QUEEN'S GAMBIT

Fans will delight in another cross-dressing, gun-toting Margaret Harkness adventure. Danielle Cohen's narration is spritely and intelligent as Margaret and old friend Joseph Bell investigate assassins and anarchists in 1897 Germany. Bell, the inspiration for Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes, invites Margaret to assist him in the search for secret documents that have fallen into enemy hands. Cohen delivers a credible cast, including Scotland Yard's Inspector Ethington and Elizabeth, his young daughter. Cohen is fine delivering the tense moments as Margaret and Queen Victoria are stalked by political adversaries. Unfortunately, she misses the subtle humor sprinkled throughout the story, and while her Scots and British accents are wonderful, her French and German are less convincing. In spite of minor flaws, Cohen makes Harper's story worth a listen. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine [Published: DECEMBER 2020]