Book Review: To Disguise the Truth by Jen Turano

TO DISGUISE THE TRUTH
SERIES: The Bleecker Street Inquiry Agency
GENRE: Inspirational Historical RomCom
PUBLISHER: Bethany House
RELEASE DATE: January 18, 2022
PAGES: 350

When a man arrives at the Bleecker Street Inquiry Agency, anxious to hire them to find a missing heiress, Eunice Holbrooke realizes her past has finally caught up with her . . . and that she may no longer be able to hide under the disguise that has kept her safe for so long.

Arthur Livingston’s goal in life is to make his mark on the world as a mining industrialist, but after the man who could help him achieve his goal is murdered, Arthur feels compelled to seek justice for the family–but he’s left with more questions than answers after the eccentric Bleecker Street Inquiry Agency refuses to take on his case.

Desperate to conceal her real identity and avoid the irritatingly handsome Arthur, Eunice takes on a different case that requires her to go deep undercover and entangles her in one troublesome situation after another. When other secrets come to light, Eunice has no choice but to confront her past, hopeful that it will set her free but knowing it could very well place her life–and the lives of those she loves–in jeopardy.

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It must be somewhat disconcerting – and more than a bit comical – to be hired to find yourself… but readers have grown to expect nothing less from a Jen Turano read! The author is skilled at putting her characters into awkwardly delightful & hilarious predicaments, and the one in which our dear Eunice finds herself at the start of To Disguise the Truth may be the most intriguing yet!

Fans of The Bleecker Street Inquiry Agency series have been fascinated from book one by Eunice’s general mysteriousness. We weren’t quite sure whether her ever present widow’s weeds and heavy veils were a classic Turano quirk for a future heroine or if they indeed served a disguising purpose. As you might guess by the title of this third book, we get the answers we’ve been waiting for – and what a delicious dish of intrigue, mystery, and family drama it turns out to be! I thoroughly enjoyed watching her story unfold and getting to really know her character a lot better. While I’ve always been interested in Eunice for reasons I’ve already explained, I truly came to love her in To Disguise the Truth.

And Arthur. Ah, Arthur. I wasn’t quite sure that any man could replace Norman Nesbit as my favorite Turano hero, but Arthur definitely gives him a run for his money. Equal parts awkward and endearing, he and Eunice have an interesting history, and their present seems to be off to a similar start.

“Considering she’d once shot the man sitting across from her, Eunice Holbrooke was beginning to get the sneaking suspicion her past had finally caught up to her.”

Right from the first line of this hilarious story, I was chuckling at what I knew would be a certainly fun path to happily-ever-after for these two characters. Needless to say, I was right and the bumps along the way (in quintessential Turano fashion) made it all the more so.

But there’s also a couple of more serious points that, while not overshadowing the romcom nature of the story in any way, bear mentioning. First is a brief look at the horrible conditions that women found themselves after being (often forcibly and deviously) committed to the insane asylums of Gilded Age New York. (Side note: Is it too much to hope that we might see a future spin-off series from this author related to some of the characters we met there?) Second, there is a subtle but sweet faith-related thread that is so timely to the world in which we find ourselves. Both of these subplots add further layers to the main characters & remind us that even hilarity can be meaningful when you look closely enough.

Bottom Line: To Disguise the Truth is another wonderful foray by Jen Turano into Gilded Age New York – the good, the bad, and the ugly sides of this storied time in US History. Vividly drawn characters, hilarious hijinks, and lots of heart grace these pages, as well as a swoony romance (with a man who wants it to be known that he knows his way around a kiss!) and answers readers have been waiting for. Eunice and Arthur are delightful in every way, as are all the supporting players we get to visit with along the way. A must-read if you want to be uplifted with the power of laughter & love!

(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the publisher. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.)

My Rating: 4.5 stars / loved it!

KissingBook Level: 3+ / will forget to breathe on occasion

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Named one of the funniest voices in inspirational romance by Booklist, Jen Turano is a USA Today bestselling author, known for penning quirky historical romances set in the Gilded Age. Her books have earned Publishers Weekly and Booklist starred reviews, top picks from Romantic Times, and praise from Library Journal. She’s been a finalist twice for the RT Reviewers’ Choice Awards and had two of her books listed in the top 100 romances of the past decade from Booklist. She and her family live outside of Denver, Colorado. Readers can find her on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, and at jenturano.com

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