At dawn one morning in 1933, an amateur dowsing team digging the banks of the Thames for precious metals unearths the body of a young woman with a missing toe and a priceless gold coin in her mouth. The case falls on Assistant Commissioner of Scotland Yard Joe Sandilands' turf, but he's been given another assignment�and a very high-profile one. London is hosting a historic global economic conference to try to solve the global Depression, and political tensions are running very high, as very influential participants are starting to take positions allied with or staunchly against the rapidly militarizing Germany. Sandilands' job is to protect and keep an eye on the visiting American senator Cornelius Kingstone, right-hand man to President Roosevelt, throughout the conference. When a strange set of coincidences link the river bank body to the senator, Joe realizes his assignment is much bigger than he'd thought, and that Senator Kingstone is caught up in a very dangerous game�one that might cost not just one but thousands of lives.
From Booklist
The title (chosen with a nod to Shakespeare) is particularly apt as multiple villains hide beneath the surface of this eleventh adventure starring Scotland Yard�s Assistant Commissioner Joe Sandilands. Sandilands isn�t happy when he�s tapped to provide security for American senator Cornelius Kingstone, in London to attend an important economic conference at the behest of Franklin Roosevelt. After all, the senator has his own FBI shadow, an expatriate Sandilands knows from past encounters to be skilled in matters of security�though of questionable loyalties. Sandilands soon realizes his own skills are needed despite the FBI: Kingstone�s girlfriend has disappeared, and the senator is being threatened. It doesn�t take long for Sandilands to figure out that the visiting dignitary is keeping something important to himself. Why isn�t it easier to tell enemies from friends? Secret societies, economic and political power plays, and assassins on the lose share space in a convoluted but involving tale, marked by historical, cultural, and literary references, stiff-upper-lip dialogue, and occasionally surprising wittiness. --Stephanie Zvirin
Review
**Praise for *A Spider in the Cup***
"Intricate and intimate, Cleverly�s series melds the whodunit with the political thriller. �A Spider in the Cup� burnishes her bona fides as she once again pulls off a chilling and charming story with an engaging hero, a dose of leavening wit and a keen sense of history."
*****�**Richmond Times-Dispatch***
"Secret societies, economic and political power plays, and assassins on the loose share space in...[an] involving tale, marked by historical, cultural, and literary references, stiff-upper-lip dialogue, and occasionally surprising wittiness."�
***�Booklist***
"A dangerous game set against a roiling historical backdrop."
***�Bookpage***
"Cleverly writes extremely well of the era that she is evoking.... [*A Spider in the Cup*] explores economic and political tensions of the times."
***�Deadly Pleasures***
"[A] suspenseful and intricate tale of honor and betrayal."�
***�Suspense Magazine
***
�*A Spider in the Cup* is an intriguing mix of history and murder mystery.... Another solid entry in this series, one definitely worth seeking out.�
**�Mysterious Reviews**
�Cleverly's strength is in her ability to pick readers up and place them in a different time and place through vivid descriptions of everything from the scenery to the sounds and aromas of the place.... The author pulls in readers [with] her marvelously colorful characters.�
**�Reviewing the Evidence**
**Praise for Barbara Cleverly**
"Spellbinding."
**�*New York Times Book Review***
"Cleverly's crisp prose and solid cast of supporting characters ... make the book a delight to read."
**�*Denver Post***
"Stylish and intricate.... Cleverly has perfect pitch for period and place, whether her hero is unearthing evil in India, England or France."
**�*Richmond Times-Dispatch***
"A great blood and guts blockbuster."
**�*Guardian***
"The appearance of a Joe Sandilands book is always welcomed by fans of this intelligent and gripping series."
***�San Jose Mercury***