Dangerous Deceptions, by Sarah Zettel

Dangerous Deceptions is the second book in Sarah Zettel's 'Palace of Spies' series. It continues the adventures of Peggy Fitzroy, lady-in-waiting (and part-time spy) at the Hanoverian court of King George I. Peggy has been tasked with nosing out the Jacobite rebels at court, but her work as a spy is increasingly hindered by events in her “normal” life: her guardian wants her to marry a perfectly loathsome young man, her fellow ladies-in-waiting are treacherous, and her spymaster mentor, Mr. Tinderflint, is being maddeningly unhelpful about the one thing Peggy needs him to investigate—the whereabouts of her long-lost father.

I always enjoy Sarah Zettel's books. Her plots are thoughtfully developed, her characters are appealing, and her world-building skills are top-notch. Her writing style (even in her supernatural stories) is too prosaic to achieve the teen-blockbuster status of bombastic series like the Divergent or Maze Runner books, but, hey: I'm no longer a teenager, so I think it's awesome. Dangerous Deceptions is a richly satisfying installment in a lively, clever series, and fans of historical suspense would be well-advised to check it out.