Daughter of the game
Grant, Tracy
Adult Fiction GRANT

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From Publishers' Weekly:

Brit history maven Grant's debut novel aspires to be a historical thriller, an incisive study of the "spy game" and a revisionist, feminist take on pre-Victorian England, all rolled into one breathlessly paced 500-page package. Unfortunately, Grant's skills as historian exceed her talents as writer, and her graceful intentions are shanghaied by a welter of stale characterizations, unsurprising plot twists and clunky prose. (It's never encouraging when a book opens with a sentence like "It was the sort of night that cloaks a multitude of sins.") Centering upon Mlanie and Charles Fraser, an upper-crust 1810s London power couple he's a member of parliament and the grandson of a duke; she's a flawlessly coifed social diva the novel kicks into gear when their beloved son, Colin, is kidnapped by thugs in the employ of a sinister Spanish antiroyalist. As the Frasers frantically investigate Colin's disappearance, they discover that the kidnappers are after the Carevalo Ring, a legendary object with Tolkienesque symbolic power, which may be in the possession of Helen Trevennen, a sly, erstwhile actress. The Frasers pursue the elusive Trevennen amid a barrage of revelations, most notably the less-than-shocking admission that Mlanie is actually a former French spy. For the rest of the novel, the reader is plunged into a morass of uninspired action set pieces and maddeningly repetitive dialogues on betrayal, dishonor and forgiveness. Despite its many flaws, Grant's tale is at least swift-moving and fairly involving, leaving room for hope that her next endeavor will be more satisfying. Agent, Nancy Yost. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

From Library Journal:

Grant masterfully weaves personal and political deceptions into a taut fabric of historical intrigue in 1819 England. When Charles and Mlanie Fraser's young son is kidnapped, the motive seems to be ransom or political chicanery. However, the man behind the kidnapping wants a ring that has legendary powers to protect its wearer and rally support in a contested region of Spain. He is convinced that the Frasers know its location because of their part in the Spanish war against Napoleon seven years earlier. With only days to find the ring and save their son, Charles and Mlanie reveal secrets about their pasts that tear through years of lies. Most notably, Mlanie had worked as a French spy, an admission that devastates her husband. But as they unravel clues, he reevaluates his own military intelligence work and realizes that "honor" cannot be an all-encompassing guide. Grant reveals the heady nature of espionage that leads people to deceive themselves and others. Again and again she twists the plot to make the Frasers, and readers, look at actions and motives in new ways. Historical fiction fans will race through this impressive debut. Kathy Piehl, Minnesota State Univ., Mankato (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.