Readers of Regency romances or historical thrillers are sure to enjoy the Kendra Donovan series by Julie McElwain (A Twist in Time). Shadows in Time, the fifth entry, finds the misplaced FBI agent still navigating the tricky details of 19th-century high society. Kendra has a chance encounter with Mrs. Gavenston, a brewster--an extremely rare achievement for a woman in Regency England. She's worried because Mr. Pascoe, her brewery's business manager, has been missing for several days.
At Mrs. Gavenston's request, Kendra begins to investigate, and unfortunately finds Pascoe's corpse. Using the skills she honed in the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit before she somehow tumbled back in time, Kendra and several of her noble friends query Pascoe's friends and family.
Meanwhile, the missing daughter of Kendra's patron, the Duke of Aldridge, mysteriously reappears after 20 years. The duke longs to believe that this "Carlotta" is indeed his daughter, Charlotte, who was lost at sea, but Kendra is suspicious. Distracted by Carlotta's growing influence over the Duke, can Kendra find both a killer and the truth about Carlotta before it's too late?
Fast-paced and fascinating, with its blend of historical details and FBI techniques, Shadows in Time is not to be missed. Kendra's pugnacious attitude has been softened by her stay in the past, as she attempts to find her role in a society that wants women to be merely decorative. Shadows in Time may easily be read as a standalone, although its irresistible blend of mystery, time travel and romance is sure to spur readers to hunt down the first four books in the series. --Jessica Howard, bookseller at Bookmans, Tucson, Ariz.