City of Betrayal by Victoria Thompson

City of Betrayal
by Victoria Thompson

ISBN-13: 9780593440605
Hardback: 320 pages
Publisher: Berkley
Released: December 5, 2023

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
A year has passed since Elizabeth Bates ran her last con. Life has been simpler, although not nearly as exciting, but she has thrown herself into working to get the 19th Amendment ratified by thirty-six states to become the law of the land. Since every other Southern state has already rejected the amendment, it seems unlikely Tennessee will be an exception . . . but it's their only hope, so the suffragists descend on Tennessee for the final battle.

Elizabeth’s ability to interact with difficult men and to persuasively explain all the advantages of allowing women to vote—all skills she perfected as a grifter—have made her a valuable member of the team. But she would never have expected the lengths to which some would go to keep the vote out of women's hands.


My Review:
City of Betrayal is a historical set in August 1920 in Tennessee. This is the 7th book in the series. While you don't need to read the previous books to understand this one, the author did assume the reader had some familiarity with the main characters. So, there was no con. Elizabeth's father was working a relatively uncomplicated con in the background. It's mostly where she sent the names of anti-suffrage legislators to get some level of revenge since she had no time to participate in a con. I do hope that we get back to the cons in the future, though this was plenty suspenseful to make an exciting story.

The historical details were woven into the story to create a vivid sense of the specific time and place and brought the story alive in my imagination. Elizabeth, Gideon, and his mother joined the suffragists in Tennessee, thinking the vote would be over in a few days. But the battle to sway the votes stretched on for days and nights. Knowing cons, they were able to spot and stop a lot of the underhanded tactics used by the anti's. I was immersed in the story, uncertain of winning the vote and worried that yet another pledged "for" legislator would betray the suffragists. If you don't already know the details, don't look them up, just read this book.

There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this educational and suspenseful historical novel.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.