What do you do when you have been passed over countless times in favor of your prettier, but far more boring sister? Hold your head high, of course! Barbara may not be quite as pretty, but she has wit and grace. Helen, her sister, was engaged to Teddy, Ben's cousin. Teddy suspects the fair Helen of cheating on him with a footman casting suspicion on Teddy as the potential murderer when the footman is murdered. Neither Ben nor Barbara believe their kin to be capable of murder and decide to band together to discover the truth.

Barbara is a great main character. Her only potential flaw could be that she doesn't think enough of herself she is that "perpetual victim," at times. Otherwise, she is far more intelligent, witty, and sweet than many other characters in this book. Ben, with homosexual myths floating around about his father, is a little more rough around the edges. He tried to make himself into the true man or at least how he believes a true man would look like and act. If you're anticipating a horrible philanderer, have no fear, Ben is not promiscuous in the story, though he alludes to a sordid past plenty of times. The other characters are fairly well-developed and fit into the author's tale perfectly.

A TRYST WITH TROUBLE is fast-paced, a little bit of romance mixed in with intrigue and mystery. This reader liked the developing relationship between Ben and Barbara. It's not an instantaneous relationship, but focuses more on building trust, making A TRYST WITH TROUBLE a find for those of us who enjoy a character based story.