The Third Circle

The Third Circle (Arcane Society Book 4) by Amanda Quick (2008)

Description: Leona Hewitt, disguised in men's formal evening clothes, has secretly made her way into Lord Delbridge's private museum to recover a relic stolen from her family years ago. But someone else is there in the dimly lite gallery, on the same errand: a tall, black-cloaked man whose very voice is enough to put her in a trance.

Thaddeus Ware, a mesmerist with powerful psychic energy, is accustomed to fearful reactions from others - women in particular. After all, a man who can control the minds and actions of others could rob a lady of her virtue - without her ever knowing! But Leona shows to trace of hysteria in his presence. A force to be reckoned with as both a gifted crystal worker and a a woman, she exerts a rather hypnotic power over the hypnotist himself. And she is determined to keep the crystal they recovered, by giving him the skip and a run-down London inn.

Thaddeus, on assignment for the secretive Arcane Society, knows the menace Leona is courting by absconding with the crystal. It is a source of remarkable energy, and it holds the potential for great destruction. Lord Delbridge has already killed two men to acquire it, for it is his key to membership in the elite, shadowy group known as the Third Circle. And with the help of a seductive hunter of preternatural kill, dubbed "The Midnight Monster" by the press, Delbridge intends to find her. With the stolen crystal in their possession, the danger is only beginning.

Review: We are reunited with some familiar faces in this next installment of the Arcane Society books. This time, we learn a bit more about Thaddeus, a cousin to the master of the Arcane Society (who we met in Second Sight). I really did enjoy this read, I just wish we got to learn more about our characters. Unfortunately, there was not much character development and we had to take a few things on faith. The mystery about the theft of the crystal was interesting, but the end left me somewhat unsatisfied. Not one of Quick's best, but still enjoyable.

Score: 3 out of 5