"This riveting spy thriller pits two people against Napoleon with England's gold as the prize."

By: Michelle Diener

Genres: Fiction | Historical

Posted: February 3, 2013

Society miss Charlotte Raven has a hidden past, and her secret life takes her into London's seamiest streets in the dark of night. Edward, Lord Durnham has secrets, too, as he carries out an urgent mission for the Crown. When the fate of three small boys brings them together, it sets off a chain of events that puts both their lives at risk and threatens England's future.

THE EMPEROR'S CONSPIRACY is a breakneck thriller that takes you from London's sparkling ballrooms to its darkest gutters. Author Michelle Diener has crafted an intricate knot of a plot, and as one character points out early on, you can't trust anybody.

The novel was inspired by historical events: Napoleon really did try to topple England's economy by illegally exporting its gold, and the situations some of the lower-born characters find themselves in were all too real in the 19th century. Diener makes it all come to life through vivid descriptions of a world populated by strong, three-dimensional characters. Even some of the most dangerous figures will tug at your heart.

THE EMPEROR'S CONSPIRACY is an excellent blend of historical fiction, romance, action, and mystery. I hated to turn the final page, because I wanted to keep reading about these intriguing people and the worlds they inhabit. I highly recommend it.

Book Summary

Set in early nineteenth-century England, this vivid and romantic historical novel goes from the most elegant ballrooms of London to the city’s most tawdry slums, as a spirited young woman helps unravel a plot by Napoleon to bleed England of all its gold. Through good fortune, Charlotte Raven escaped the poverty of the London slums and is now an educated, wealthy Society lady. But she lives between two worlds, unable to completely turn her back on her old life—specifically Luke, her childhood protector and now a ruthless London crime lord.

When Lord Edward Durnham is asked to investigate the alarming movement of gold out of England, his search leads him to London, and his recent acquaintance with Charlotte affords him access to a dark world he barely knew existed. As they delve deeper into the underbelly of London, danger lurks at every turn, and Charlotte must navigate between her two worlds to save England. And soon she faces a defining choice: to continue in the familiar limbo she’s lived in for years, or to take a painful and risky leap toward a happiness she never thought possible.

The Emperor's Conspiracy by Michelle Diener

The Emperor's Conspiracy

by: Michelle Diener

Gallery Books
December 1, 2012
On Sale: November 27, 2012
Featuring:
336 pages
ISBN: 1451684436
EAN: 9781451684438
Kindle: B007EDOSDG
Paperback / e-Book

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