Not one of the best in the series. The plots and counterplots between Sir Percy and Chauvelin are lots of fun, but our heroine du jour, Josette, is rather poorly drawn. Her behavior seems inconsistant, and it's difficult to get a grasp on what her age is supposed to be until it is directly stated. (This isn't helped by what I could only reason was a mistake about whether she or Louise is older- when it's finally said that Josette is twenty, it becomes clear that this has to be an error unless Louise had her son when she was twelve.) Fun in parts but not particularly special. ( )

Poor old Chauvelin, bless his withered heart; he has the cunning and the stubborn will, but he never wins. Here, his pawn is a young girl, whose trust and near friendship he manipulates, but still the Pimpernel is one step ahead. The usual sparring between Sir Percy and Armand Chauvelin (honoured with a first name again) is really the highlight of the action - there is a most amusing confrontation, involving a pepperpot, between the two foes which is written with sly humour and with subtle reference to their history.

The story itself is rambling, and has the feel of a pulp fiction detective novel rather than the Baroness' usual style of romance in the face of adversity; plucky heroine Josette and her friend Louise sound like two misplaced 1930s London sociailites, calling each other 'darling' and bursting into fits of tears every other chapter. Not one of the best, but the historical details are all in place and the lead characters more than hold their own. ( )