Who’s That Earl?

With titles that play on 1980s pop songs, Craig (“Rogues and Rebels” series) brings forth a new series about secret identities set in a remote Scottish Highlands village. Miss Jane Quayle is the successful author of lurid gothic romances under the pseudonym Robin Ratliff. Living in a secluded Scottish castle suits her purposes perfectly, until the new earl of the estate shows up possibly to evict her. The earl is none other than Thomas Sutherland, Jane’s former sweetheart, recently returned from a spy mission in Dominica. Thomas is reluctant to reveal he’s the earl and instead pretends he is investigating a threatening letter directed at Ratliff, whom he doesn’t realize is Jane. It strains belief that after six years, no one in the village suspects Jane is the author, and not Thomas’s secretary. But the villagers, who play a significant role in the story’s events, are endearing enough to be forgiven.