helping Ambrose investigate the mysterious death of a London woman. Courteous, daring, resourceful, Concordia and Ambrose can't wait to ravish each other repeatedly. Who but Quick (The Paid Companion, etc.) finds such joy in chestnuts such as the boy thief mentored by the rich man he tries to rob? Or the dilettante solving cases Scotland Yard can't? Quick plunges into every cliché ("Sensation after sensation coursed through her, leaving no room for uncertainty, let alone any sense of modesty"), but energizes her fluid narration with modern sensibilities, gutsy leads and romantic excesses. There's nothing new here, but that's part of Quick's great appeal. <
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From AudioFile
In nineteenth-century England, tutor Concordia Glade senses that her four young charges are in danger, and she leads them away from Aldwick Castle to London. During her journey she meets the mysterious Ambrose Wells, and he and Concordia fall in love as they begin investigating the mysterious benefactor who originally placed the orphaned girls. Anne Flosnik's lyrical British accent is polished and professional. She provides a distinctive voice for the various characters, establishing both their social class and gender. Her crisp diction enhances a superb listening experience. S.C.M. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

From Booklist
The curriculum for Miss Concordia Glade's classroom has expanded from languages and social graces to explosives because that's the only way she can think of to get her charges out of their castle/prison before something terrible happens. Concordia not only destroys the building but also has to kill a thug who attacks her and her girls as they try to escape. Gentleman thief turned private investigator Ambrose Wells, who's at Aldwick Castle to look into other matters, can't believe what he's seeing, and spirits Concordia and the four teens away to the safety of his London townhouse. Concordia, like other heroines created by Quick (a pen name for Jayne Ann Krentz), is a strong feminist who gets herself into a plethora of trouble and is equally adept at saving herself. These traits frustrate alpha male Ambrose, even as he reluctantly admires her courage, ingenuity, and resourcefulness. As the heinous tale unfolds, villains appear at every turn, from the mean streets of Victorian England to the opulent parlors of London's upper crust, but Ambrose and Concordia will do anything to keep the girls safe. As always, Quick's trademark wit and humor run gracefully throughout this suspenseful and satisfying novel, and fans and new readers alike will fall for the newest additions to Quick's impressive collection of characters. Shelley Mosley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved