Dangerous Duet

A Dangerous Duet- Karen Odden
William Morrow/Harper Collins
Release Date: November 6, 2018

Rating:
📚📚📚📚📚

Synopsis: Nineteen-year-old Nell Hallam lives in a modest corner of Mayfair with her brother Matthew, an inspector at Scotland Yard. An exceptionally talented pianist, she aspires to attend the Royal Academy; but with tuition beyond their means, Nell sets out to earn the money herself—by playing piano in a popular Soho music hall. And the fact that she will have to disguise herself as a man and slip out at night to do it doesn’t deter her.

Spending evenings at the Octavian is like entering an alternate world, one of lively energy, fascinating performers, raucous patrons—and dark secrets. And when Nell stumbles upon the operations of an infamous crime ring working in the shadows of the music hall, she is drawn into a conspiracy that stretches the length of London. To further complicate matters, she has begun to fall for the hall owner's charismatic son, Jack, who has secrets of his own. 

The more Nell becomes a part of the Octavian’s world, the more she risks the relationships with the people she loves. And when another performer is left for dead in an alley as a warning, she realizes her future could be in jeopardy in more ways than one.

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Nell Hallam, nineteen and desperate to be accepted to the Royal Academy to further her future as a pianist, doesn't let convention stop her from reaching her goals.  To earn the needed tuition she plays piano at the Octavian Music Hall- which requires her to pretend she's a man.  There she makes friends with an unusual assortment of people, including trapeze artist Marceline and handyman Jack- who just happens to be the owner's son.  After finding Marceline beaten in an alley one night, Nell realizes there is more going on at the Octavian than music and a good time.  Nell needs to help her Scotland Yard Inspector brother take down a vicious ring of thieves and murderers- including dirty cops and Jack's own father- while keeping her friends and their secrets safe.

Nell is a woman ahead of her time, willing to step beyond the boundaries of convention to reach her goals and protect the people she loves.  Mature and rational, she is also willing to listen to her heart when it comes to the people around her.  Through her eyes we see people not only as they present themselves to the world, but also the complicated, multiple layers beneath their masks. Primary and secondary characters alike unfold layer by layer, all complex people with hopes, dreams, fears, and motives beyond what is seen on the surface.

Odden's debut novel, A Lady in the Smoke, introduced readers to a wonderful new author who knows how to describe London and the surrounding areas as if it is one of the book's characters and that talent is even more in evidence here.  A Dangerous Duet vividly brings readers into the double life of Victorian  London: beautiful Mayfair homes and first rate museums alongside the dirty alleys and rickety buildings of Soho.  You smell the bread being sold, feel the cobblestones beneath your feet, and hear the busy traffic on the streets. You check your hands for splinters, feel the smoothness of piano keys, and feel your heart leap in your chest right along with Nell.

A fast-paced novel blending the perfect amount of suspense and mystery with a deft touch of romance and music, A Dangerous Duet is a perfect book for mystery lovers!