A Taste of Betrayal: A Faith Clarke Mystery
In 1775 Williamsburg, the colonial capital of Virginia, tempers flare between loyalists to King George III and patriots craving independence. Tavern keeper Faith Clarke, a widow who is raising her young son alone, walks a cautious line between the two camps, knowing that her business might suffer should she “dally in politics.” But her world is thrown into chaos when her father-in-law, a prominent local businessman and patriot sympathizer, falls sick from apparent arsenic poisoning, and her mother-in-law becomes the chief suspect.
Soon her love interest and two more members of her extended family show symptoms of poisoning, leaving Faith no choice but to investigate. Did tainted madeira from the colonial governor play a role, or did Faith’s mother-in-law, a skilled herbalist and healer, slip something into the drinks for private gain? With the help of a daring patriot spy, Faith unravels the mystery and accepts a challenge that will propel her into new adventures in the future.
A Taste of Betrayal is the second in the Faith Clarke mystery series, and the setting of colonial Williamsburg springs to life. Those unfamiliar with the first volume, however, may be confused by the lack of backstory to ground them and the large cast of characters. The plot sometimes spins its wheels, offering too little new action, a scarcity of clues, and repetitive scenes. Anachronisms crop up, with dialogue such as “Good luck with that” and the depiction of slaves whose perspectives seem more 21st century than 18th. In addition, careless editing—especially repeated sentences, missing punctuation, and other typos—may frustrate readers.
