4,5 stars

The books starts where the last one ended but before India can get her answers, they are interrupted by a fellow with an envelope from Colonel Mayhew. Right after India and French are attacked by three strangers and the envelope is stolen. While trying to discover the matter of the envelope and their attack, they stumble into someone from India’s past.

At last we learn something about India’s past! I can’t help but wonder how things will turn out since she’s quite independent for starters… But on the other hand it would be fun to see how she would cope with her new life.

We have some moments between India and French and I wish I could smack their heads together. Or make French lose his honor and sense of duty. I wonder if we will see a scene between her and French’s fiancée because that would be something.

The Dowager Marchioness of Tullibardine makes a visit to Lotus House and practically takes over it. For once we see India totally out of her depth and unable to stop it. Gotta love that old lady and I hope we see more of her. ( )

The last book ended with a sort of cliffie that hade me begging for more. It seems French knew about India's origin and she was not happy and wanted the truth. And this book picked up right where it ended. But will India get her answers? Ha! No such luck, because she is immediately thrown into another case.

At least everything came out in this book. I now know who India is, who her mother is and how it all connects. Rather juicy and I do wonder how...that part will turn out. Because knowing India, well she is a saucy woman. She likes her life, her brothel and ruling over her tarts.

But that is another story. This story is about a letter, a dead major and the hunt for the truth. She and French gets closer, and move apart. Oh I give up all hope on those two.

There is danger, a former lover turning up, secrets revealed and a brothel turned upside down. I certainly look forward their next adventure. ( )

I love this series. I look forward to each new book when it comes out, and the novella's in-between aren't bad either.

India Black is a brothel owner and, after an unfortunate incident involving a dead customer in the first book, a spy for her majesty, Queen Victoria. India Black and the Gentleman Thief picks up minutes after India Black and the Shadows of Anarchy with a mysterious envelope being delivered to India's brothel, to be picked up by one of her customers. India and French have barely caught their breath from chasing anarchists; suddenly three brutes are beating the tar out of both of them and stealing the envelope. Of course, India had already opened the envelope and read the contents. So kicks off the next investigation for India and French.

I think India is a great character. The book is first person POV, with occasional comments made directly to the reader. India is telling this story and she's going to tell it her way. She's brutally honest with herself, and everyone else, about what she is, who she is, the elasticity of her morals, her iron grip on her independence and she is neither defensive nor shameful nor apologetic about any of it. Thank god. She owns the choices she's made and the life she's built and her clarity makes her a much stronger character.

French is the requisite gentleman in this play; smart, gorgeous, public-school educated (Eton, if I remember correctly), well-bred. He plays the straight man to India's snark and sass. He's also the perfect romantic foil for India; there's attraction and sometimes innuendo, but also obstacles (of course!). These obstacles (which belong only to French - India doesn't know the meaning of the word) have kept things simmering along for 4 books; it feels inevitable that they'll end up at least in bed, but the reader isn't strung out or teased by the author along the way. Progress but no back-tracking. Also, the romance is never front-and-center. Very nice.

The setting is Victorian London, and I'm not even so qualified as to call myself a history buff, so I can't speak of the accuracy of Ms. Carr's writing as to setting, use of anachronism's, etc. She does use what I'm assuming is the vernacular of the time period and there are one or two words I'm curious to look up; a few more I pulled meaning for from the context. Accurate or not, reading these books gives me a sense of a darker, grimier London that smells bad.

I didn't rate this particular book higher because the plot left me less than gripped. I'm fine with these being called "mysteries" although they aren't, strictly speaking, murder mysteries. The reader is along for the ride while India and French resolve matters of country and queen, both domestic and international. This particular case's resolution felt anti-climatic. Sort of. There's a terrific showdown at the end, but by the time that occurs, there aren't any real surprises about who the bad guys are. They are named/identified in a very anticlimactic conversation - then the showdown occurs some scenes later. It felt...weird, for lack of a better word, but we might chalk it up to unrealised expectations on my part. In addition, India has sought answers about her family background throughout the previous 3 books and she gets all of her answers in this one. It made for a very full book; a little too full. I felt like the same goals could have been accomplished with a bit less chaos (but it wouldn't have been as amusing, either).

Still, I had a great time reading this book and I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys historic fiction that doesn't take itself too seriously. ( )

http://www.girllostinabook.com/2014/02/review-india-black-and-gentleman-thief.ht... ( )

I declare I like India Black more with each book in the series! This one picks right up where the last one ends, with India threatening to impale French with her rapier if he doesn't reveal what he knows about her family. Of course, before she can make good on her threat, their next adventure comes knocking. Literally. Colonel Mayhew sends an odd bill for shipping tools to India (the country!) to the Lotus House, telling the messenger that he will pick it up later. Why would he send it to the Lotus House, where he has been a customer but has no other connection? Things get more mysterious when three thugs burst in and beat the all-fired crap out of India and French and make off with the bill. When India and French go to confront Colonel Mayhew, they find that he has been horribly murdered. Of course, this all relates to another national security threat, so they are enlisted by the Prime Minister to investigate. It's a darn site hard to concentrate on the matter at hand, however, when the Marchioness comes to town to finally explain everything to India, and then the "gentleman thief" of the title, an old flame of India's, is somehow mixed up in the whole thing. Of course, it all makes for a rollicking good time, and I think I have actually grown to like the Marchioness! We learn so much more about India and her connection to French, although their relationship takes an unsatisfactory turn. The end sets up for the next book, which should be amusing. Can't wait! ( )