NICOLE BYRD – Widow in Scarlet. Berkley, paperback original; 1st printing, September 2003.

   Taking the title first, there are in fact, two widows in scarlet that appear in this rather long romantic adventure, set in England’s famed Regency era.

   The first is poverty-stricken Lucy Contrain, whose husband died an untimely death a year before. The second is the famed “Scarlet Widow,” a fabulous ruby purchased by the Prince Regent, but which managed to disappear while it was on its way to England.

   Accusing Lucy’s late husband of collaborating with the gang of thieves and murderers he believes was involved is Nicholas Ramsey, Viscount Richmond, a man whose reputation as a ladies’ man and seductor hides a highly capable agent of the prince.

   Lucy is at first amazed and then determined to aid the viscount in his investigations — an unlikely pair of sleuths, to be sure, but the mother-and-daughter team who write jointly as Nicole Byrd skillfully gloss over any quibbles that might arise in the minds of picky readers, such as myself.

   More satisfying than the mystery or its solution — of which the prologue reveals far too much — is the attraction that grows between the two protagonists, in fits and starts, but in true fashion of the day.

   Widow in Scarlet is recommended more, therefore, for its intended audience, Regency romance enthusiasts, than it is for anyone actually reading this review — devotees of detective tales all, I’m sure — but for the former, the spirited adventure will be all the more icing on the cake.