An Impossible Impostor by Deanna Raybourn

Veronica and Stoker are returning from Alpenwald with a thoroughly... distinctive... cheese and also a small child. The latter is Lady Cordelia's son though, because she is unmarried, she is pretending to have adopted the child. They are barely home when they are visited by Sir Hugo Montgomerie who has a personal request. This case also hits close to home for Veronica and causes her some pause. 

It seems Sir Hugo has a goddaughter, Euphemia Hathaway. Euphemia is above reproach (according to Sir Hugo) but it seems that her family is in an uproar because her long-lost brother Jonathon, heir to the family mansion, has returned. At least, a man claiming to be Jonathon has returned. But there are no family members who knew the man more recently still alive. In fact, one of the last people to see him was Veronica herself. 

So the two travel to the Hathaway estate and Veronica is shocked that she recognizes the man who appears. Of course, being Stoker and Veronica, there are layers upon layers and we learn more about Veronica's past than we knew before.

I don't really recommend this book to people who are new to the series but regular Raybourn readers will be delighted. We don't see as much growth from Stoker but there is a new mystery, a new Big Bad, mentions of science and history that are woven seamlessly into the story, and everything readers adore. 

Four stars

This book comes out February 15th, 2022

Follows An Unexpected Peril

Followed by A Sinister Revenge

ARC kindly provided by Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley
Opinions are my own