ANDREA PICKINS – The Hired Hero .

Signet, paperback; c.1999; 1st pr., June 1999.

   The mystery in this regency romance is not of the detective variety. It’s more of a spy or adventure thriller, with plenty in romance department as well, but more of that later.

   The father of Lady Caroline Talcott, who is a bit of a tomboy (or harridan, if you will), is off fighting Napoleon, and the papers he sends to his daughter, to be delivered to London, are vital to the war effort. But when the messenger with the parcel collapses and dies on Caroline’s front doorstep, she is the only one who can complete the task. Waylaid on the way (hmm) by an unknown assailant, she reluctantly enlists the assistance of the dissolute Earl of Davenport. Unknown to her, however, the gentleman with the bad reputation is dead, and the new earl is the dead man’s twin brother.

   She hires him anyway — he is dreadfully in need of money — hence the title. Caroline is not only a great horseback rider, she is also a crack shot with a pistol and a terrific boatsperson, all of which come into play. The romance between the two also begins to grow in intensity, but in fits and starts.

   This is a fine, fine adventure, with an underlying feminist theme that (for the most part) makes it largely unlikely, given the time period, but the narrow escapes and the near misses certainly provide a lot of fun.

[UPDATE] 06-02-08. Yes, once again this is a book that’s in the Revised Crime Fiction IV, by Allen J. Hubin. Even though The Hired Hero was billed and sold as a Regency Romance, there’s always the possibility of overlap into “our” field, no matter the primary genre, and this is a prime example.

   Of the dozen such Regency Romances written by Andrea Pickins, I’ll concede, however — that being the primary pen name used by real author Andrea DaRef — this is the only one which could be really considered for inclusion in CFIV. See her website for covers of them all.

   But of her recent historical romances, taking place in very much the same era, the following trilogy might be prime candidates as having sufficient criminous content to also be invited in, save for one fact: they’ve all been published after CFIV‘s cut-off date of the year 2000, or will be. All are also adventures of various members of “Mrs. Merlin’s Academy for Select Young Ladies, a secret school for Hellion Heroes.”

The Spy Wore Silk. Forever, paperback original, June 2007. “On her first assignment, the resourceful Siena is charged with sniffing out a Napoleonic spy while posing as a courtesan in search of a new protector.”

Seduced by a Spy. Forever, paperback original, March 2008. “Shannon is the most daring of ‘Merlin Maidens.’ Her assignment: stop the fiendishly cruel assassin who is targeting a top British ballistics expert’s family.”

The Scarlet Spy. Forever, paperback original, October 2008. “The most ladylike of ‘Merlin’s Maidens,’ Sofia possesses a natural grace and grandeur to go along with her deadly arsenal of martial skills — which makes her the perfect choice for undertaking a dangerous dance of deception through the highest circles of London Society.”