Maureen Corrigan
The secret is out by now that Ironside is the nom de plume of Lady Catherine Manning, the wife of David Manning, Britain's ambassador to the United States. In a way, it's too bad that Ironside has been less successful in preserving the mystery of her identity than her notorious creation Diana. Mystery readers are a naturally suspicious lot, and many may assume that Manning/Ironside is a mere dilettante whose way into publication was eased by her husband's connections. A few minutes spent reading the first pages of this superb mystery will blow that snarky hypothesis to smithereens.— The Washington Post