Historical Novels Review, Issue 65 (August 2013)

A PUBLICATION OF THE HISTORICAL NOVEL SOCIETY

HISTORICAL NOVELS REVIEW Issue 65, August 2013

The Obscure War hf and the war of 1812 translating a genre hf in translation travelling through time an interview with david downing after flodden rosemary goring’s novel time & relativity beverly swerling’s bristol house the “what ifs” of history treading between fact & fiction hns 2013 us conference four attendee perspectives

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE editor’s message | historical fiction market news | history & film | new voices

Historical Novels R eview

ISSN: 1471-7492 | © 2013 The Historical Novel Society

Stuart MacAllister <hnsindie@yahoo.co.uk>

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pub lis h er

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Richard Lee Marine Cottage, The Strand Starcross, Devon EX6 8NY United Kingdom <richard@historicalnovelsociety.org>

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edit o r ial boa r d

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Managing Editor: Bethany Latham Houston Cole Library, Jacksonville State University 700 Pelham Road North Jacksonville, AL 36265-1602 USA <blatham@jsu.edu> Book Review Editor: Sarah Johnson 6868 Knollcrest Drive Charleston, IL 61920 USA <sljohnson2@eiu.edu>

Publisher Coverage: Bethany House; HarperCollins; Penguin Putnam; Random House (all imprints); university presses; and any North American presses not mentioned below

UK Review Coordinator: Richard Lee Marine Cottage, The Strand Starcross, Devon EX6 8NY United Kingdom <richard@historicalnovelsociety.org> Features Coordinator: Lucinda Byatt 13 Park Road Edinburgh, EH6 4LE UK <mail@lucindabyatt.com>

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review s edit o r s , u k

Features Editor: Myfanwy Cook 47 Old Exeter Road Tavistock, Devon PL19 OJE UK <myfanwyc@btinternet.com>

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Claire Cowling <clairecowling@talktalk.net>

Publisher Coverage: Birlinn/Polygon; Bloomsbury; Constable & Robinson; Faber & Faber; The History Press; Macmillan (inc. Pan, Picador, Sidgwick & Jackson); Penguin (inc. Allen Lane, Hamish Hamilton, Michael Joseph, Viking); Short Books; and Snowbooks

Alan Fisk Flat 25, Lancaster Court, Lancaster Avenue London SE27 9HU UK <alanfisk@yahoo.com>

Publisher Coverage: Creme de la Crime; Duckworth; HarperCollins UK (inc. Flamingo, Fourth Estate, Voyager); Orion Group (inc. Cassell, Gollancz, Phoenix, Weidenfeld & Nicolson); Piatkus; Picnic Publishing; Quercus; Severn House; and all small independent UK publishers not handled by other editors

Elizabeth Hawksley <mail@elizabethhawksley.com>

Publisher Coverage: All UK children’s historicals

Edward James 2 Hayman Close Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL53 9FD UK <edward654@btinternet.com>

Publisher Coverage: Arcadia; Atlantic Books; Canongate; Hodder Headline (inc. Coronet, Hodder & Stoughton, NEL, Sceptre); John Murray; and Robert Hale

Doug Kemp Tulip Lodge, Harrowden Road Wellingborough, Northamptonshire NN8 5BD UK <doug.kemp@lineone.net>

Publisher Coverage: Allison & Busby; Little, Brown & Co (inc. Abacus, Virago, Warner); Random House UK (inc. Arrow, Cape, Century, Chatto & Windus, Harvill, Heinemann, Hutchinson, Pimlico, Secker & Warburg, Vintage), Simon & Schuster (inc. Scribner); and Transworld (inc. Bantam Press, Black Swan, Corgi, Doubleday)

Publisher Coverage: all self-published, subsidy, and electronically published novels.

re v i e ws e d i tors , u s a

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Jessica Brockmole 14413 Worthington Drive Granger, IN 46530 USA <jabrockmole@hotmail.com>

Publisher Coverage: Amazon Publishing, Hachette Book Group, Hyperion, W.W. Norton

Andrea Connell 10011 Beacon Pond Lane Burke, VA 22015 USA <connell1453@verizon.net>

Publisher Coverage: Bethany House, Henry Holt, Other Press, Overlook, Sourcebooks, Tyndale, and other US small presses

Jane Kessler University Library 119, University at Albany, SUNY 1400 Washington Avenue Albany, NY 12222 USA <jkessler@uamail.albany.edu>

Publisher Coverage: Algonquin; FSG; Five Star; IPG; Kensington; and Trafalgar Square

Ilysa Magnus 5430 Netherland Avenue #C41 Bronx, NY 10471 USA <goodlaw2@optonline.net>

Publisher Coverage: Dorchester; Grove/Atlantic; Minotaur Books; Picador USA; Poisoned Pen Press; Soho Press; St Martin’s Press; and Tor/Forge

Tamela McCann 5265 Village Terrace Nashville, TN 37211 USA <jjmmccann@aol.com>

Publisher Coverage: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and Simon & Schuster, including children’s divisions of both

Ann Pedtke 38-13 52nd Street Sunnyside, NY 11104 USA

Publisher coverage: US/Canadian children’s publishers (except S&S, HMH)

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confe re nce s

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The Society organizes annual conferences in the UK and biennial conferences in the US. Contact Richard Lee (UK) or Ann Chamberlin <annchamberlin@annchamberlin.com> (USA).

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m e m be rs h i p d e ta i l s

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Membership in the Historical Novel Society entitles members to all the year’s publications: four issues of Historical Novels Review, as well as exclusive membership benefits through the Society website. Back issues of Society magazines are also available. For current rates, contact: Richard Lee Marine Cottage, The Strand Starcross, Devon EX6 8NY UK <richard@historicalnovelsociety.org>

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e d i tori a l pol i cy

Georgine Olson 400 Dark Star Court Fairbanks, AK 99709 USA <georgine@mosquitonet.com>

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Reviews, articles, and letters may be edited for reasons of space, clarity, and grammatical correctness. We will endeavour to reflect the authors’ intent as closely as possible, and will contact the authors for approval of any major change. We welcome ideas for articles, but have specific requirements to consider. Before submitting material, please contact the editor to discuss whether the proposed article is appropriate for Historical Novels Review.

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copy ri g h t

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In all cases, the copyright remains with the authors of the articles. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the authors concerned.

THE HISTORICAL NOVEL SOCIETY was formed in 1997 to help promote historical fiction. All staff and contributors are volunteers and work unpaid. We are an open society — if you want to get involved, get in touch.

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Historical Novels R eview I s s u e 6 5 , A u g us t 2013 | I SSN 1471-7492

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ed itor ia l r ich a rd le e

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histor ic a l fic tion market n ews s ar a h joh nson

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n ew voic e s p r of ile s of debut his torical f iction authors a nne c lee la nd , joa nna hicks on , carol m cg rath & ge or ge willis ta te | my f anw y cook

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histor y & film b b c a m e r ic a ’s cop per | bethan y latham

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8 THE OBSCURE WA R h f a nd the war of 1812 | by cin dy va l l a r 10 tran s latin g a genre h f i n tran s lation | b y lucin da bya tt 12

tr ave llin g th r oug h t ime

an int er v ie w with d avid down in g | b y my f anw y co o k

13 af ter f l o dden r ose ma r y ’s gorin g ’s n ovel | b y marg a ret skea 14

tim e & re l a ti vit y b eve r ly swe r ling’ s bristol house | by claire mo rri s

15 the “what if s ” of hi sto r y t r e a d ing be t we e n f act & f iction | b y c.w. go rtner 16

hn s 2013 us con f erence pe r s p e c tive s fr om st. p eters burg , f l | b y chri sto pher m. c ev a s co, aud r a fr ien d, j ulie ros e & m arie pa rso ns

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book r e v ie ws e d ito rs’ c h oic e & m ore

VIVE LA DIFFÉRENCE arlier this year I was asked to write a piece about the state of contemporary historical fiction for The Historian magazine. It is a bit of a meaty one: getting on for 5,000 words, and addresses three main issues: what periods are ‘hot’ for HF; the problem with the ‘gatekeepers’ in this very fragile market; and what opportunities and pitfalls digital publishing brings. For anyone who is interested in my take on these issues, you can read the full article (and the rest of the magazine) on our website (just search ‘117’).

I called the piece ‘HF, warts and all’ – and that is the issue I want to address here. From the title, some thought I was going to isolate elements of HF that were less worthy than others, but my point was exactly the opposite.

The ‘wart’ of our genre – the ugliness – is the easy scorn that writers (readers) of some kinds of HF have for writers (readers) of other kinds. In my position, I get to hear many sides of this. Literary authors scorned as snobbish or unreadable, Romantic authors scorned as ‘girlie,’ military authors scorned as formulaic. I have heard EVERY type of historical fiction ridiculed for being untrue to the history. Sometimes the spite that is unleashed is phenomenal – usually beginning with a one star review on Amazon or Goodreads, but often spinning off into the blogosphere.

Is any of it necessary, I wonder? To anyone uncommitted it seems unedifying at best, puerile or downright poisonous at worst.

My own view is that all kinds of historical fiction have value. Ken Follett may never have written a beautiful sentence, but he is a master of plot and pace. Hilary Mantel may be over-cerebral (and occasionally impermeable), but she communicates a rare insight into the mindsets of the past. To judge one by the standards of the other would simply be wrong. I, for one, enjoy both authors. Vive la différence.

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RICHARD LEE subverted a promising academic career by choosing to write a thesis about John Buchan when given a research bursary at Merton College, Oxford. Since then, he has spent many years as a bookseller, founded the HNS, and has established a successful property business near his home in Devon.

HNR Issue 65, August 2013 | Columns | 1

H I STO R I C AL FICTION MAR K ET NE W S

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ould you like your latest publishing deal to appear here? Email me at sljohnson2@eiu.edu.

HNS Update The editors of the biweekly HNS Online Newsletter would welcome another person to collate reviews from newspapers. If you have time to spare, we would love to hear from you. Contact HNSNewsletter-owner@yahoogroups.com for more details.

For authors, publishers, agents: If your current or upcoming novel qualifies for review in the Historical Novels Review, please include us in your marketing plans! Please note that this magazine’s editors do not receive many unsolicited review copies but must request individual titles ourselves, and some are easier to obtain than others. See the masthead for editors’ contact details and publisher coverage. Thanks!

New publishing deals Sources include author and publisher submissions, Publishers Marketplace, Booktrade.info, Publishers Weekly, The Bookseller, and more.

The Dark Lady’s Masque by Mary Sharratt, the story of Aemilia Bassano Lanier, the first professional woman poet in Renaissance England, and her collaboration and star-crossed love affair with William Shakespeare, sold to Nicole Angeloro at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt by Jennifer Weltz at Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency.

Hazel Gaynor’s originally self-published The Girl Who Came Home, about a survivor of the Titanic disaster who returns to her small Irish village when 12 others do not, and a second as-yet-unpublished Victorian-set novel, Daughters of the Flowers, sold to Lucia Macro at William Morrow, at auction, by Michelle Brower at Folio Literary Management.

Author of The Air Between Us Deborah Johnson’s The Secret of Magic, in which a female attorney working at the NAACP is invited to small-town Mississippi in 1946 by a reclusive author to investigate the unsolved murder of a young, black war hero, sold to Juliet Annan at Penguin UK by Tom Dussel at Amy Einhorn Books. Both US and UK editions will be published in January 2014.

Dujour executive editor Nancy Bilyeau’s The Covenant, third in her Joanna Stafford series, in which the young novice’s life is threatened and she must discover who among her powerful enemies in the court of Henry VIII wants her dead, sold to Heather Lazare at Touchstone, by Heide Lange at Sanford J. Greenburger Associates.

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Author of Gilt and Tarnish (both reviewed this issue), Katherine Longshore’s YA novel Manor of Secrets, pitched as a Downtonesque story of two girls living in very different worlds within the same Edwardian country house, sold to Aimee Friedman at Scholastic by Catherine Drayton at Inkwell Management.

Jacqueline Winspear’s next three books, starting with The Care and Management of Lies, a stand-alone WWI novel set to appear in summer 2014, plus two new books in the Maisie Dobbs series, starting with The White Lady, sold to Jennifer Barth at Harper by Amy Rennert at the Amy Rennert Agency.

Kate Lord Brown’s The Perfume Garden, the author’s American debut (reviewed in Aug 2012 HNR), has sold to Anne Brewer at Thomas Dunne Books, by Lauren Smythe at Inkwell Management on behalf of Atlantic Books. It tells a story of lost love and family secrets and features a young London perfumier who leaves her job to restore a forgotten Valencia villa, bequeathed by her late mother and left untouched since the Spanish Civil War. Picador UK editorial director Francesca Main bought UK/Commonwealth rights to Jessie Burton’s The Miniaturist, in which a wealthy merchant in 17th-c Amsterdam sends his wife a miniature replica of their home in which escalating real-life dramas are mirrored, from Juliet Mushens at The Agency Group for summer 2014 publication. Lee Boudreaux at Ecco purchased US rights at auction; Canadian rights to HarperCollins Canada.

Professor of Medieval Studies Bruce Holsinger’s A Burnable Book and a second historical novel, both set during the reign of Richard II and focused on John Gower, a poet and friend of Geoffrey Chaucer, who has turned to trading information to make ends meet, sold to Julia Wisdom at Harper UK, for February 2014 publication, by Helen Heller at the Helen Heller Agency. William Morrow will publish simultaneously in the US. Laurel Corona’s The Mapmaker’s Daughter, about faith, family, and Jewish identity in 1492 Spain, sold to Shana Drehs at Sourcebooks, for publication in spring 2014, by Meg Ruley at the Jane Rotrosen Agency.

Stephanie Barron’s next two titles in the Jane Austen mystery series sold to Juliet Grames at Soho Press, for publication in Fall 2014 and Fall 2015, by Shannon O’Neill at ICM/Sagalyn.

Telling the story of two intertwined families’ fortunes across 3000 years in the city of Jerusalem, Alan Gold and Mike Jones’ The Heritage Trilogy sold to Daniel Loedel at Atria, in a three-book deal, for publication in Summer 2014, by Larissa Edwards at Simon and Schuster Australia.

Anne Girard’s Madame Picasso, about a young Polish seamstress who moves to Paris with dreams of stardom and ultimately steals the heart of one of the greatest artists of the 20th century, sold to Erika Imranyi at Harlequin Mira, in a twobook deal, by Irene Goodman of the Irene Goodman Agency.

Paris, untouched for over 70 years since her death, sold to Kate Seaver at Berkley by Sally Wofford-Girand at Union Literary.

Alexander Cole’s Colossus, pitched as “Like Warfare for Elephants,” about Colossus, the lead elephant in the elephant regiment that Alexander the Great captures from an Indian king and absorbs into his own army, sold to Charles Spicer at St. Martin’s, for publication in September 2014 in hardback, by Patrick Walsh at Conville & Walsh.

The Silver King by Posie Graeme-Evans, set in both the present day and in the 12th century in the England-Scotland border country, follows the daughter of a forest woman who captivates the heart of three dueling, Norman-descended brothers. It sold to Sarah Branham at Atria, in a two-book deal, via Rick Raftos at Rick Raftos Management, for fall 2014 publication.

New and forthcoming titles:

The Golden Dice by Elisabeth Storrs, the sequel to her The Wedding Shroud (reviewed in Feb ’11 HNR), continuing the story of Caecilia, a young Roman woman who had forsaken her city by marrying the Etruscan Vel Mastarna, was published by Cornelian Press in July.

Jennifer Chiaverini’s Mrs. Lincoln’s Rival, a novel of 19thcentury Washington society hostess Kate Chase Sprague, appears from Dutton in January 2014.

Immortal Betrayal by Daniel A. Willis, following Dana Varos, a near-immortal born in 1420s Normandy, as he gets caught up in Russian court intrigue in the 1680s and again in the 1910s, was published by Thursday Night Press in May. Kate Quinn’s The Lion and the Rose, the second half of her saga of the Borgias begun with The Serpent and the Pearl (reviewed this issue), releases next January.

Ruth A Casie’s The Guardian’s Witch, a historical romance set in 13th-c England in which Lisbeth Reynolds, born with the power to see the future, must make a crucial decision to save the man she loves and avoid being married off to another, appeared from Carina Press in July.

Somerset by Leila Meacham, a prequel to her bestselling Roses, a multi-generational historical saga of Texas families, is out in November from Grand Central.

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For additional forthcoming titles, see http://historicalnovelsociety. org/guides/forthcoming-historical-novels

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William Kuhn’s biographical novel of Isabella Stewart Gardner in 1880s Boston, Painted Lady, sold to Claire Wachtel at Harper, by David Kuhn and Nicole Tourtelot at Kuhn Projects.

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet author Jamie Ford’s The Prize, inspired by the true story of a boy raffled off during the 1909 Seattle World’s Fair, presented here as a half-Chinese boy who is won by a madam and put to work as a valet in one of her bordellos, sold to Jennifer Hershey at Ballantine Bantam Dell, for publication in 2015, by Kristin Nelson at Nelson Literary Agency.

The Tutor by Andrea Chapin, set in 1590s Lancashire on a country estate, about Katharine De L’Isle, Shakespeare’s fictitious muse and editor during the “lost years” of his twenties, sold to Venetia Butterfield at Viking UK, in a pre-empt, by Angharad Kowal at Writers House UK on behalf of Leigh Feldman at Writers House.

The Patrol by Ben Kane, in which a Carthaginian patrol makes its way through woodland seeking a town full of the grain that they desperately need, but the local Gauls cannot be trusted; and although defeated, the Romans still have patrols in the area, sold to Selina Walker at Random House UK, for publication in 2013, by Charlie Viney at The Viney Agency.

Hodder & Stoughton publisher Nick Sayers acquired UK/Commonwealth (excl. Canada) rights to four new books

by Robyn Young via agent Rupert Heath. Young’s Renaissance series, set in the late 15th century, will follow soldier of fortune Jack Vaughn across the war-torn continent of Europe and into a dark conspiracy at the heart of the English court.

Inspector of the Dead, David Morrell’s follow-up to Murder As a Fine Art (an Editors’ Choice this issue), following the inspector as he investigates more crimes, including failed attempts on the life of Queen Victoria, aided by his irrepressible daughter and their Scotland Yard companions, sold to Josh Kendall at Mulholland Books by Jane Dystel at Dystel & Goderich Literary Management.

Man Booker nominated Wang Anyi’s Scent of Heaven, looking at the lives and fates of the members of a Chinese family over the course of six generations from the pinnacle of their wealth and power in the late 16th-c through their decline over the Ming and early Qing dynasties, sold to Jo Lusby for Penguin China and Penguin Australia, for publication in late 2014.

The Secrets of Mary Bowser author Lois Leveen’s Juliet’s Nurse, beginning 14 years before Romeo & Juliet and continuing beyond it, told from the nurse’s perspective, sold to Emily Bestler at Emily Bestler Books, at auction, in a two-book deal, by Laney Katz Becker at Lippincott Massie McQuilkin. Canadian rights to Random House Canada.

Alyson Richman’s as-yet-untitled sixth novel, about the secret love affair between 19th-c French actress Marthe de Florian and Italian painter Giovanni Boldini, drawing upon the recent discovery of de Florian’s treasure-filled apartment in

SARAH JOHNSON, Book Review Editor of HNR, is a librarian, readers’ advisor, and author of reference books. She reviews for Booklist, CHOICE and Canada’s Globe and Mail and blogs about historical novels at readingthepast.com. Her latest book is Historical Fiction II: A Guide to the Genre.

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NEW VOICES Debut novelists Anne Cleeland, Joanna Hickson, Carol McGrath & George Willis Tate introduce us to the historical periods that inspired them.

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nne Cleeland and George Willis Tate share a common source of inspiration in the period that they have chosen to write about. Cleeland’s Tainted Angel (Sourcebooks) and Tate’s Twice a Princess (Xlibris) are both rooted in the Napoleonic period.

“I’ve always loved the Regency era because it’s a great time period for storytelling, with so many possibilities to choose from. The Napoleonic Wars were a watershed moment in history, with the fate of the world literally hanging in the balance,” Cleeland explains. She adds that Tainted Angel is the first book in a new historical fiction series, and can be best described as “a Regency version of Mr. & Mrs. Smith.”

Her novel opens in 1814, with Napoleon exiled on the island of Elba after his first defeat and surrender: “He’s about to escape and try to conquer the world again, so the enemy is trying to gather together enough money to fund the next war. Each of the stories features British agents who are battling French agents behind the scenes, to thwart this treasure hunt.

In Tainted Angel, the heroine is supposed to be trying to discover who is stealing the shipments of gold that are slated for Wellington’s army — until, that is, she realizes that her spymaster believes she is ‘tainted,’ a double agent working for Napoleon. Her love interest has his own dark secrets — unless his affection is feigned and he is actually setting a trap to reveal her own treason. The story offers up a compelling game of cat and mouse as the net tightens around her.”

Tate, who is a “history nut,” uncovered a story that he couldn’t believe had never been retold. He had “caught glimmers of the story from his youth” and was “mesmerized as family genealogists spun the tale of how Prince Achille Murat, the son of Napoleon’s sister, Caroline Bonaparte, met and married the great grandniece of George Washington, Catherine Daingerfield Willis. In that marriage, blue-blooded American native Catherine Willis became princess of a Napoleonic kingdom. When in her later life Emperor Napoleon III invested her as a princess of France, she indeed became ‘twice a princess’.”

Tate was surprised that the story “about a Napoleonic princess who descended from the family of George Washington, 4 | Columns |

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yet despite the temptations offered by Napoleon III to join his court, returned to the US and lived out her (amazing!) life on the rustic frontier of territorial Florida” had not already fired the imagination of other authors. He felt that “the convergence of the families of Washington and Bonaparte represents one of the most unique and powerful marriages in history, and the lives of adventure which that marriage spawned rival the best of mythology.” Tate is “a collateral descendant of Washington” and, as a consequence, was “honored to represent George Washington at the bicentennial of the US Constitution, an event which motivated his search for more information regarding the enigmatic Washington-Bonaparte connection.” In recent years, Tate’s research for a history of his hometown of Pensacola, Florida revealed another “serendipitous nugget: Princess Murat spent most of her life as a fellow Floridian, having lived in Tallahassee and, for a brief period, also in Pensacola.”

Tate’s quest continued: “The more I dug, the more the story cried out to be shared with a broad audience. Though I may have familial connections to the story, the merger of the houses of Washington and Bonaparte is a tale for the ages and belongs to history, not just to me. Using the historic novel format to tell Princess Murat’s story, rather than a pure history or biography, appealed to me as likely to reach that wider readership…As first and foremost a history major, I have always felt passionate about the amazing tales handed down to us to us by our forebears.

Though Princess Murat’s husband has been written about fairly extensively, her personal story as an American-born princess had lain dormant under the dust of the ages. I didn’t want to write a traditional history book or biography, so in keeping with my belief that history is passionate, I wrote Twice a Princess in the first person.

You don’t just read it, you live it.”

The Agincourt Bride (Harper) by Joanna Hickson brings to life the story of another princess. Hickson says, “I first encountered Catherine de Valois as a schoolgirl, when my class was shown Laurence Olivier’s classic film of Shakespeare’s Henry V. Of course, I fell head over heels for the dashing and chivalrous King Henry and was transfixed by the scene between him and the Princess Catherine. I thought it intensely romantic and completely failed to appreciate the politics and power-play behind it. A year or so later I read the chapter on Catherine in Agnes Strickland’s Lives of the Queens of England and was struck by the rather judgmental Victorian tone of this account. I came to realise that history had done her no favours and that there must be more to this French princess than merely a simpering

battlefield at Senlac Hill by certain marks known to her. Edgyth is set aside by Harold when he becomes king in favour of a political marriage that will unite North and South against invaders. After the Norman take-over, Edgyth loses everything dear to her: her king and lover, her home, her youngest child, and potentially her freedom. When her youngest son is taken hostage and the enemy propose a marriage for her, she sets out from Winchester, fights for her children’s survival and, with Harold’s mother, Gytha, withstands the Conqueror’s assault on Gytha’s dower city during the siege of Exeter. But will she survive, and how? This was the historical question that perplexed me. I wrote the novel on an Mphil programme at Royal Holloway, University of London. It is a thoroughly researched fiction in primary sources where the women have a slight mention and in a multitude of secondary sources. There is also, of course, as with most historical fiction, an element of invention. The Handfasted Wife is the first in a trilogy called The Daughters of Hastings. The other novels in this trilogy concern Harold and Edgyth’s daughters.”

What is noteworthy, and links all the featured novelists in this quarter’s column, is that their central characters are women, women who were, until now, hidden in the shadows of history, but whose stories have been brought to light in order to intrigue, inform and entertain.

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MYFANWY COOK is constantly amazed by the ingenuity of debut novelists inventing new and intriguing plots in captivating historical settings. Please do email (myfanwyc@btinternet.com) or tweet (twitter.com/ MyfanwyCook) about debut novelists we might wish to feature in future issues.

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court damsel or a flighty queen-dowager. And so, in between carving out a career in the BBC and establishing my own family life, I set about researching her more thoroughly.

“I confess that it took me a few decades. Catherine was only interesting to contemporary scribes as one king’s wife and another king’s mother. Yet the more I read of events surrounding her life, the more I realised how much violence and intrigue she must have experienced in her girlhood and how this could have shaped a fierce determination to achieve a fulfilling adult life despite the male prejudice that prevailed at the time. Every mention of Catherine described her as beautiful, but none mentioned her wit or her wisdom, and yet she has a place in history as a founder of the most dynamic dynasty to sit on the English throne. Without giving too much away, I think I have shown in The Agincourt Bride and its sequel The Tudor Bride (due out in October of this year), that Catherine de Valois was one of the more intriguing Queens of England and probably the most ingenious.”

Carol McGrath’s The Handfasted Wife (Accent Press) was, as McGrath says, “inspired by my interest in and study of medieval women and their hidden histories. I read medieval history at University. The Handfasted Wife tells the story of the Battle of Hastings and its aftermath from the royal women’s point of view, an unusual and unique perspective. It is inspired by the Bayeux Tapestry and a theory concerning it, held by Tapestry historians — for example, Andrew Bridgeford — that the woman fleeing with a child from The House that Burned, a vignette depicted on the Tapestry before the Battle of Hastings, could be Edgyth Swan-neck, the handfasted wife of Harold II. “According to The Waltham Chronicle account, Edgyth (Elditha) recognised King Harold’s broken body on the

HNR Issue 65, August 2013 | Columns | 5

aHISTORY & FILMe GANGS ? HO OKERS? 1864? WE’ RE IN.

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o quoth reviewer Tim Stack1 about the BBC America series Copper, which saw its first season last year, and is nearing the conclusion of its second. Created by Tom Fontana (of Homicide: Life on the Street fame), helmed by executives who also worked on Mad Men, and produced under the auspices of the BBC, one would have great expectations for such a series. It also has the advantage of a unique setting.

With the exception of Martin Scorsese’s bombastic and blood-soaked revenge saga, Gangs of New York, the combination of this particular time period and location – New York’s Five Points during the end of the Civil War – has seen remarkably little play in film and television. This is surprising when viewed in light of its dramatic potential and the opportunity it provides for comparison with our modern society, where moral ambiguity, racial tension, and political corruption resonate alltoo-familiarly with contemporary audiences.

Due to a number of factors, the New York of 1864-65 was a brutal place.

Famine and unrest in other countries drove the number of new immigrants up, and these latest additions to the melting pot often faced uncertain prospects, if not abject poverty. Soldiers, inured to violence by the horrors of war, passed through the city on the way to their campaigns, or made it their home after discharge or desertion. Each vote was bought and paid for by a city government awash in graft and nepotism, trickling down even to individual police precincts. The result was catastrophic.

The 1865 “Annual Report of the Board of Metropolitan Police Commissioners” noted that “the whole system needs reform… all these officers are, unfortunately, dependent in a measure for their places on the very offenders they are called to punish.” This same report described the Civil War as “a school of violence and crime,” with the end result being that “in no city in the civilized world is human life so lightly prized and subject to as great hazards from violence as in New York…The practice of taking human life on slight or no provocation has fearfully increased.”2 It is this atmosphere that Copper so adeptly depicts, a morass 6 | Columns |

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of evil and ignorance so dark that justice is swallowed whole.

The series revolves around “copper” Kevin “Corky” Corcoran (Tom Weston-Jones), an Irish-American detective of the Sixth Ward (police precinct), the beat which includes the slums of Five Points. Corcoran’s personal life is complicated: his child has recently been murdered and his wife is missing. While trying to keep himself alive and do his job, he’s also obsessed with discovering the identity of the murderer and what happened to his wife. Still, he finds time to take solace in the arms of Eva (Franka Potente), prostitute and proprietor of Eva’s Paradise, the premiere whorehouse in Five Points. Corcoran is aided in his investigations by his partner and best friend, Francis Maguire (Kevin Ryan), and fellow detective Andrew O’Brien (Dylan Taylor). The final member of the team is the African-American doctor, Matthew Freeman (Ato Essandoh), who served with Corcoran in the army and comes in handy when there’s a body to be examined.

But Copper doesn’t limit itself only to the slums of Five Points; viewers are also given a peek at Manhattan high society in the persons of Robert Morehouse (Kyle Schmid) and Elizabeth Haverford (Anastasia Griffith). Morehouse moves in powerful circles, which occasionally benefits his army buddy, Corcoran, but Morehouse isn’t above using Corcoran to further his own ends, and he’s hamstrung by his corrupt father.

Through Morehouse, Corcoran meets the sophisticated and beautiful English socialite Haverford, a connection which complicates his relationship with Eva. Starting to sound like a soap opera? You don’t know the half of it.

And this is, perhaps, where Copper begins to falter. Though it’s ostensibly BBC television, it’s BBC America television, and features a uniquely American aesthetic, which one critic described as “a high level of sensationalistic violence, sex and allaround turpitude presented in a package so stuffy and politically correct that it makes your eyes bleed.”3 Each character has his or her own side and backstory, and the result is, as in other millenial “historical” offerings (The Tudors, The Borgias, Boardwalk Empire, Rome, Deadwood, et al.) a betrayal-fest which results in very few sympathetic characters. It’s a case of situational ethics (when ethics are evident at all) run amok. With the exception of Corcoran and Freeman, one is hard-pressed to develop any kind of emotional involvement (unless it be distaste). This attempt at gritty realism may more closely represent the realities of

Tom Weston-Jones as Kevin “Corky” Corcoran in the BBC America series Copper

achieved, despite adequate (if primarily dirt-caked) costuming and sets. Something about the series feels undeniably artificial, and it isn’t the production’s penchant for green screen. It may simply be that the actors, while competent, haven’t yet found their groove. I confess to some disappointment with the first season of the series. But the potential is there, and it will bring me back for the second season, to see if that potential is realized…or squandered.

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Notes 1. Stack, Tim. ( June 1, 2012) “Gangs? Hookers? 1864? We’re in.” Entertainment Weekly. Issue 1209/1210, p. 69.

2. ( January 5, 1866) “Annual Report of the Metropolitan Police Commissioners for the Year 1865.” New York Times. Accessed from: http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=F 10C16FC3E59137A93C7A9178AD85F428684F9 3. Hale, Mike. (August 16, 2012) “Fighting Crime in an Older, Dirtier Manhattan.” New York Times. Accessed from: http:// tv.nytimes.com/2012/08/17/arts/television/copper-a-bbcamerica-series-set-in-old-new-york.html?_r=0

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human interaction (for once, the prostitute doesn’t have a heart of gold), but it can make for a show that’s difficult to watch, and a feeling that one needs to shower afterwards. Copper’s NYC is an 1860s Gomorrah; filth pervades everything, literally and metaphorically. Police and criminals act in like manner. Vice is omnipresent, even in the most unlikely of places. In the pilot episode, Corcoran waits in a barn to ambush bank robbers (summarily blowing them away so the detectives can skim off the top before their sergeant arrives to claim what’s left of the loot). Others have taken shelter in the barn, amongst them little urchin Annie (Kiara Glasco), beautiful underneath all the dirt. When the compassionate Corcoran offers her food, to his surprise, she immediately attempts to thank him by offering to “service” him. While he views her as surrogate for his dead daughter, his further attempts to help an irreparably damaged child result in an unhealthy (and blatantly sexual, since she knows no other emotional currency) attachment on Annie’s side, which only deepens when Corcoran aids the 12-year-old in the commission of a brutal, revenge-driven double-murder. Half Rhoda from The Bad Seed and half Claudia from Interview with the Vampire, Glasco’s portrayal is wholly disturbing. Many of the other characters are no more palatable.

So if you haven’t already gathered as much, know that this is intentionally “gritty” TV, dark themes unrelieved by sunlight or warmth. Amongst all the violence, debauchery, and occasional police procedure, the series attempts to address social issues, most of them racial in nature, and paint an enormous canvas in the way of historical setting. The last of these is not convincingly

BETHANY LATHAM is a professor, librarian, and Managing Editor of HNR. She has written a book, Elizabeth I in Film and Television (2011), and she also publishes in various scholarly and popular journals, as well as writing for EBSCO’s NoveList database. She serves as Internet Editor and a regular reviewer for Reference Reviews.

HNR Issue 65, August 2013 | Columns | 7

C indy Vallar introduces readers to novels set during this historic period.

One Sunday evening in the seventies, I watched“The Wonderful World of Disney.” In his introduction, Walt Disney talked about a mysterious pirate who helped Andrew Jackson at the Battle of New Orleans in 1815. The pirate was Jean Laffite, and his intriguing story led me to research him.

Then I saw Yul Brynner (Laffite) and Charlton Heston ( Jackson) in The Buccaneer, and read a novel about a woman who, disguised as a man, served aboard an American frigate during the War of 1812. These portrayals germinated a story idea, and I commandeered the family dining room to write a rough draft. After college, I moved to Baltimore, the city where some of the most successful privateers of the war were built and “the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air” over Fort McHenry inspired Francis Scott Key’s poem that eventually became our national anthem.

Currently, I’m rewriting my story about the pirates who helped defend New Orleans against the British. We are also midway through the war’s bicentennial, so I want to share some historical novels that depict this mostly forgotten Anglo-American war and its enduring legacy.1 Some characters are real people who witnessed or fought in the conflict.

Others are fictional characters who show the complexities, triumphs, and sorrows people experienced in a war with no clear-cut winners.

In November 1815 a Boston printer published The Adventures of Lucy Brewer, a tale of a prostitute, who dressed as a man and served aboard the United States frigate Constitution. In 1976 Berkley published Erika Nau’s historical romance Angel in the Rigging.

When the novel opens, Lucy Brewer has gained a reputation as the “Princess Pirate.” A young doctor named David Armstrong saves her uncle’s life, and when she later encounters Armstrong

We Are...

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historical fiction & the War of 1812

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The Obscure War

in the early days of the war, she strikes a bargain with him – if he marries her, she will pay to further his medical training in Europe. In order to restore her family’s honor, she needs a new name. Once wed, they will part company and never see each other again. Except they do, and love blossoms.

But duty and honor, as well as a jealous rival, intervene and threaten to destroy their love and their lives.

Darlene Marshall’s Sea Change (Amber Quill Press, 2011) also involves a cross-dressing heroine, Charlotte “Charley” Alcott. When American privateer David Fletcher kidnaps Charley, he thinks he’s found a British doctor to tend his wounded brother. The more time David and Charley spend together, the more complicated their relationship becomes, especially since he’s oblivious to Charley’s true identity and she refuses to tell him the truth. As love and betrayal unfold, the war between their two countries intervenes with deadly results.

Two other historical romances of the period are Jan Cox Speas’ My Love, My Enemy (Sourcebooks Casablanca, 2011) and MaryLu Tyndall’s Surrender the Dawn (Barbour, 2011).

In Speas’ tale, Page Bradley saves the life of Jocelyn Trevor, a supposed British agent, only to become his prisoner and a pawn in the war. Margaret Barr, in her review of the book, writes: “This fresh edition of the classic romantic historical novel . . . combines the wit and tenderness of Georgette Heyer with the martial detail and atmosphere of Patrick O’Brian, and deserves placement at the pinnacle of its genre.”2 The story culminates in the burning of Washington, DC in August 1814. Tyndall’s novel opens earlier that year in Baltimore. Cassandra Channing wants to purchase shares in a privateering venture, but the only man willing to allow a woman to enter the business world is Luke Heaton, a seafaring scoundrel with a penchant for drinking and gambling. When his inner demons threaten to derail both him and their partnership,

by Cindy Vallar midway through the war’s bicentennial, so I want to share some historical novels that depict this mostly forgotten Anglo-American war and its enduring legacy.

HNR Issue 65, August 2013

find the traitor within the British army. Taylor’s novels adeptly recreate intricate tales that contrast the harsh realities of war with the poignancy of individual experiences and are difficult to forget.4 Remember the Raisin by Michael Aye (Bitingduck Press, August 2013) turns on events that occur prior to the opening of the story – the massacre of captured and wounded Americans after their surrender in 1813 and the blundering ineptness that led to William Hull’s surrender of Fort Detroit. President Madison sends Jonah Lee north to make certain William Henry Harrison engages the enemy. Aye introduces readers to the Kaintucks, frontier fighters who gained a reputation as expert marksmen, and takes readers to Oliver Hazard Perry’s naval battle for control of Lake Erie and Henry Procter’s stand at the Battle of the Thames where Tecumseh, the Shawnee war chief who united the tribes to fight with the British, dies. This novel is the first in a new series by Aye, who is better known for his Fighting Anthonys naval series.5 In Patrick O’Brian’s The Fortune of War (Norton, 1979) Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin become prisoners of war in Boston. Jack provides a British perspective of the deadly naval duel between HMS Shannon and the USS Chesapeake while Maturin tries to elude French agents who want to kill him. The Far Side of the World (HarperCollins, 1984) continues Aubrey’s exploits, this time in his attempt to intercept the USS Norfolk, which is attacking British whalers in the South Seas.

Hopefully, these titles will whet your interest in this important, but obscure, war until I return with part two of novels set during the War of 1812, which will appear on the HNS website. If you would like to recommend a book for inclusion in that article, please contact me at cindy@cindyvallar.com.

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Notes: 1. For readers who would like an overview of the war from the British, Canadian, American, and Native American perspectives, visit the PBS website for The War of 1812 documentary: http://www.pbs.org/wned/war-of-1812/ essays/.

2. Barr’s review appeared in the May 2011 issue of Historical Novels Review (HNR) and can be read online at http://historicalnovelsociety.org/reviews/ my-love-my-enemy/.

3. This quote is taken from Barry Webb’s review, which appeared in the May 2012 issue of HNR and can be read online at http://historicalnovelsociety. org/reviews/1812/.

4. I’ve reviewed all three novels for HNR. Brock’s Agent appeared in the November 2011 issue (online at http://historicalnovelsociety.org/reviews/ brocks-agent/) and Brock’s Railroad was reviewed in May 2013 (online at http://historicalnovelsociety.org/reviews/brocks-railroad/). A special thanks to Tom for the galley of Brock’s Traitor, the review of which appears on p. 37 of this issue.

5. I would also like to thank Michael Aye for sending me the galley of his novel.

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stowaway Cassandra ends up endangering Luke, the ship’s crew, herself, and her country as the British unleash their invasion of Baltimore and bombardment of Fort McHenry.

While most readers are aware of the historical events just mentioned, I came across several books for younger readers on two important, but lesser-known, episodes in the war. Emily McCully’s The Battle for St. Michaels (HarperCollins, 2002) is a chapter book about twelve-year-old Caroline Banning and how she helps protect her home when the enemy raids the shipbuilding town of St. Michaels, Maryland. Flames in the City by Candice Ransom (Mirrorstone, 2008) is a time-travel tale about three children (ages five to nine) who help Dolley Madison save Gilbert Stuart’s life-size portrait of George Washington in the hours before the British burn the White House. Sisters of Scituate Light by Stephen Krensky (Dutton, 2008), An American Army of Two by Janet Greeson (Millbrook Press, 1992), and Abigail’s Drum by John Minahan (Pippin Press, 1995) all tell the story of how the Bates sisters play their fife and drum to fool the British into thinking American troops are coming to rout them from Scituate, Massachusetts. The essence of each story is the same, but the intended audiences differ, as do the authors’ interpretations of history.

Adult novels, on the other hand, range in scope from a particular event or year of the war to the entire period from the years leading to the war until peace comes. 1812 by David Nevin (Forge, 2012) is an epic tale of the conflict from the perspectives of several key Americans who participated in the war: Andrew Jackson, Dolley and James Madison, and Winfield Scott. The story encompasses the land battles “from Canada to Washington to New Orleans and in the process brings many of the personalities . . . to life in vivid color.”3 Dennis Byrne’s Madness (Tate Publishing, 2012) also spans the entire war, but is told from the perspective of Irish immigrant Will Quinn, who defends his adopted country even knowing that if he’s captured, the British will hang him as a traitor. Aside from the various engagements in which Will participates, Madness also shows the politics of war and the struggles within the government to protect our liberty.

Tom Taylor’s trilogy focuses on the war between Canada and the United States. His principal protagonist in Brock’s Agent (Hancock and Dean, 2011), Brock’s Railroad (2012), and Brock’s Traitor (August 2013) is Jonathan Westlake, a young Canadian who becomes an agent for Major General Isaac Brock. While Westlake and several other characters provide readers with Canadian perspectives, Taylor enriches his stories by including those of other combatants (American and Native American) and innocent bystanders whose lives are affected by the war. Brock’s Agent is about redemption and written as if readers experience firsthand the Battle of Tippecanoe through the taking of Fort Detroit. Brock’s Railroad is about freedom and shows how former American slaves assisted in the fight to protect Canada.

It received the Independent Publisher Awards’ gold medal in the Military/Wartime Fiction category in 2013. Brock’s Traitor, a tale of honor, centers around Brock’s last assignment to Westlake –

CINDY VALLAR writes The Red Pencil column and is on the HNS North American Conference Board.

She is the author of The Scottish Thistle and Odin’s Stone. You can visit her at www.cindyvallar.com.

HNR Issue 65, August 2013 | Features | 9

Lucinda Byatt on the historical novel in translation

anguage is key to discovering other countries and communities L and sharing their lives in the present, not to say centuries ago.

We can, of course, read historical novels, many of them brilliant, set in foreign countries and written by Anglophone authors. The breadth and depth of secondary sources (in English) available to them is growing all the time, especially now that the academic study of history has moved towards a more nuanced, intimate and inclusive study of the past. For all that, unless an author is steeped in that “other” culture, and – I would argue – can read its language, there will inevitably be aspects of that society that remain elusive. This is where translated historical novels can prove so valuable – if the translation lives up to expectations. As Edith Grossman, a leading literary translator, writes in her excellent book Why Translation Matters,“Translation expands our ability to explore through literature the thoughts and feelings of people from another society or another time. It permits us to savor the transformation of the foreign into the familiar and for a brief time to live outside our own skins, our own perceptions and misconceptions. It expands and deepens our world, our consciousness, in countless, indescribable ways.”1 No one would disagree, yet fiction translated into English continues to represent but a tiny percentage of what we read.

The European Union Prize for Literature serves to highlight notable works of fiction, forming a platform to promote the circulation of literature within Europe, primarily through translation. Since it was founded in 2009, all EU member-states have been eligible to compete, approximately once every three years. Among the prize-winning authors, several have written historical novels.

A prizewinner in 2010, Goce Smilevski’s novel, Freud’s Sister, appeared in translation in 2012 (Macedonian; Christina E. Kramer, Penguin). But Smilevski is in the minority. Others have not made the “transition” into English. Two winning historical novels that struck me were Török Tükör by Viktor Horvàth, about the Hungarian city of Pécs under Ottoman rule in the 16th century, and Palveränd by the Estonian Tiit Aleksejev, a story of the Crusades in the last years of the 11th century. Short of learning Hungarian or Estonian, I can only hope that the

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Translating a Genre

books will one day be published in English.

Arguably, the barriers to translation into English are even higher for historical novels since some editors seem determined not to challenge us. Admittedly, publishers have to be sure that the novel to be translated meets the exacting standards of native English readers of historical fiction (standards that have been boosted by the arrival of big-hitters such as Mantel). Readers’ expectations are high, particularly at the literary end of the publishing spectrum, which is where the translated novel usually sits. A publisher must be doubly sure of fulfilling these requisites before investing in a translation. Indeed, translation costs are often seen as the proverbial “straw” that sways the decision whether to publish or not.2 This is particularly shortsighted in view of readers’ declared interests in exploring unfamiliar historical settings, getting that different angle, reassessing preconceptions. Some critics have even accused publishers of underestimating their audience, since readers are not afraid of translations, as is sometimes asserted.3 The new technologies and new media will certainly change this area of publishing as well, making the process simpler.

Translators and authors can work together to bring a novel to the market as an e-book.

This type of relationship is still in its infancy, but there is enormous potential for further development, provided, of course, that quality is carefully maintained. Amazoncrossing was set up in 2010 and is already having a significant impact.

AmazonCrossing’s goal is “to bring more of the world’s great authors to a global audience” and, after just three years, it is already publishing more books in translation than the top independent presses in America, with 24 books published so far in 2013 compared to Dalkey Archive Press’s nineteen.4 In late June, AmazonCrossing made headlines by selling one million copies (print, audio and Kindle) of Oliver Pötzsch’s historical novel series, Hangman’s Daughter (German; Lee Chadeayne).

The real problem here is retaining a high quality of translation, and a quick glance at the Amazon reviews for some of these books shows how difficult this can be, especially since, not knowing a foreign language, we have to trust that the translator

by Lucinda Byatt

Unless an author... is steeped in that “other” culture, and — I would argue — can read its language, there will inevitably be aspects of that society that remain elusive.

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HNR Issue 65, August 2013

linguaphobic barriers. I asked Gary Pulsifer (Arcadia) about José Eduardo Agualusa. He told me that he met “José Eduardo at the Lisbon Book Fair some years ago and was intrigued by Creole.

To my mind it’s one of Agualusa’s best, if early, books. It should have been a contender for the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize, but Agualusa (and his translator Daniel Hahn) got there in the end of course, with The Book of Chameleons.” Both books are set in Angola, the first in 1868 while the latter is more or less contemporary... and is narrated by a gecko. Quercus recently introduced English-speaking readers to Mikhail Shishkin’s work, The Light and the Dark (Russian; Andrew Bromfield, 2013). Although epistolary rather than purely historical in form, this novel is clearly a major addition in terms of the Englishspeaking reader’s access to contemporary Russian literature.

Lastly, Peirene will publish Hanna Krall’s Chasing the King of Hearts (Polish; Philip Boehm) in September, an acclaimed Polish bestseller about the Holocaust.

Our reading habits may be on the verge of becoming a little less insular, but we still lag far behind other countries. A few figures sadly make the point quite clearly: “in Poland a staggering 46% of books published are titles in translation, in Germany over 12%, in Spain around 24% and in France around 15%.”7 It is a truism that translation allows literature to travel. We appear to want to take the journey, but are we being offered the right destinations? With new publishing developments on our side, readers should demand to read the best of world literature, including historical fiction. So casting aside that overused cliché “lost in translation,” why not start with Altai (Italian; Shaun Whiteside, Verso 2013), which was recently described by Ian Sansom as “unputdownable...historical fiction as a form of cultural protest.” The authors, collectively known as Wu Ming, could probably teach translators a thing or two in that respect.

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Notes 1. Edith Grossman, Why Translation Matters, Yale University Press, 2010, p.14.

2. Suggested rates are published by the Translators’ Association, part of the UK Society of Authors; the American ALTA and ATA occasionally run compensation surveys. English PEN recently launched grants to support translation, and some EU funds are also available.

3. Books in Translation: It’s Time for Others to Join the Fight, Publishing Perspectives, February 15, 2013 http://publishingperspectives.com/2013/02/ books-in-translation-its-time-for-others-to-join-the-fight/ [accessed 26 June 2013] 4. Chad Post, Three Percent, 6 June 2013. http://www.rochester.edu/College/ translation/threepercent/index.php?id=7232 [accessed 25 June 2013] 5. Dr Jasmine Donahaye, Three percent? Publishing data and statistics on translated literature in the United Kingdom and Ireland, December 2012.

Literature Across Frontiers, Aberystwyth University, UK. Available online from www.lit-across-frontiers.org [accessed 25 June 2013] 6. These data were very kindly supplied by Sarah Johnson.

7. See note 3.

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will respect the author’s choice of register and terminology.

National literary prizes offer rich pickings for choosing books for translation, and this is where many editors start their search. However, there are several prizes at the other end of the process: namely for fiction already translated into English.

Two of these are the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize (IFFP) awarded annually for a translated work published in the United Kingdom, while the Best Translated Book Award (BTBA) is “an opportunity to honor and celebrate the translators, editors, publishers, and other literary supporters who help make literature from other cultures available to American readers in the United States.”

The shortlisted titles for the IFFP in 2013 included two historical novels: Andrés Neuman’s Traveller of the Century (Spanish; Nick Caistor and Lorenza Garcia, Pushkin Press) was highly commended, and Trieste by Daša Drndić (Croatian; Ellen Elias-Bursac, MacLehose) won the IFFP Readers’ Prize.

Elif Shafak, one of this year’s IFFP judges and also an awardwinning novelist, commented: “In a world where a deeper crosscultural understanding is a rarity and literature in translation is still not generating the interest it deserves, the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize swims against the tide.”

Chad Post (University of Rochester, NY) set up the blog Three Percent in 2007, and the first edition of the Best Translated Book Award followed in 2008. In the past two years, shortlisted historical novels have included A New Finnish Grammar by Diego Marani (Italian; Judith Landry, Dedalus), Kafka’s Leopards by Moacyr Scliar (Portuguese; Thomas O. Beebee, Texas Tech University Press), and Lightning. A Novel by Jean Echenoz (French; Linda Coverdale, The New Press). A title to look forward to later this year will be Echenoz’s novel, 1914 (French; Linda Coverdale, The New Press).

Other prizes are gradually including more translated fiction, as in the case of the Man Booker International Prize, but several still exclude translated works – a case in point being the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction.

Returning to the Three Percent website, this is the figure that used to be quoted as the percentage of translated fiction (although this includes drama and poetry, thus lowering the figures for fiction even further). However, literary translation has unquestionably been revitalised in the past few years. There is a new optimism, and that percentage is slowly creeping up.

This was confirmed by a report from Literature Across Borders (published in December 2012, its data refer to three sample years: 2000, 2005, and 2008). It concludes that 2.5% of all publications and 4.5% of fiction, poetry, and drama (literature) in the United Kingdom are translations.5 I was interested to note that the Historical Novels Review itself confirms that the “three percent” barrier may have been slightly dented, with 3.7% of books reviewed in the last seven issues being translations.6 The past fifteen years or so have also seen the appearance of several independent houses specialising in translation. Exemplary publishers like Harvill Secker have been joined by Arcadia Books, MacLehose Press (Quercus), Peirene Press, And Other Stories, Europa Editions and others already mentioned. These smaller presses are championing some of the most innovative authors from around the world, and helping to chip away at our

LUCINDA BYATT is HNR’s features coordinator.

She teaches courses on Early Modern Europe and translates from Italian. www.lucindabyatt.com

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yfanwy Cook talks with David Downing, author of the M atmospheric John Russell and Effi Koen spy thrillers, set in Berlin during the Second World War.

“Evocative,” “outstanding,” and “addictive” are just a few of the descriptive words used by reviewers to praise the world of historical spy fiction that David Downing has created. His series opens with Zoo Station (Soho, 2007) at the outbreak of the Second World War, and concludes with the fall of Berlin and its partition. The sixth and final novel in the series, Masaryk Station, was published this year. But thankfully, another tough and intriguing character, Jack McColl, will take centre stage in Downing’s new book, Jack of Spies (Old Street, September 2013), timed to coincide with the forthcoming centenary of the Great War. However, the question remains: what is it that has made the Station series stand out for its readers? It appears to be a combination of the reluctant hero, John Russell, whose role as a reporter provides him with a degree of protection and mobility, with a girlfriend who looks Jewish, but is a well-known face in Nazi propaganda films. Their survival is interwoven with the fates of ordinary people struggling under a totalitarian and oppressive regime. Equally compelling is the almost tangible feeling of gloom, oppression and hopelessness hanging over Berlin and its inhabitants, which Downing conveys in his descriptions, that makes his novels compulsive reading.

Responding to the question of what he likes most about his main characters, Downing said: “Two things. Russell and Effi are a settled couple, so the suspense in their relationship is not the usual ‘will they? won’t they?’ – it derives instead from their situation in the world, at a time when ‘doing the right thing’ often meant putting yourself at risk. And secondly, that Russell, though frequently threatened with violence, usually survives by the use of his wits.”

Each novel’s title is that of a station in Berlin, which helps to place the action but also adds to the feeling that you are indeed

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an interview with David Downing

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making the journey with the characters. It is impossible to travel back in time, but the wistful and doom-laden sense of time and place that Downing creates feels so authentic that one cannot help but imagine that this is how it was. Downing himself believes that creating a sense of atmosphere is, “Absolutely crucial. And it’s about much more than changing costumes.

Getting the visual picture right – the clothing, the food, the look of the streets – is important, but you also have to factor in stuff like communications technology and the way people entertained themselves, not to mention the sorts of dreams and expectations which were typical of the time. Everything changes.”

Downing has published nonfiction articles and even an atlas on border disputes, which helps to explain why meticulous research was paramount in enabling him to recreate for his readers a picture of how it felt and looked during the period, from the change in the taste of the coffee to the sight of overcrowded trains packed with human cargo en route to concentration and work camps. His novels bring home how desperate the conditions were for the ordinary people, whose personal battle for survival often numbed them to the plight of those around them. When asked how much research was involved in order to evoke the spirit of the city, its inhabitants and the period, he answered, “A lot. Of course, I couldn’t visit Nazi Berlin, which was wrecked by bombs and shells, nor the ruins of the immediate post-war years, which were eventually cleared, so I had to rely on contemporary records – novels and memoirs written by those who were there, along with photographs, maps and films of the time. And then there’s all the history – social, economic, political – which you need for the wider context. A character like my NKVD officer, Yevgeny Shchepkin, is – I hope – morally convincing because he embodies a quarter-century of Soviet dreams and nightmares.”

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Myfanwy Cook is a prize-winning short fiction writer. She also teaches creative fiction writing and is on the editorial team of HNR.

by Myfanwy Cook

The suspense... in their relationship is not the usual ‘will they? won’t they?’ – it derives instead from their situation in the world, at a time when ‘doing the right thing’ often meant putting yourself at risk.

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Rosemary Goring talks with Margaret Skea

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major anniversary of a significant event often spawns a plethora of new books. Anniversaries are, after all, a publicist’s dream. Hardly surprising then that 2013 – the 500th anniversary of the Battle of Flodden – heralds the publication of books connected to that event. What is surprising, to me at least, is how few there are. Aside from several classic reprints, including Walter Scott’s Marmion, a trawl on Amazon produces only five new books – two self-published novels (by the same author), two mainstream nonfiction titles, and After Flodden (Polygon, 2013) – Rosemary Goring’s debut novel.

What is also surprising is that it has taken so long for Goring to make her debut onto the fiction stage, for she wrote her first novel – an historical novel for children, shortly after leaving university with a degree in Economic and Social History. She still has the rejection letter from Hodder and Stoughton, who suggested that she “put some sex into it and re-submit it as an adult novel.”

Instead she pursued a career first in publishing, and then as a Literary Editor, working for Scotland on Sunday, The Herald and Sunday Herald. Her first full-length publication, Scotland: The Autobiography: 2000 Years of Scottish History by those Who Saw it Happen, published in 2007, established her reputation for quality nonfiction. After Flodden demonstrates her skill in fiction writing also.

Though “arguably the worst event in Scottish history,” Goring suggests a reason for the paucity of Flodden-based fiction: “maybe it’s almost too tragic. It need never have happened, but because of one bad decision, Scotland was changed forever, politically and psychologically. In Scotland, even now, some people would rather not think about it. In England, most people have never heard of it.”

She confesses to having been “haunted by the thought of Flodden after visiting the battle site as a child,” but the idea of writing a novel came much later, “while reading a biography of James IV which said the only thing he ever did wrong was to switch hills before the battle.”

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This was an error of judgment that resulted in the loss of a generation of Scotland’s nobility, though that larger tragedy is only obliquely indicated through the more private consequences for key characters. Both English and Scots feature in the extensive cast list, without clarification as to whether they are fictional or historical. This isn’t an issue for Goring: “even the real characters are to a large extent fictional, as I take great liberties with their personalities and their lives.” However, I was initially distracted from the story, and the pace of my reading slowed, by wanting to know who was real and who was not.

Of the key characters, the most important are Patrick Paniter, secretary to James IV, who is wracked with an unexplained guilt, and the fictional heroine, Louise Brenier, searching for a brother who has been missing since Flodden. It isn’t until near the end of the novel that we fully understand the links between them.

Although much of the story focuses on Louise’s quest, Goring reveals it was Patrick Paniter who first caught her attention. He book-ends the novel, a structuring that I found somewhat unsatisfactory, but which illustrates her “particular fascination” for “the men who hold and abuse positions of great power.”

This is a good read, but not always an easy one – for example, careful note has to be taken of the dates that provide the chapter headings, particularly in the early stages.

The plot is cleverly worked, the characters, whether admirable or not, well-realized, and the descriptive detail succinct yet rich, and often unusual. Not surprising then that Goring is “most comfortable writing about landscape and the countryside,” revealing that Thomas Hardy was often in her mind as she wrote. With Hardy as her muse, I’m sure that whatever comes ‘after Flodden’ will be worth waiting for.

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Margaret Skea is currently writing the sequel to Turn of the Tide – the Historical Fiction winner in the Harper Collins People’s Novelist Competition. For more, visit margaretskea.com.

by Margaret Skea never have happened, but because of one bad decision, Scotland was changed forever, politically and psychologically.

HNR Issue 65, August 2013 | Features | 13

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Beverly Swerling’s Bristol House

In Bristol House (Viking, 2013), Beverly Swerling spins an

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Time & Relativity

Swerling says. “If those characters happen to be living in a different time and place – because the story I want to tell works better that way – then I start reading in the period as I write.

With Bristol House, I knew Annie saw a ghost almost the first moment she entered the flat she was to sublet. But I didn’t know for sure it was a Tudor ghost, or even a monk, until I realized that the old Carthusian monastery, the Charterhouse, was on a direct sightline with the apartment building.”

One of the themes Beverly explores in this novel is the question of whether past, present and future co-exist. She is convinced that time is not a straight line, that, as T.S. Eliot wrote, “…time present and time past are both perhaps contained in time future, and time future contained in time past…”

“I read Eliot before I ran across the theory proposed by Einstein, but it was very exciting to me to discover that ‘advanced scientific theory’ and poetry shared the same insight,” Swerling says. “I’ve pretty much been writing about this subject one way or another ever since.”

So what is next for this talented author?

A lot. She’s working on a book called 27 Sin Eaters’ Street, in which a young and beautiful Jewish woman in Prague in 1937 had an opportunity to kill Adolf Hitler – and didn’t take it. Weave in the story of this woman’s contemporary American granddaughter and it sounds to me like another winner. Beverly is also involved in republishing some of her out-of-print backlist as e-books, including the historical novels Mollie Pride and Juffie Kane (originally published as Beverly S. Martin). The first of these e-books will be available sometime this summer. I, for one, can’t wait.

intricate and compelling tale set in both contemporary and Tudor London. Annie Kendall arrives from America to conduct research on the Jew of Holborn, who lived during the time of Henry VIII. She takes up residence at Number Eight Bristol House, a flat that appears to be haunted by a Carthusian monk.

As the days pass, it becomes clear that her investigations, the people she is working with and for, and the monk-ghost are connected to the politics of her own day. To explain further would be to give away too much, but let me just say that I found this novel enormously entertaining, as well as extremely well plotted.

I asked Swerling where the idea for the story came from, and she told me that it had been “lying in wait” for her for over two decades – since she first walked into Number Eight Bristol House in 1991. The flat belongs to her son’s in-laws, and when she stepped over the threshold, she glimpsed what Annie sees during page one of Bristol House. When she starts a book, Swerling has a sense of where she’s going, maybe even the twist in the tale that she’ll build toward, but very little idea of how she’ll get there until she actually writes. Despite the complexity of the plot, she keeps its threads straight by rewriting constantly, and is alert to any inconsistencies or events she might need to go back and foreshadow.

One of the reasons I was so captivated by Bristol House was that both the contemporary and Tudor London she depicts seemed very authentic. Swerling visited London during the four years it took her to write the novel, and perhaps more crucially, she has lived in Britain on and off during her adult life. This explains her assured handling of the differences in British and American speech and mannerisms, though it is evident that she is a consummate researcher, and like most accomplished Claire Morris was the managing editor of Solander from 2004 novelists, is always paying attention to details. to 2009. She currently lives in Toronto, and keeps a blog on “A story begins for me with characters and a situation,” aspects of writing at http://claireonwriting.wordpress.com.

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by Claire Morris

I read Eliot.. . before I ran across the theory proposed by Einstein, but it was very exciting to me to discover that “advanced scientific theory” and poetry shared the same insight.

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HNR Issue 65, August 2013

C.W. Gortner treads the line between fact & fiction

he current rise in the popularity of historical fiction today T is nothing new. Every twenty years or so, readers tend to “rediscover” this time-honored genre, and, as happens with most artistic expressions, from fashion to film to books, we imbue it with our particular perceptions of the past, viewed through the prism of our present. Yet so much heated debate is kindled by the trigger-fuse balance between fact and fiction, with some railing against the defilement of the dead by novelists, and others – albeit fewer and less vocal – championing a reassessment of how we, as novelists and readers, deal with factual material within what are, by their very nature, fictionalized versions of history.

Facts, of course, do not change – until they do. New research can radically alter how we interpret a character. Take, for example, the recent discovery of Richard III’s skeleton, which ignited a maelstrom of speculation on both sides of the divide. Scientific advances today can reveal marvels, providing a precise analysis of battle wounds suffered before death or traces of herbs used to embalm a heart.

However, what these advances cannot do is illuminate the emotional realities of characters we love to read and to write about. While we now know that Richard probably suffered a spinal disorder that caused him near-constant pain, it remains up to the historical novelist to take this arid fact and transmute it through the alchemy of imagination into a flaw or strength.

In my books, the fine line between fact and fiction – a line trod by even the most scrupulous of historical novelists, no matter what they may say – is often put to the test.For The Tudor Conspiracy (St. Martin’s, 2013), my second novel in The Elizabeth I Spymaster Chronicles, my lead character, Brendan, returns to court under the reign of Mary I and is plunged into the unfolding Wyatt revolt. The facts surrounding the revolt

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The “W hat I fs” of History

are more or less clear; what is not is how much Elizabeth herself may have known about it. Scholarly accounts of her reign tend to fast-track through this pivotal moment, when a possible dethronement of Mary by rebels could have paved the way for Elizabeth’s accession. Elizabeth herself said almost nothing revelatory about the revolt or her knowledge of it; and yet I, glutton for punishment that I am, decided to base part of my plot on this very unknown.

The desire to tread beyond the facts, indeed, to challenge them at times, is the fuel that drives us. Whether I’m writing about Isabella of Castile’s emotional trajectory to power, as well as her sexuality, as I did in The Queen’s Vow (Ballantine, 2013), or, as in my upcoming novel about Lucrezia Borgia, exposing the price of survival in a rapacious family, I always toy with possibilities that tantalize beyond the iron curtain of history. No one knows for certain whether Isabella enjoyed sex (and indeed I’ve been bemused that in criticisms of that book, no one mentions this, which I so sweated over and feared would be regarded almost as anathema), but her sexuality fits my interpretation of her and some of the facts known of her personality. Still, while we never know which of our fictional “risks” will take root and which will bring us onus, the truth remains that without such risks our books would not be nearly as captivating for our readers. Risk is the weapon of choice in historical fiction.

This, in the end, is what makes historical fiction so exciting: the “What Ifs” of history.

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C.W. Gortner writes about bad girls and likes it. His novels, The Queen’s Vow and The Tudor Conspiracy, are out in paperback. To learn more about him, visit his pied-a-terre at: www.cwgortner.com

by C.W. Gortner

The desire to... tread beyond the facts, indeed, to challenge them at times, is the fuel that drives us.

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St. Petersburg, Florida | 21-23 June 2013

It won’t have escaped your attention that HNS 2013 recently

ended in St Petersburg, Florida. A few attendees volunteered to offer their impressions of events.

Julie Rose writes: “I am a hard-core introvert. When I attended my first HNS conference (Albany 2007), I was a nervous wreck. I put on a good show (and had a good time!), but I was absolutely terrified. HNS2013 was different. I had ‘met’ so many other members through Facebook and Twitter in the last two years, I wasn’t at all nervous – I was catching up with old friends. Having that connection online was an instant icebreaker in person. Plus, I saw so many friendly faces from our HNS Northern California chapter throughout the weekend, it made me feel right at home.”

The camaraderie of the HNS community is clearly much appreciated and a key feature of every conference, as is echoed by Marie Antonia Parsons: “HNS 2013, my first such conference, was a delight. My three descriptive words for the conference are: Friendly, Challenging, Informative. It was so easy and comfortable to strike up conversations with ‘strangers,’ (i.e. people one did not already meet on social media) and nobody remained strangers for long.”

This struck Audra Friend, too, who comments, that “As a reader and first-time attendee, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but to my delight, the conference was a welcoming, enthusiastic space for readers and fans of historical fiction.”

Christopher Cevasco, who “has attended every North American conference since the first in Salt Lake City (and also my first UK conference last fall),” notes how “the event has grown into an absolutely essential gathering.” This year’s programming, he adds, “reflected the widest scope yet, with cutting edge panels on such topics as blogging and book trailers added to the usual array of talks and workshops on the craft and business of writing and the invaluable editor/agent pitch sessions.”

Marie seconds this, adding: “I felt particularly challenged by pitching my manuscript to an agent, and by the sword workshop.

I cannot say I enjoyed the former, but it was worthwhile and I’m glad for the experience. The sword workshop was a physical challenge, but I enjoyed it tremendously, for its discipline, focus, and sharing the fun with so many others. The panels provided tips, food for thought, and opportunities for much discussion.

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HNS 2013 US Conference

I particularly enjoyed the panel about researching, something I personally tend to overdo.” I think we can all agree with that!

Julie also enjoyed the “fantastic and encouraging lunchtime keynote by Chris Gortner.” She, too, mentions the swordplay workshop, and notes, “it was amazing to hold those blades, and to really get a good sense for their heft, their uses, and to see the workshop leader David Blixt in action with them.”

Other practical workshops were also a highlight, particularly “the Audiobook or Podcast session, which provided me real, practical advice on creating my own audiobook.”

Christopher noted that, “Arguably, one aspect which could be reasserted more strongly is programming appealing to nonwriter readers of historical fiction, and enthusiastic conversations about doing so in 2015 have already been taking place online.”

However, according to Audra, “even as a non-writer, the panels were fascinating, as they gave me insight into how my favorite authors wrestled with their craft. (Actually, the access I had to my favorite writers was a highlight: at any time, I could approach someone whose book I adored, tell them that, and have a memory I will never forget.)”

All the contributors pay tribute to the organizers of HNS2013, as well as to “the incredible community of historical fiction readers and writers for a wonderful weekend!”

“The best moments,” writes Christopher, “occurred in the spaces between formal programming: conversations in the lobby that sparked ideas about writing and alerted me to new books and authors; sharing information over dinner about blogs and agents and review sites; listening to others speak passionately about their own favored periods of history and the stories they’ve found to tell... in short, the forging of friendships over our common love of history and fiction.”

Marie highly recommends attending at least one HNS conference and looks forward to the next one.

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Contributors: Christopher M. Cevasco (www.christophermcevasco.com) Audra Friend (www.unabridgedchick.com) Julie Rose (www.juliekrose.com) Marie Parsons (http://mparsonswritingandmusings.com)

by Christopher M. Cevasco, Audra Friend, Julie Rose & Marie Parsons

As a reader...

and first-time attendee, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but to my delight, the conference was a welcoming, enthusiastic space for readers and fans of historical fiction.

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HNR Issue 65, August 2013

Reviews |

online exclusives

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Due to an ever-increasing number of books being reviewed and space constraints within HNR, some reviews are now published as online exclusives. To view these reviews and much more, please visit http://www.historicalnovelsociety.org.

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biblical

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LOVE IN A BROKEN VESSEL Mesu Andrews, Revell, $14.99, pb, 442pp, 9780800721695 When the prophet Hosea was told by Yahweh to marry a prostitute, he never imagined the outcome.

Accompanied by the elder prophet Jonah, Hosea found his childhood playmate, Gomer, working in Samaria as a prostitute, abused and unloved. Hosea offered her an escape from her sinful existence, and she agreed, in love with Hosea, but viewing herself unworthy of that love. However, just as Israel is given many chances by Yahweh to abandon its wickedness and return to the fold, the damaged Gomer, resentful of Hosea’s many prolonged absences in Yahweh’s service, is continually given chances to lead a godlier life and repeatedly rebuffs them. Andrews, using the biblical story as her guide, is adept at showing how even those who are offered second chances continue making bad choices when they believe themselves unworthy. It’s only after years of anger and pain and with Hosea’s patience and love that true understanding dawns on Gomer and a life of happiness begins. With her excellent storytelling skills and historical detail, the author provides an engrossing and believable take on the biblical story with its universal themes of forgiveness, love, and redemption.

Michael I. Shoop REIGN: The Chronicles of Queen Jezebel Ginger Garrett, David C. Cook, 2013, $14.99, pb, 304pp, 978134765963 Just mentioning the name “Jezebel” brings wickedness and evil to the minds of many. Without straying too far from the biblical account, author Garrett expands the story of Jezebel’s life but doesn’t whitewash the queen’s infamous reputation.

Born into privilege in the wealthy Phoenician trading city of Sidon, Jezebel was sold by her father to warrior King Omri of Israel to marry his Biblical — Classical

son, Ahab, in exchange for trade routes through Palestine. A worshipper of Baal and Asherah, the manipulative Jezebel brought idolatry and infant sacrifice into the already cursed land of Yahweh, converting Ahab, and causing problems with the local population, Ahab’s friend Obadiah, and with the chief prophet, Elijah. Jezebel’s love-hate relationship with Ahab and conflicts over religion and power drive the story, and the portrayal of Jezebel as a headstrong, willful, and vicious character at war with herself and those around her is creatively done. Even in defeat, her strength and determination are obvious. Although Garrett’s narrative sometimes seems choppy, the plot moves at a good pace, her characters are well drawn, and the story is compelling.

Michael I. Shoop REBEKAH (Wives of the Patriarchs, Book 2) Jill Eileen Smith, Revell, 2013, $14.99, pb, 316pp, 9780800734305 The story of Rebekah, found in the book of Genesis, is one known to multiple faiths. Rebekah, the young woman at the well, shows an act of charity to strangers and is richly rewarded with a marriage. Almost fairytale-like in its simplicity, the story of enigmatic Rebekah continues throughout her marriage to Isaac as she makes a significant impact on her family members’ lives.

In this second of the Wives of the Patriarchs series, bestselling author Jill Eileen Smith attempts to reconstruct the gaps in Rebekah’s life by shedding light on her relationships with her family. The character of Rebekah’s brother, Laban, is prominent and well-constructed, and readers get a sense of his motivations and cunning, an important factor for his future dealings. Abraham deals with the family politics of multiple wives and children, including a strained relationship with one of his sons. Rebekah’s willfulness puts a strain on the delicate balance of power in their complicated family.

Interwoven with source material, Rebekah is a heartbreaking journey of faith and betrayal chronicling the story of strangers becoming lovers, and lovers turned rivals, as in the tumultuous relationship of Isaac and Rebekah.

Lauren Miller

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classical

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SACRED GAMES Gary Corby, Soho, 2013, $25.95/£18.99, hb, 350pp, 978161952273 It is 460 BC, and the 80th Olympiad is about to begin. Arakos the Spartan, one of the favorites for the Pankration, Ancient Greece’s equivalent of

MMA, is found murdered in the forest. His main rival, the Athenian Timodemus, is immediately accused and locked up for the duration of the games, with his trial and expected execution slated for after the end of the games. Timodemus’ best friend, Nicolaos from Athens, is assigned to investigate the murder along with the Spartan Markos. They have four days to solve the mystery and determine the fate of Timodemus—and they have to do so amidst rising talk of war between Sparta and Athens.

Complicating matters is that both the accused and the victim were lovers of Klymene, Priestess of Demeter and the only woman allowed to view the games—a religious necessity since her “purity” as a priestess was pleasing to the gods. As potential witnesses to the crime begin getting bumped off as well, Nicolaos is finally able to determine who the real murderer was and how the crime was committed, thus winning a bet with Markos and an Olympic crown of his own.

Unfortunately, the writing is often 21st-century groan-worthy clumsy. But don’t let that fool you— this is a well-paced story that kept me turning the pages. It is extremely well-researched and taught me a lot about Greek culture and the Olympic Games. Read it for the history and the story.

Barry Webb THE IDES OF APRIL Lindsey Davis, Minotaur, 2013, $25.99, hb, 352pp, 9781250023698 / Hodder & Stoughton, 2013, £16.99, hb, 368pp, 9781444755817 As a fan of the Marcus Didius Falco series, I jumped at the opportunity to review this first installment in a new series featuring Falco and his wife Helena Justina’s adopted daughter, Flavia Albia. I was not disappointed.

During the reign of Domitian, Romans are not having a lot of fun. Arrests occur on a daily basis. People are ratting each other out. One never knows when the vigiles will come for you. Against this backdrop, 29-year-old widow, Flavia Albia, has taken up her dad’s old profession as a private informer, hired to investigate bad doings.

Random killings are occurring in the district where Flavia lives. Healthy people are waking up dead with no visible signs of illness. Ultimately, it becomes apparent to Flavia and the authorities that there is a pattern in these seemingly random occurrences. Someone is cleverly murdering people.

Flavia is smart, funny and approachable.

Although she has escaped a life as a street urchin in Londinium and been elevated to a somewhat respectable position in her adoptive parents’ town, there is no artifice. Through Flavia, we get a tour of Rome, its customs, its celebrations, its people, its politics. There is little of her family – they are only peripheral, and it seems that’s how Flavia wishes it.

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This was an enjoyable romp. Nothing heavy but sheer fun.

Ilysa Magnus MEDEA Kerry Greenwood, Poisoned Pen, 2013, $24.95, hb, 431pp, 9781464201431 Medea is a princess of Colchis, and a priestess of the Dark Mother Hekate. Her family is under a cruel curse: those who bear children to Medea’s father will die, as her mother died when Medea was born. But Medea knows that she will be forever spared the pains of marriage and childbirth, as she is destined to serve Hekate as a virgin priestess, guarding the sacred Golden Fleece. Her vision of the future doesn’t include the handsome hero who will lead the Argonauts to pillage Colchis and change her life.

Nauplios is companion to Jason, a prince with a prophetic destiny. Growing to manhood under the wise tutelage of the centaurs, Nauplios hopes only to serve his prince, and perhaps to find love and happiness for himself somewhere along the way. As Jason and Nauplios test their courage in boar hunts, learn the ways of women, and hear the stories of their lineage from their tutor Cheiron, they must prepare themselves for the future battle to reclaim Jason’s throne.

Originally published in Australia, Medea is the first in Kerry Greenwood’s Delphic Women trilogy. Greenwood demonstrates an impressive grasp on the immense cast of characters of ancient mythology – a mastery she helps the reader to share through a detailed character list included at the front of the book. However, something about her vision of the classical world feels too familiar – the permeable boundary between history and fantasy that shifts almost page-to-page; the routine coming-of-age rituals of the boar hunt and the cult initiation; the clichéd reverence that never quite breaks through into a convincing representation of how the ancient Greeks would have thought about religion. As a devoted classicist, I enjoyed the rich world Greenwood created. But I found nothing new in this story.

Ann Pedtke THE BLOOD OF GODS: A Novel of Rome Conn Iggulden, Delacorte, 2013, $27.00, hb, 400pp, 9780385343077 / HarperCollins UK, 2013, £18.99, hb, 432pp, 9780007271177 The fifth novel in Conn Iggulden’s Emperor series opens with the bloody assassination of Julius Caesar by “the Liberatores, who murdered the Father of Rome,” in 44 BC. The scene is ghastly, with each of the approximately 20 men fiercely stabbing Caesar, including his so-called best friend, Marcus Brutus. The killers claimed they acted for Roman freedom yet insisted the Roman Senate pass a vote for amnesty for their duplicitous act.

Marc Antony is allowed to offer a brilliant funeral oration for the fallen leader while holding an effigy of Caesar to describe each knife thrust by the killers. Even Antony is appalled by the viral riots, fires, murders, and looting that follow his 18 | Reviews |

HNR Issue 65, August 2013

speech. Senators and citizens are further shocked when the will of Caesar is read, learning Caesar left most of his wealth and power to his cousin, Octavian, and the common people. It is this 19-year-old man who proclaims an oath of blood for blood revenge. He then adopts the new name of Octavian-Caesar Augustus.

However, rivalries are rife between Marc Antony, Octavian, and Lepidus on one hand and Brutus, Sextus Pompey, and Cassius on the other.

Pages fly by with intense descriptions of naval and land battles, new technology invented to capture enemy ships, intimate conversations revealing base and pure motives for each stage of rebellion or cooperation, the physical weakness of Octavian at pivotal moments of need, the secret betrayal of Brutus that preceded his final act against his best friend, and so much more. Conn Iggulden, as usual, has researched his topic well and adds notes to explain his changes of names and other fictional scenes within the novel. The Blood of Gods is a vivid, brilliant portrait full of adventure and passion from a political, military, human, and historical perspective. Highly recommended!

Viviane Crystal THE LAST KING OF LYDIA Tim Leach, Atlantic, 2013, £12.99, hb, 324pp, 9780857899170 Set in the Eastern Mediterranean in the 6th century BCE, this novel, as the name suggests, follows the life of Croesus (the last king of Lydia, in present-day Turkey). However, the format of the book is not implied or even conventional: it is not an action- packed thriller, although there is action in it; it is not a book of political intrigue (thank God), yet political intrigue features; and it is certainly not a murder mystery or fantasy story. It is, instead, a book that examines deep, sometimes philosophical issues such as the lust for power, wealth, happiness, immortality and freedom. Despite its 6th-century BC setting, the book relates surprisingly well to the 21st century.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Last King of Lydia, not least because it is not exactly run of the mill, but also because of its ability to engage the reader and mix in a variety of settings, battles and courts across Asia Minor whilst remaining focused on the key issues of the book. I recommend it to all readers.

Chris James THE BULL SLAYER Bruce Macbain, Poisoned Pen, 2013, $24.95, hb, 272pp, 9781464201080 / Head of Zeus, 2013, £16.99, hb, 304pp, 9781781850794 Richly described settings are one of the strengths of this mystery, beginning with a decorated cave shrine to Mithras and ranging to a tavern that is “hardly more than a loose construction of boards and thatch that threatened to collapse in the buffeting wind.” Pliny the Younger attempts to assert Roman rule on the province of Bithynia as mildly as possible and without the excessive corruption of previous administrations. A

fiscal procurator has gone missing, and Pliny suspects that his disappearance may be related to embezzlement.

Relations with the resentful Greek population are complicated, and there are indications that a secret Mithraic cult might be involved. The uxorious Pliny dotes on his young wife Calpurnia, who is isolated and easily led astray by a fraudulent fortuneteller and a handsome young artist. The most interesting character is an assistant named Suetonius, who delights in collecting scurrilous gossip. Fittingly, he is assigned to investigating a brothel. The solution to the mystery comes more from chance than any brilliance on the part of Pliny, but the sympathetic character who comes across in his letters is well represented here. Recommended.

James Hawking SONS OF ZEUS Noble Smith, St. Martin’s, 2013, $25.99, hb, 320pp, 9781250025579 At first it seems that the young hero Nikias will be involved in a love story, but his grandfather, a tough pankrationist, expresses the ancient attitude accurately. “Love is for girls, not warriors. A marriage is nothing more than a political alliance between families. Everything else is just sheep shit and poetry.”

Treacherous Thebans, allied with Spartans and aided by a perfidious Persian, corrupt a Plataean magistrate who admits them to the town gates.

This sneak attack has been called the Pearl Harbor of the Peloponnesian War. Nikias helps rally a resistance to the Thebans, and soon hands, arms and heads are being lopped off in street battles.

Girl archers send arrows through enemy breasts, and Nikias (not to be confused with the Athenian general of the same name) helps to recapture the walls and take the invaders prisoner.

Nikias, not yet a confirmed warrior because of a false murder charge, helps to expose the traitor. Nikias’ faction favors remaining loyal to the alliance with a distant Athens. One of the most interesting scenes comes near the end of the book at a democratic assembly where Nikias and his friends overthrow the villain and bring about the election of a new arkon. As the book ends, the threat of Thebes and their ally Sparta still hangs over Plataea, and it is clear that these events are just a beginning, leaving the way open for a promised series of books about the struggle between Athens and Sparta. Those interested in ancient Greek history, particularly warfare, should be looking forward to the sequels.

James Hawking

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6th century

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IN THE SHADOW OF THE SWORD Tom Holland, Abacus, 2013, £10.99, pb, 592pp, 9780349122359 This is certainly a book with a difference. It is cited as fiction, but I would suggest that that is far Classical — 6th Century

from the truth. With In the Shadow of the Sword, the author charts the history of the first millennium with the rise and fall of the various empires which existed then, in particular those of the Persians and the Romans. The Persian Empire eventually died out altogether, while that of the Romans divided into two camps with the Emperor Constantine establishing his own capital in Byzantium, which he renamed Constantinople. From this period and Constantine’s conversion came the establishment of the Christian church alongside that of Judaism and the stories told in the Old Testament, and later Islam with the teachings of Mohammed.

I found this to be a fascinating story but definitely founded on fact and painstakingly researched. There is no specific characterisation and no dialogue. It is purely and simply a story retold by the author. I did not find it a particularly easy book, as it needed the reader’s constant concentration to absorb all the details, but it is certainly well worth reading.

Marilyn Sherlock THE SECRET HISTORY Stephanie Thornton, NAL, $15.00/C$16.00, pb, 448pp, 9780451417787 A whore who rose to become empress, Theodora was the woman who co-ruled Byzantium in the 6th century, but her life wasn’t easy.

Wretched horror marks Theodora’s youth, beginning when her father dies suddenly. She must then help her mother and sisters fend for themselves for day-to-day survival. Living at a time where ruthlessness and barbarism were the norm, Theodora quickly learns the trade that will keep her from starving: acting. Not gifted in terms of either talent or physique, Theodora devises a scheme to render herself unforgettable. Playing the role of Leda in an outrageously vulgar performance (even for those times), Theodora inevitably makes a name for herself and quickly becomes a soughtafter courtesan.

Wanting nothing more than to become a ‘Kiria’ (Greek for ‘noble lady’) and to support the daughter she loves (she becomes a mother at 14), Theodora does what it takes, morals aside, to ensure stability and wealth. To get there, Theodora lives a life of pure hell.

The Secret History is descriptive to the max.

Stephanie Thornton manages to make the most revolting scenes true to the times without repelling readers. She plunges you right into the moment and makes you feel like you want to be there!

Fortunately, after enduring drudgery, suffering, and betrayals, Theodora turns her life around by rediscovering her faith.

Theodora’s life is so incredible that you’d think it was amazing fiction. The truth is that Theodora did end up marrying the most powerful man of her era (Emperor Justinian), who loved and accepted her for everything she was. Together they rebuilt an empire that flourished, and Theodora went on to become an important advocate for women’s rights.

If there is one book you choose to read on ancient times, let it be The Secret History. Theodora 6th Century — 11th Century

is a true Byzantine icon, and her story is a timeless inspiration that needs to be heard.

Lucy Bertoldi

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9th century

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THE WAYWARD MOON Janice Weizman, Yotzeret, 2012, $14.95, pb, 328pp, 9781592871018 In 894 AD in Buqei’a, a Jewish village in a remote corner of Galilee, the children of “a humble woman,” Rahel Yar, discover a hidden scroll after her funeral. It’s her memoir written in Syriac, the Christians’ language. While her sons initially want to burn it, they decide to read her heartbreaking life story.

Rahel is born in a magnificent city, Sura, south of Baghdad, during the Golden Age of Islam. Her widower father, an erudite physician, waits for Rahel to turn seventeen before finding a groom for her. However, tragedy strikes on the day of a suitor’s visit. Enraged by the Jewish doctor’s civic appointment, a Muslim fanatic storms into the house and murders the doctor. In self-defence, Rahel knifes and kills him. Rahel flees north toward Tiflis to seek refuge with a relative. Disguised as a Muslim boy, Rahel is helped by caravan travellers, but is kidnapped and made to work as a slave in a wealthy merchant’s household, where she learns firsthand about Islam. She escapes and, posing as a Christian, works in a monastery where she’s tutored in philosophy and Greek by the monks.

Upon discovery of her masquerade, she flees again.

Rahel encounters numerous misadventures and suffers much physical and mental abuse and a hapless love affair. Although Rahel is cash-poor, she’s rich in intellect, which carries her through her peregrination.

Janice Weisman includes much intrigue in the story of Rahel’s outer journey to keep readers engrossed. We also learn from her inner journey about self-discovery and change, including insights into Judeo-Christian-Islamic relationships.

Recommended.

Waheed Rabbani

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11th century

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THREADS OF TREASON Mary Bale, Claymore, 2013, £8.99, pb, 210pp, 9781781591000 I had great hopes of this novel as the premise was intriguing. In 1081, two of the nuns creating the iconic Bayeux Tapestry fall to their deaths at the Priory of Saint Thomas the Apostle. The maternal Abbess Eleanor and the young Sister Therese are sent to investigate the mysterious deaths. The action takes place as tensions rise between the Norman princes and bishops, and the conquerors and native English grouped against them.

Unfortunately, I was to be disappointed. Bale’s

characters are underdeveloped, and so it was difficult to sustain interest in the plot. Promising action scenes are told to the reader, rather than engaging the emotions and senses. Even when Therese is at real risk of burning to death, I failed to get a sense of her terror.

Bale has put time and effort into her research, but for me there was a lack of credibility in her portrayal of medieval Christianity. She isn’t the only historical fiction author who fails to achieve this. But with nuns as the two lead characters, it is problematic for this novel.

Elaine Powell LAND OF THE SILVER DRAGON: An Aelf Fen Mystery Alys Clare, Severn House, 2013, $28.95/£19.99, hb, 240pp, 9780727882769.

Set in the English fen country during the reign of William Rufus, Land of the Silver Dragon can’t decide what it wants to be. Perhaps it’s a fantasy (the heroine is Lassair, a gifted young healer and magician, who has visions), or maybe a mystery (somebody is brutally attacking Lassair’s family, obviously looking for something), or a dissertation on aging Vikings (who need Lassair to heal their wounded souls). Mostly this is a collection of ideas for a novel. Nothing is experienced, only reported.

People sit around and fill each other in on the background. The scene shifts from England to Iceland to Sicily like a Jason Bourne movie. A good deal of what action there is takes place off- stage or in the past, and the rambling from place to place leaves the whole story without much focus. What the brutal assailants are looking for is a way to get them to Constantinople, although by this time the Vikings had been traveling to Constantinople for centuries. The Crusades are about to start, which is not a good thing. Since the novel may be a fantasy, perhaps details such as diagnosing syphilis in the 11th century and the use of Guiscard as a family name can be excused, but not the limp execution of the story.

Cecelia Holland GODIVA: A Novel Nicole Galland, William Morrow, 2013, $15.99, pb, 305pp, 978006202688 Set in Anglo-Saxon England, this is a reimagining of the legend of Lady Godiva, Countess of Mercia, an 11th-century noblewoman well-known for riding au naturel through Coventry to relieve her people of unfair and oppressive taxation. Godiva’s unlikely friendship with Abbess Edgiva of Leominster, who has her own troubles, and her playful relationship with her husband, Leofric, also play major roles.

The novel is well-written with colorful description and detail; however, this reader chafed at elements of predictable and clichéd plotlines, such as the abbess’s pregnancy resulting from a one-night stand, and Earl Sweyn’s attempt to “abduct” her from the abbey. The notion of a countess playing matchmaker for an abbess, in the first place, pushes the limits of believability.

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The most troublesome aspect, however, is the difficulty sympathizing with Godiva’s plight, as the countess is not portrayed as a sympathetic character—she is a woman who outspokenly prides herself on her ability to manipulate men for personal gain and expresses no remorse about doing so. Therefore, when the king offers her a choice of punishments, either to literally bare herself to the people of her town, or surrender the lucrative holding of Coventry, this reader could not summon up sympathy for her dilemma. Godiva engages in a game against a crafty opponent, and King Edward gets the best of her. The plot’s power to engage hinges on the reader’s sympathy for Godiva, and that sympathy is simply absent in this case.

As much as I want to be able to recommend this book, unfortunately, I found Godiva uninspiring.

Andrea Connell THE HANDFASTED WIFE Carol McGrath, Accent, 2013, £9.99, pb, 317pp, 9781909520479 As we all know, the year 1066 was an eventful one. The struggle for the Crown triggered by the death of Edward the Confessor is familiar, but less well known is how the turbulence affected the women caught up in it. Occasionally we are vouchsafed a glimpse of an “official” woman – a queen, a princess. But what of the “unofficial” women, in this case the mistress, or handfasted

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THE FIFTH KNIGHT

wife, of Harold Godwinson, conveniently put aside when he becomes king and needs to make a strategic match?

This is the point at which McGrath’s story enters the life of Edith (or Elditha) Swan Neck, whose greatest claim to fame is having identified Harold’s mutilated body on the battlefield of Hastings. Onto the largely blank canvas of Elditha’s life, McGrath embroiders a lyrical tale of loving, losing, and coping with it. This assured debut is not dramatic but low-key and poignant, as Elditha, with stoic and almost bloody-minded dignity, presides over the round of sowing and harvest, potting and preserving, making and mending, which is her lot as mistress of several large estates. McGrath’s research into the medieval quotidian is superb, and beautifully translated into a pastoral fiction in the tradition of Hardy.

Like Hardy, she manages, with deceptive charm, to convey a brutal message about women’s lot. Everything in this novel, like a Greek tragedy, happens off-stage. Elditha is compelled to acquiesce in her lover’s decisions about their children, to wait in forlorn impotence for his rare visits, to repress her emotional life beneath layers of domestic routine. She is wealthy and well-connected, but without agency. This theme runs like a spine of feminist steel through the novel, making it much more than a good read.

Sarah Bower

E D I TORS’ C H OI C E

E.M. Powell, Thomas & Mercer, 2013, $14.95/£8.99, pb, 374pp, 9781611099331 Originally released as a Kindle Serial, The Fifth Knight is a handy twist on the Becket murder and is, from this reader’s perspective, a most worthy one.

The eponymous knight, Benedict Palmer, is a hanger-on of sorts at the scene of one of the most dastardly deeds recorded in history, the murder of Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, in 1170.

He frankly doesn’t realize what he’s signed on for as a mercenary, but to work his way out of the devastating poverty in which he grew up, he agrees to one final, lucrative job for King Henry II. When the five knights leave the cathedral, with the anchoress, Theodosia, who witnessed their murder of Becket, in tow as a prisoner, Benedict doesn’t expect to find himself reacting to protect her – but his better angels compel it. Benedict springs her, and much of the balance of the book is a romp.

While the other four knights, all historical personages, track Benedict and Theodosia so they can dispose of the witnesses to their crime, the two escapees come to realize that there are many layers to Theodosia’s relationship to Becket. There are secrets to be known, and the journey will not be complete until those secrets see the light of day.

Benedict and Theodosia, as different as they are, complement each other. They are attractive, fleshed out characters, and it doesn’t take long for a reader to become part of their literal and figurative journey. As much as this novel is a story about a specific event and a time and place, it is more an exploration of these two people and how each came to be formed as they were. In that, Powell does a masterful job. Highly recommended.

Ilysa Magnus 20 | Reviews |

HNR Issue 65, August 2013

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12th century

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DEATH BEFORE COMPLINE Sharan Newman, Bagwyn Books, 2012, $9.95, pb, 120pp, 9780866988001 Mysteries abound in this compilation of previously published medieval short stories. A wolf that seems to be much more than a normal beast. Muddy footprints that keep reappearing on the convent’s clean floor. A dismembered body found packed into a wine barrel. A beloved woman found dead in the ruins of her burned-down house.

Construction delays, and then a death at the site of a new abbey. A bride whose previous three suitors have all died of mysterious causes. Trouble among the philosophers of Arab Cordoba. Each of these provides a springboard for its own short story.

Most of the tales follow Catherine LeVendeur, the heroine of Newman’s novels. We see her solving mysteries both at home and abroad, as a young woman, as a lay sister, and later as a mother. The last two follow one of Catherine’s companions, a Jew named Solomon. Seven short stories, an introduction, a collection of medieval recipes, and a bibliography spread out over only 120 pages make for a quick read. Though murder is at the core of most of the mysteries, the overall tone of Death Before Compline is a light one, at least with Catherine’s stories. Solomon’s are darker and more thoughtful.

Newman is an obvious master of the 12thcentury medieval setting. She knows her stuff and she knows her characters. Readers looking for something medieval but light, something that can be read in only a sitting or two, will enjoy it, as will Newman’s fans.

Justin M. Lindsay

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13th century

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THE CORPSE READER Antonio Garrido (trans. Thomas Bunstead), Amazon Crossing, 2013, $14.95/£8.99, pb, 472pp, 9781612184364 Song Cí, a promising young scholar in medieval China, must give up his dream of taking the examination for imperial service when his brother is convicted of murder and his parents die in a fire. He flees his home with a sickly younger sister, tarnished by his family’s shame and forced to make a living as a gravedigger. When word spreads of his uncanny ability to “read” a corpse and deduce its secrets, Cí is summoned to the imperial court to solve a series of grisly murders.

This is a fun and informative tale of the historical father of forensic science, with rich and multilayered views of 13th-century Chinese society.

The mystery unfolds neatly, and the author ties all the disparate threads together quite plausibly for a satisfying conclusion, though it often feels 11th Century — 13th Century

as though we are reading Cí’s clinical notebooks and not experiencing his investigation firsthand.

My one real complaint is the characters. With few exceptions, Cí’s acquaintances are simply drawn and transparent in their motivations, each with little more to do than be piece of the puzzle. Cí’s sister, for example, drives the plot for two hundred pages then disappears the instant she becomes inconvenient. As for the protagonist himself, Cí is quite easily outwitted by the living despite his mastery of the dead. One would not think a scholar with Cí’s command of the law would be so boneheaded regarding matters of court protocol, or be so easily goaded into foolishness.

Recommended, despite its flaws, for mystery readers with a scientific bent.

Richard Bourgeois TEMPLAR’S ACRE Michael Jecks, Simon & Schuster UK, 2013, £12.99, pb, 553pp, 9780857205186 Unlike many medieval tales, this novel is not set within rolling hills in the forever green lands of England, but in the dust of Acre, the capital of crusader Jerusalem in the late 13th century. The novel focuses upon Baldwin, the young son of a knight arriving in Acre to defend it against the enemies of Christendom. Michael Jecks comes into his own as he builds a picture of Acre and of what the young Baldwin experiences upon his arrival. The descriptive writings of the land and its inhabitants are a joy to read.

The book delivers on more levels than just getting a feel for what Acre would have been like in the 13th century – after all, it is not designed to be a travel book. The tales I read as a child were simple affairs; you had your heroic type and the villain.

Jecks shows the political environment to be chaotic at best, nothing as simple as crusader against Moslem. He delightfully shows us an allied force can be a very loose term; the reality can be very different whether that friction is between Christian Orders or Christian states. Some characters are factual and others are fictitious, but all have a depth and realism to their individual stories, whether they be Christian or Mamluk. With the characters being so believable, it makes the fusion of fiction and fact so easy to digest as a reader. The flow of the book is nice and steady, giving the reader chance to take in the plot; my only minor problem with the book is that its flow is so singular.

Robert Southworth SOLD FOR ENDLESS RUE Madeleine E. Robins, Forge, 2013, $25.99, hb, 336pp, 9780765303998 Robins takes the Rapunzel story, removes the fantasy elements, and places it in 13th-century Italy.

Sold for Endless Rue does not immediately remind one of Rapunzel, as the reader follows Laura, a young girl saved from a violent man by hiding in the bed of a sick woman. The patient’s midwife-healer, Crescia, takes Laura as an apprentice, and the girl learns about medicinal herbs, healing wounds and birthing babies. Laura is both smart and a hard 13th Century — 14th Century

worker. Crescia realizes that Laura could help them both by learning to read and studying under the physicians at the Scuola in Salerna. Crescia arranges for this to happen, and Laura is sent to the Scuola, where she studies Latin, mathematics, astrology, anatomy and many other subjects. Not all the teachers and students approve of a female in their midst, but Laura thrives and shows herself capable of becoming a medico.

This part of the story moves slowly, but the pace picks up when Laura falls in love with another student and envisions a life different than that her guardian had planned. When Laura’s relationship ends, the Rapunzel tale is revealed, with Laura as the “witch.” The story begins to resemble the fairy tale, complete with stolen greens, a baby given away, a long golden braid, and a “prince” who comes to the rescue. This all happens in the real world, without magic potions or talking animals, and with characters much more rich than any found in a Grimm story.

Medieval life and medicine are well-researched and richly described, and Robins is very clever in her adaptation of the fairy tale. The push through the slow beginning is well worth it.

Elizabeth Caulfield Felt ROBERT THE BRUCE Jack Whyte, Forge, 2013, $27.99, hb, 592pp, 9780765331571 The youth of Robert I, King of Scots is described in this second of the Guardians series

by Jack Whyte. As the heir to a great name and vast lands in both Scotland and England, the boy Robert Bruce is taught by his father and grandfather how to lead others in times of peace and war, and especially how to govern justly. Robert also learns from his mentor and hero, King Edward I of England, at whose court the young knight is trained in the art of chivalry.

As Robert inherits an earldom, he appears to be no more than a dandy and playboy, dallying with the ladies. Then one special young lady enters his life and a dramatic transformation begins to occur.

In the meantime, the relations between Scotland and England begin to deteriorate and Edward I invades Robert’s homeland. Robert is forced to choose between a monarch he has admired and his own Scottish people, bereft of leadership and liberty.

As the English tyranny grows, the choice becomes clear; the novel ends with Robert’s encounter with the hero William Wallace. The story is told mostly through long conversations, which some might find tedious, although a great deal of historical background is explained for those who are interested in the Scottish Wars of Independence. The various characters of the Bruce family and household add a great deal of color and humor to the narrative. As scene builds upon scene, the mercurial personality of the indefatigable Robert Bruce comes into focus, making the reader eager for the next installment.

Elena Maria Vidal

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14th century

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THE ILL-MADE KNIGHT Christian Cameron, Orion, 2013, £18.99, hb, 486pp, 9781409142416 Christian Cameron is a very successful historical novelist who has written a whole series of novels set in ancient Greece. Cameron has now made a foray into mediaeval territory with this tale of William Gold, a Londoner of low birth, branded a thief, who dreams of one day becoming a famous knight.

Set at the time of the Hundred Years War between England and France, the story recounts how Gold finds himself first as a cook, then a squire, at the Battle of Poitiers in 1356. Gold is nothing if not brave and acquits himself well in the fierce fighting that ensues and is rewarded by becoming attached to Sir John Hawkwood as they stay on in a ravaged France. It’s from this point that the story really takes off.

This is an absolutely action-packed tale of chivalry, honour and betrayal. Cameron has a very engaging and easy style that draws the reader in very quickly. The tale is recounted in the first person by Gold, who adopts a very chatty and conversational tone – it’s as if he is sitting opposite you and you are being treated to a personal account of his life.

The Hundred Years War is a very complex period, and it takes consummate skill to weave a consistent plot with a huge cast of believable characters.

There are knights, kings, earls, princes and lords galore. Amongst all the chivalry there is also a fair share of mercenaries, cutthroats, villains and chancers as well as non-combatants and chroniclers such as Geoffrey Chaucer and Froissart. All in all, a very rich mix. This book is advertised as the first in a new series, and I, for one, can’t wait.

Ray Taylor EMERALDS OF THE ALHAMBRA John D. Cressler, Sunbury Press, 2013, $19.95, pb, 438pp, 9781620061978 In the 1360s, Grenada is the last surviving stronghold of Muslim rule in Spain. Between 1367 and 1369 the Castilian Civil War is being fought between the Muslims of Grenada, united with King Pedro of Castile, against King Pedro IV of Aragon.

William Chandon, an English knight fighting for Aragon, is wounded, captured and becomes a prisoner of the Sultan of Grenada. At first he is treated as a prisoner of war, but eventually the Sultan decides to learn more about the Englishman and his language, and in return, instructs Chandon in Arabic and the Muslim religion. His teacher is Layla al-Khatib, daughter of the Jewish physician who nursed his injuries. They fall into a forbidden love, and Chandon must choose sides in the war.

The novel includes a list of characters, maps, many photographs of key locations in the book, a historical primer, and a bibliography. The author has written a well-researched story set in an era of history not well known outside of Spain. The HNR Issue 65, August 2013 | Reviews | 21

settings and locations are described in great detail and accompanied by relevant photos. Even though there are many minor characters with Arabic names, it was not difficult to follow the plot and storyline or the number of characters introduced throughout the book. Cressler has written a debut novel full of intrigue, war and romance that will begin a proposed trilogy of books under the title of Anthems of al-Andalus. I look forward to reading the other books in the series. Highly recommended.

Jeff Westerhoff

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15th century

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BLOOD AND BEAUTY Sarah Dunant, Random House, 2013, $27.00, hb, 502pp, 9781400069293 / Virago, 2013, £16.99, hb, 544pp, 9781844087426 On the heels of an increased interest in the Borgia family, Dunant follows with her newest novel, an exploration of the House of Borgia reflecting what she avers is more the modern historical perspective on them.

Yes, unquestionably, the Borgias have earned a reputation as being corrupt and brutal because they were. But, Dunant argues, they lived in a corrupt and brutal time, and I suppose that means they were compelled to rise to the task. Taking each person and each event as an independent variable, however, one wonders how much less corrupt the times might have been had they not been manhandled by the likes of Rodrigo Borgia, ultimately Pope Alexander VI, and Cesare Borgia, his son. We will never know.

The history is well-known and need not to be repeated here. Suffice to say, everything anyone might want to know about the end of the 15th century, most of Alexander’s papacy, and Cesare’s cold intelligence as a cardinal morphing into his cold fury as a brilliant military mind is here. One might argue, perhaps, that too much of the history is here. The story is dense. At times, it is difficult to wade through it. I think some dramatic editing with a more focused purpose might have done the trick.

What, I think, saves the book – which, believe me, is beautifully written by an eminently talented writer – are the characterizations of the main female characters. It takes Lucrezia, the focal dynastic tool; Rodrigo’s former partner and the mother of his children, Vannozza dei Catenei; and the wickedly demonic Caterina Sforza to give the book life. Because Dunant is such an accomplished author, their lives, their words, their thoughts blossom.

For readers interested in this period, Dunant’s book is required reading. Just don’t expect it to be a lark. It’s rough slogging sometimes.

Ilysa Magnus THE WHITE PRINCESS Philippa Gregory, Touchstone, 2013, $26.99/ C$29.99, hb, 400 pp, 9781451626094 / Simon 22 | Reviews |

HNR Issue 65, August 2013

& Schuster UK, 2013, £20.00, hb, 544pp, 9780857207517 In The White Princess, Gregory attempts to tell the story of Elizabeth of York, daughter of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville. Raised as a royal princess, Elizabeth has been a pawn for power since her birth. When Henry Tudor defeats Richard III at Bosworth, Elizabeth is offered as a wife, the White Rose that will bring about a united England by merging with Lancastrian Henry VII, thus creating the Tudor rose.

Told in first person, the story unfolds as Elizabeth, formerly in love with her uncle and king, Richard III, must marry the man who murdered him in battle. She does her marital duty, bearing Prince Arthur in due course. But she does not love her husband and he does not trust her. As time passes and she gives him more children, she begins to care for him. However, her mother, Elizabeth Woodville, continues to plot for the House of York, throwing her support to any number of pretenders to the throne. Intrigues and spy networks surround the White Queen, and Henry VII is in a tough spot. How can he arrest his mother-in-law?

Having just read Gregory’s The Kingmaker’s Daughter, which I enjoyed very much, I will confess some disappointment with this latest book.

Though told from Elizabeth’s point of view, a clear sense of Elizabeth, the woman, eludes me. It is somewhat repetitive and slow in spots, and more character development is desired for the mother of Henry VIII. And, though history leaves us little factual information about this woman of mystery, I would have hoped for a clear vision in Gregory’s deft hands. However, even with this flaw, the book is of interest.

Anne Clinard Barnhill THE INQUISITOR’S WIFE Jeanne Kalogridis, St. Martin’s Griffin, 2013, $15.99, pb, 432pp, 9780312675462 In 1481, Queen Isabella, Dominican friar Torquemada, and the Spanish Inquisition arrive in Seville. Many Jewish families, as well as conversos—the “New Christians”—flee to Portugal or other safe places, while others stay behind to await better times, believing the queen’s promise of a fair inquiry. Marisol Garcia’s family is suspect due to her mother’s heritage, though her husband is an “Old Christian” and they have always lived openly as Catholics. However, Marisol finds her life spinning out of control when her betrothed abandons her and her father marries her instead to the son of an enemy.

Now the wife of an up-and-coming Inquisitor, Marisol must tread carefully as she discovers more and more about her mother’s secret life, her lost love and the reasons for her father’s apparent disloyalty. From the glittering royal court to the unfathomable dungeons of the Inquisition, this brave young woman unflinchingly lives through impossible circumstances and devastating sorrow and finally finds and embraces her true self and the religion in which she was born.

This story is fast-paced and extremely

descriptive, which may turn some readers off with details of torture and other disagreeable subjects, though these are essential to the storyline. Some facts do not connect seamlessly, but overall the narrative is satisfying and the characters are well rounded with believable motives and personalities.

Beginning with a history of the people of Iberia, and continuing with descriptions of the society, religions and politics of the era, this is a thorough historical novel with a hint of mystery and intrigue.

Arleigh Johnson APPETITE Philip Kazan, Orion, 2013, £12.99, hb, 544pp, 9781409142799 Think of synaesthesia: a young boy realises that, for him, tastes or scents trigger other senses and associations. Then set the scene in late 15thcentury Florence, a city whose bustling streets are filled with men and women going about their everyday lives, where beauty but also violence and death are commonplace. And lastly, fill the book with extraordinary recipes and the wealth of ingredients, spices and herbs found in Renaissance Italy. This is the story of Nino Latino, nephew of one of the city’s great painters, Fra Filippo Lippi.

After his mother’s early death, Nino learns all that he can from Carenza, the family cook, and his father, a member of the tightly knit butchers’ guild in Florence. Even the market sellers teach him the value of genuine, peasant recipes. But Nino falls foul of powerful political factions in Florence, where social status separates him from his childhood love, Tessina degli Albizzi. Armed with his unique gifts, he works first as cook for Cardinal Gonzaga in Rome, and then as steward for the Spaniard, Rodrigo Borgia, already notorious as a cardinal in the years before he became pope. The wheel of Fortune, lauded and feared in equal measure by authors and poets, sets Nino on a dangerous path that culminates with the Pazzi conspiracy against Lorenzo de’Medici in 1478.

Kazan ably builds the plot to a rousing climax, and the descriptions of food, Florentine politics – as well as its renowned artists – and the world of the cardinals’ households, the papal Curia, and Roman humanism are well researched. Sometimes the use of Italian jars, but it is a useful tool for incorporating colour. This is definitely a book to savour and enjoy.

Lucinda Byatt THE SERPENT AND THE PEARL Kate Quinn, Berkley, 2013, $15.00, pb, 432pp, 9780425259467 Admittedly, when I heard that Kate Quinn’s latest novel was set not in the classical world but rather in Renaissance Italy, I was a bit disappointed.

However, that sentiment was short-lived, as The Serpent and the Pearl exerted just as strong a hold as Quinn’s earlier novels – subjecting me to a sucker punch in the stomach when I turned the last page and realized that I would have to wait for the next installment to see the characters escape their predicaments.

15th Century

Carmelina is on the run from a shadowy past – but she has two things to stand her in good stead: her stock of recipes, and the favor of Santa Marta, patron saint of cooks. When Carmelina comes to Rome, she takes a gamble on a disastrous wedding feast and finds herself working in the powerful household of Rodrigo Borgia.

Giulia Farnese, the acknowledged beauty of Rome, is confident of what life has in store for her: she will marry well, bear noble children, and spend her days in luxury. But on her wedding night Giulia discovers that she is destined for something quite different. She, too, is caught in the web of the powerful Borgias.

Leonello has adopted biting cynicism to shield him from the abuse directed at a dwarf on the streets of Rome. But when he is offered the opportunity to serve as an unlikely bodyguard to the Borgia family, he finds himself entangled not just with dangerous politics but also with people he might just begin to care about.

These three compelling characters weave a tangled trajectory through the life and politics of 15th-century Rome. Carmelina’s sharp tongue, Leonello’s caustic wit, and Giulia’s unconditional good humor in the face of danger play off each other beautifully to create another riveting novel from Kate Quinn.

Ann Pedtke

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THE FORBIDDEN QUEEN

ROAN ROSE Juliet Waldron, Second Wind, 2012, $15.95, pb, 282pp, 9781938101182 In this novel set in late 15th-century England, Rose Whitby, the young daughter of a peasant midwife, becomes the servant and playmate of Lady Anne Neville, who will one day be the wife of King Richard III. Taken to Middleham Castle, Rose observes Richard as a young knight in training, and he ultimately wins her heart. But she also has a deep loyalty and fondness for Anne. Rose has a front-row seat as Richard and Anne’s lives unfold, and on two occasions, widely separated in time, she becomes Richard”s lover. Meanwhile, she marries a commoner, has children, and follows her mother’s footsteps as a healer. Ultimately, she is there to witness the aftermath of Richard’s death.

I liked the author’s evenhanded view of history and the fact that her characters do not divide neatly into heroes and villains. She obviously sympathizes with Richard but does not turn him into a saint. She lets Rose be as perplexed as many of us are today about the apparent contradictions in his character. Anne Neville’s first husband, Prince Edward, is also allowed a large measure of complexity. People on both sides of the battle lines are human and prey to frailties and human tragedies (though Henry VII’s mother certainly seems like a complete villain). This is, in other words, a grown-up’s view of history. Rose is a

E D I TORS’ C H OI C E

Anne O’Brien, Mira, 2013, £7.99, pb, 652pp, 9781848452152 This superb novel tells the story of Katherine de Valois, whom history has by and far neglected.

Katherine, the daughter of Charles VI of France (who went mad) and his queen Isabel (who had a reputation for lust and affairs), was highly sought after by Henry, King of England, for the alliance she would bring about between England and France and, beyond that, for the French crown. Katherine is portrayed as young, naïve and innocent, swept along by Henry, whom she idolises as the dashing, all-conquering hero that he was. But their marriage is destined to be short lived and tragic.

Most of it was spent with Katherine alone whilst Henry was abroad on endless war campaigns. When she bears him a son and heir, the future Henry VI, Henry dies of dysentery without having set eyes on him. These scenes are very movingly described, beautifully written and realised.

The rest of the novel depicts the aftermath of the situation in which Katherine finds herself, as a young widow whose hand in marriage is worth a kingdom.

It is no surprise that Katherine does, in fact, marry Owen Tudor, who was of low rank and served Katherine as her Master of the Household. How they ever managed to actually develop a real loving relationship, get married and accepted and produce the Tudor dynasty is the lasting achievement of this novel.

This is a very long novel, but it is always engaging and retains the reader’s interest throughout.

What violence there is tends to be off-stage. O’Brien concentrates on character development and relationships. This is essentially a love story, but male readers should not be put off. This male reader, for one, was hooked. Highly recommended.

Ray Taylor 15th Century — 16th Century

strong character with an interesting life of her own, apart from the royalty she loves and serves. All in all, Roan Rose is an enjoyable historical novel that manages to be romantic and also intelligent.

Phyllis T. Smith

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16th century

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VENUS IN WINTER Gillian Bagwell, Berkley, 2013, $16.00/C$17.00, pb, 448pp, 9780425258026 Bess Hardwick lived during the Tudor era and belonged to a close-knit circle at the court of Henry VIII. She took center stage amidst the changing lives of the monarchs of the time, from King Henry to Elizabeth I. The novel begins in 1539, with twelve-yearold Bess reluctantly complying with her mother’s wishes to live at Codnor Castle with Sir George and Lady Zouche, close friends of the king. Due to economic struggles, and because her stepfather was in debtor’s prison, there was no other choice but to send Bess off for a better future. With the Zouches, she would be schooled in proper etiquette and assured a most suitable marriage.

Renowned for her kindness, sincerity, and allaround goodness, Bess is well-liked by everyone at court. She is wed four times in her lifetime, to wonderful men who loved and appreciated her.

This historical has been well researched, but I almost couldn’t believe such a person actually existed and survived in those dreadful times (and those dreadful Tudors!).

What I found most enjoyable in Venus in Winter were Bess’s encounters with figures such as Catherine Howard, Queen Mary, Jane Grey and her sisters Kate and Mary, Catherine Parr, and Elizabeth I. However brief or important her relationship was with these people, Bess shared significant moments with them that rendered her special in each of their lives.

Throughout the book, there are moments of poignant sorrow, such as Catherine Howard’s horrifying death (at the time, Bess and Cat were friends of the same age). But I felt especially sad for Jane Grey, whose closeness to Bess was most endearing. Young, timid and forever trying to please her parents, Jane became their pawn, which led to her own demise.

Venus in Winter is an intimate walk through Tudor history that offers a close-up view of life at court.

Lucy Bertoldi THE TUDOR CONSPIRACY C.W. Gortner, St. Martin’s, 2013, $15.99, pb, 352pp, 9781250042774 / Christopher Gortner, Hodder, 2013, £7.99, pb, 352pp, 9781444720877 The Tudor Conspiracy, second in the series by C.W. Gortner, starts off quickly, with Brendan Prescott being recruited by William Cecil to return to Mary I’s court to uncover a conspiracy to depose the monarch and place the Princess Elizabeth on HNR Issue 65, August 2013 | Reviews | 23

the throne. Though reluctant to return, Brendan takes his squire (and friend) Peregrine to court and soon finds himself a double agent, spying for both Elizabeth and Mary. When he realizes that Mary’s Spanish advisor, Renard, is setting a trap that will cost Elizabeth her head, Brendan moves to trail those whom he believes are attempting to use Elizabeth’s letters against her. Amid the intrigue and danger, Brendan has to learn who he can trust and whether his dalliance with the court beauty Sybilla is worth losing his beloved Kate back home.

Gortner weaves Brendan effortlessly into the real-life circumstances surrounding the aborted coup that would have removed the Catholic Mary from the throne. I was quite impressed with the author’s knowledge of the incident and Tudor history in general; all of the characters, both real and fictional, leapt off the page. Brendan is a hero I could root for; both his arrogance and his mistakes make him wholly believable and endearing. There is a lot of action throughout, and several times I felt I’d reached the climax of the story only to be taken aboard yet another wild ride almost immediately.

Well-written, well-plotted, and well-researched, The Tudor Conspiracy is a page turner that has me eager for the next book in this delicious spy series.

Tamela McCann CHAIN OF EVIDENCE Cora Harrison, Severn House, 2013, $28.95/£19.99, hb, 224, 9780727882455 Ireland was a wild place during the time when Henry VIII was on England’s throne. Cardinal Wolsey has sent Stephen Gardiner there to examine the ways of the people and their laws. The leading chapters bring together many people as they mourn the passing of the Tanaiste, the chieftain’s heir. The book’s title refers to the chain found with the Taoiseach, the chieftain, who is found dead after a cattle stampede. After the first witness sees his body, with a chain attached to his ankle, it mysteriously disappears, and all of those involved deny its existence. Now the clan has the task of appointing not one but two new leaders. The list of suspects and motives are mounting up for Brehon Mara, the king’s lawyer and judge, and her brilliant law students. Despite her position as the king’s wife and her high legal standing as Brehon, there are those who stand to benefit from the Taoiseach’s death and would like her investigations to end. The greed and ambitions of the men and women who want to become Taoiseach and inherit his lands and wealth turn the atmosphere treacherous and poisonous.

The author has certainly researched her history of the period, providing us with information on the laws and the terminology used in Ireland at that time. The chapter headings reflect the antiquated beliefs of early Ireland. The Gaelic titles and names can be overwhelming in the beginning, but readers will find them an important introduction to the times. The customs and people add interest as the plot in this period mystery develops.

Beth Turza 24 | Reviews |

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SORCERER: A Novel of Queen Elizabeth’s Alchemist Geoffrey James, Grand Mal, 2013, $17.99, pb, 313pp, 9781937727345 Dr. John Dee fascinates everybody, the ultimate absent-minded professor looking for angels and gold. Geoffrey James’ novel attempts to encompass this extraordinary man, whose quest to learn the ultimate secrets of the universe sent him over the edge in more ways than one.

To channel the spirits he felt hovering around him, Dee crammed his assistant, the shifty Edward Kelley, with hallucinogenics and took copious notes as Kelley rambled on about his visions. Gradually the visions told Dee to form a bizarre menage-àquatre with Kelley and their two wives, high-born Jennet and stodgy Alice.

Sorcerer gets the whole practice of alchemy very well. James really knows this stuff (Dee left copious notes), and he makes it fascinating. The rest of the book suffers from a fabulous inattention. Dee flirts with magic in England, and then it’s off to Poland for some very odd sex, and then to Vienna for more odd sex, all the while pursued by the world’s most incompetent assassin, a maniac monk strongly reminiscent of Dan Brown’s Silas, except darker. The characters are shrewd or stupid as the narrative requires, and the text is full of typos and misprints and missing words. If you’re interested in John Dee, this is a way to learn more about him, but don’t expect a solid read.

Cecelia Holland

fantastic Scots dialect throughout the book, which as a Scot I enjoyed, but others may wish to have had a glossary in the back of the book.

Geri C. Gibbons

THE FIRST BLAST OF THE TRUMPET Marie MacPherson, Knox Robinson, 2013, $27.99/£19.99, hb, 382pp, 9781908483218 / also £12.99, pb, 9781908483225 This is the first of three novels about the life and times of Scottish Reformation preacher John Knox, brilliantly told by Marie MacPherson.

The novel begins in pre-Reformation Scotland under James IV, a period of relative stability in the country in which three young girls, including Elisabeth Hepburn, the daughter of the Earl of Bothwell, are coming of age. Elisabeth’s hopes for marriage to David Lindsay are thwarted when she is commanded by her family to enter a convent.

It soon becomes clear that Elisabeth is the thread that ties together a diverse cast of characters, from John Knox and Marie of Guise to Cardinal David Beaton and Mary, Queen of Scots. Elisabeth’s family and friends become divided over the need to curtail some of the excesses of the Catholic Church in Scotland.

The author deftly tackles a very complicated, emotionally charged subject and brings it to life with historical and emotional accuracy. John Knox is not, to my mind, a particularly sympathetic figure in Scotland’s history, and yet in the young Knox Marie MacPherson creates a very likeable, though flawed character. I quite liked Knox and felt keenly his struggle to keep faith with his past but follow his calling. I also enjoyed the characterizations of Elisabeth, Davie Lindsay and George Wishart; their troubles tugged at the heartstrings. There is

CLAWS OF THE CAT Susan Spann, Minotaur, 2013, $24.99/C$28.99, hb, 270pp, 9781250027030 A new mystery series is like a beautifully wrapped gift from a good friend—the whole package is enticing, and you’re eager to open it and be delighted. Susan Spann’s Claws of the Cat does not disappoint.

The team of amateur sleuths in 16th-century Kyoto is an unlikely pairing: Jesuit priest Father Mateo and his bodyguard/translator Hiro, a master shinobi, or samurai ninja warrior, who has sworn to protect the European resident. The point of view is Hiro’s, and through the adept device of his having to both translate and explain, as well as he can, the language, customs, and expectations of his people to the occasionally blundering but astute priest, the reader easily learns very interesting, arcane lore. Of course there’s a murder at the outset, but the stakes quickly rise to alarming heights when honor demands that the two companions solve the murder—or give up their own lives if they fail.

Spann delicately interweaves the life and thoughts of a ninja (there’s got to be a lot of research behind that) while constructing a memorable relationship between these two disparate characters. The Jesuits abroad were typically also used as diplomatic liaisons between governments and rulers, and Father Mateo appears to have this role, one which undoubtedly will expand as the series continues. His reluctant sidekick, Hiro, has a wry, amusing observational tone that makes for

SWORD & SCIMITAR Simon Scarrow, Headline, 2013, £7.99, pb, 586pp, 9780755358380 The battle for Malta in 1565 is the setting for Simon Scarrow’s latest novel. Recalled by the Knights of St John from a twenty-year exile, Sir Thomas Barrett returns to Malta to help defend the island against a vast Ottoman army. But Malta holds a secret which threatens the throne of Elizabeth, Queen of England, and Sir Thomas must secure it. While trying to survive the battle against overwhelming odds, Sir Thomas finds old feuds and passions, long dormant, are reawakened and are just as deadly as any enemy weapon. Will the secret be revealed to threaten the throne of England?

As with all Scarrow’s novels, this is well researched, with a very effective plotline. The author brings alive the battle and the potential implications of defeat. The action scenes are exciting and realistic without being gratuitous and form the backdrop for the unfolding story of personal and political secrets. All the various plotlines come together in a satisfying climax. This is the latest offering from a bestselling author at the top of his game. Recommended.

Mike Ashworth

16th Century

excellent narration of the story. I look forward to reading more Shinobi mysteries!

Mary F. Burns THE SCORPIONS’ NEST M.J. Trow, Severn House, 2013, $28.95/£19.99, hb, 224pp, 9781780290393 This novel is the fourth in M.J. Trow’s Kit Marlowe series, which features Kit as a member of Sir Francis Walsingham’s spy network. The author weaves Marlowe’s documented associations with the University of Cambridge and the English College in Rheims (France) into a fictional story where he travels undercover from Cambridge to the English College to flush out a Catholic traitor allegedly connected with the Babington plot to overthrow Queen Elizabeth I. Once in Rheims, Marlowe discovers that several suspicious deaths have taken place on the college grounds in recent weeks. Now Marlowe must find one traitor in the midst of many who would love to see the “heretic queen” dead, while he investigates why young men are losing their lives in “the scorpions’ nest.”

Elizabethan England enthusiasts will recognize many familiar characters besides Marlowe and Walsingham, namely dramatist Robert Greene, cryptologist Thomas Phelippes, and Secretary of State Lord Burghley. The author’s use of historical facts and authentic characters add a valuable dimension to the plot, and history buffs will enjoy the in-depth look at the time period. Following the large number of characters all covered by the thirdperson point of view can be challenging, however, and many of the historical allusions are easily missed if the reader isn’t thoroughly familiar with the era and cast of characters. The search for the traitor seems to be an afterthought, and the level of detail often weighs down the action, so the book is better suited to fans of the time period than to those looking for a fast-paced suspense story.

Rebecca Henderson Palmer

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DEATH IN ST JAMES’S PARK Susanna Gregory, Sphere, 2013, £19.99/$29.95, hb, 454pp, 9781847444349 In Restoration London, former Roundhead Thomas Chaloner is a spy with a Royalist employer who neither likes nor trusts him, a Royalist wife he rather regrets marrying, and a small army of enemies. To make things worse, the Earl of Clarendon not only bans him from investigating a mysterious and deadly explosion in Post Office Yard, but has him look instead into the poisoning of the royal fowls in St James Park. Poor Chaloner is not happy, but will soon find that there is more to his case than a few dead ducks. In this eighth instalment of her Chaloner Adventures, Gregory weaves an intricate tale of postal inefficiency, intrigue and vengeance. The time period and Chaloner’s dilemmas are interesting, but a contrived plot in which everything happens by chance and 16th Century — 17th Century

everyone keeps losing important papers, a host of cardboard characters, repetitive writing and the anachronistic attitude to animals make Death in St James’s Park a rather disappointing read.

Chiara Prezzavento BROTHERS’ FURY Giles Kristian, Bantam Press, 2013, £14.99, hb, 396pp, 9780593066164 If 1642 was a bad year for the Rivers siblings, 1643 is hardly better. Sir Edmund craves to exact bloody revenge from the Rebels who killed his father and closest friend. Thomas has joined Parliament’s army to kill Cavaliers in general, and Lord Denton in particular, who drove his beloved Martha to suicide. Bess, now that her betrothed is dead, only wants to salvage what is left of her family, by securing a royal pardon for Tom, and bringing both her brothers home. Needless to say, none of it will prove easy. The second volume in a trilogy, Brothers’ Fury is on the grimmer, gorier, grittier side of historical fiction. I must say that after a while I began to tire of the relentless grit, gore, and grimness – and of everybody spitting all the time. Still, by that time I was hooked.

The action is gripping, the battles plentiful, the atmosphere and mindset of the time well rendered, friends and foes well drawn, and most of all, the Rivers children are complex (if not always likeable) individuals who face more than their fair share of hardships and dilemmas. Not for the squeamish, but definitely engrossing.

Chiara Prezzavento I AM VENUS Barbara Mujica, Overlook, 2013, $26.95, hb, 304pp, 9781468306576 The life of famous artist Diego Velazquez and the hypocritical mores of 17th-century Spain are brought to life by the mysterious model depicted in the artist’s controversial The Toilet of Venus. The novel opens with the young painter Velazquez, newly married to his mentor’s daughter, desperately seeking to become something more than an apprentice. The painter’s rise is meteoric as he goes from virtual unknown to court painter in the space of a few years. This elevation earns him the enmity of not only the other court painters, but also his wife, Juana.

The novel excels at depicting the gritty and stifling world of Spanish society. The dissolute court of King Felipe expects extramarital affairs and flirtations, in which Velazquez sometimes indulges, much to the chagrin of his wife. To say that she is harping and critical is an understatement; the reader often struggles to find any sympathy for her. It is with this in mind that the ending was so surprising.

A warning to those who are particular about voice: the novel is largely written in the first-person perspective of the mysterious model. However, it shifts to third-person limited at times to capture the views of other characters. This in itself would not have been so confusing had it not been for the first-person narrator interjecting her observations

(only known by her through the space of time) in the midst of another character’s third-person point of view. Since there is no regularity to this, the narrator often breaks up the flow of the story, which requires re-reading of some passages. Otherwise I Am Venus is an interesting read recommended for those who enjoy biographies with a side of historical fiction.

Caroline Wilson TRAITOR’S FIELD Robert Wilton, Corvus, 2013, £16.99, hb, 466pp, 9781848878198 In his second historical fiction Robert Wilton plunges into the English Civil War. On the royalist side is Sir Mortimer Shay, of the secret Comptrollerate-General of Scrutiny and Survey, and in the Parliament interest stands agent John Thurloe, intelligent, resourceful, dedicated – but perhaps no match for Shay. The combat between them, mostly conducted at a distance, covers three years of political manoeuvrings, bloody conflicts and bloodier reprisals as the scene shifts from London and Doncaster to Edinburgh and Drogheda, concluding in a village in Lincolnshire.

At the end Shay and Thurloe come together, still antagonists but in a strange way as allies.

As in his first novel Treason’s Tide (originally published as The Emperor’s Gold), Wilton loves misdirection and obfuscation, tactics well suited to a tale of secret agents and the vagaries of the heart.

They give energy to his fiction but at the cost of some confusion. As the story gallops towards its end, it is often hard to work out who is killing who and why.

Nevertheless this is a thoroughly satisfying read.

The scene setting is fine, the damps, drizzles and mud tellingly conveyed. Shay and Thurloe are wellconceived, and the mystery and menace hold good throughout. Wilton’s conceit is that the story is taken from documents of the period hidden these many years. It is probably not so, probable that the ‘Comptrollerate-General of Scrutiny and Survey’ is an invention. But it is done so well – as are the purported newspaper stories of the period – that one feels no resentment about being tricked.

One tip, though: a set of papers is said to be lodged at ‘Philadelphia University’. There is a University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, which has passed under different names since 1740, but never ‘Philadelphia University’.

Peter Prince THE DAYLIGHT GATE Jeanette Winterson, Hammer, 2012, 236pp, £7.99, pb, 97800995161835 / Grove, 2013, $24.00, hb, 240pp, 9780802121639 This is a short novel about the infamous hunting down and trial of the Lancashire witches in 1612.

Jeanette Winterson admits to being fairly liberal about the known events and characters of the times, and the supernatural and occult dominates the narrative. Given the author’s background, it is perhaps not surprising that the theme of the novel focuses on the abuses of power and sexual HNR Issue 65, August 2013 | Reviews | 25

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E D I TORS’ C H OI C E BENJAMIN FRANKLIN’S BASTARD

Sally Cabot, William Morrow, 2013, $25.99, hb, 368pp, 9780062241924.

Sally Cabot’s Benjamin Franklin’s Bastard is an outstanding work of historical fiction, filled with characters so lifelike and true that the reader can imagine them behaving exactly as the novel presents.

Even that icon of patriotism, Founding Father Benjamin Franklin, is portrayed as a complex man filled with often-conflicting emotions and motivations.

The novel begins in Franklin’s youth, where he is making a name for himself as a fine printer.

Unfortunately, he has a taste for the ladies. He deflowers Deborah Read while rooming at her father’s inn. He tells her he wants to marry her, and then goes to England for two years. In the meantime, Deborah marries another man who later abandons her.

Enter the attractive but destitute Anne, who works at The Penny Pot, a local tavern. Franklin takes an immediate liking to her and manages to seduce her, too. Only Anne becomes pregnant. In the meantime, Franklin has convinced Deborah to become his common-law wife. When Anne delivers a son, William, Franklin convinces his “wife” to take the boy into their home. He then convinces Anne that giving up her son is best for the boy. Much of the tension and heartache that ensues from this action will drive a wedge between Franklin and his wife, and Franklin and his son; even his most loyal friends are affected by the taint of Franklin’s baseborn boy.

As the colonies begin to rebel against the Crown’s authority, the young man, William, finds a place for himself as Royal Governor of New Jersey. This position puts him at odds with his famous father.

A rousing good book with a great deal of heart, Cabot’s novel makes me believe I know Ben Franklin a little — and I am certain I know the women involved: their heartbreak is achingly familiar.

Anne Clinard Barnhill violation that society’s hierarchies have justified under the name of religion. It is a cruel and violent England; one of the few characters that evokes the reader’s sympathy being Alice Nutter – a rich and kind-hearted widow, who as a young woman was given the elixir of life by the mage John Dee. The malicious forces looking for evidence of witchcraft and Catholicism eventually hunt her down. This is by no means a gentle little tale of eccentric witchcraft, but a disturbing and graphic account of hatred and evil – absorbing, if not exactly uplifting.

Doug Kemp

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BURNING SKY Lori Benton, WaterBrook, 2013, $14.99 pb, 404pp, 9780307731470 Willa Obenchain was born on the New York frontier to German homesteaders. At fourteen she was kidnapped by Mohawks and grew to maturity away from her family. The American Revolutionary War has now laid devastation on the frontier, and the woman renamed “Burning Sky” has returned to her family homestead to find things changed. Willa is running from her past, determined to return to her old life. Only upon arrival she finds her parents 26 | Reviews |

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missing, and an old acquaintance has claimed ownership of her family land. Willa soon finds herself challenged not only by the realities of her current situation, but by a past she thought she had left behind. Trapped between two lives, she must decide if she has the strength to choose between them or to forge a new life entirely.

Burning Sky is a captivating story that smoothly depicts the multilayered fabric of life on the American frontier at the end of the 18th century.

Willa is torn between cultures and between her faith and her place in society as a woman. She is not to blame for the things that have happened to her, and yet she has taken the burden of her memories on her shoulders and carried them, and doing so has only made her stronger. It is refreshing to watch as a strong woman emerges from beneath it all. This story is well written and researched. Even those who do not read Christian fiction will find Willa’s story compelling. Recommended to anyone who enjoys the frontier and Revolutionary War period.

Hanne Pearce THE SKULL AND THE NIGHTINGALE Michael Irwin, Blue Door, 2013, £16.99, hb, 483pp, 9780007476312 / William Morrow, 2013, $25.99, hb, 416pp, 9780062202352 This is a well-written, expertly researched

novel set in Georgian England. Richard Fenwick, an orphan, has been supported by his godfather, the wealthy James Gilbert, since his childhood.

On his return from the Grand Tour Richard is given an unusual opportunity – that of leading a rackety life in London at his godfather’s expense if he is prepared to recount his exploits, in lurid detail, by letter. Richard is intrigued and agrees; he has no income of his own and relies entirely on the generosity of Mr Gilbert. Initially this strange arrangement appears to benefit both parties, but as the book progresses it becomes apparent Gilbert is more than an interested spectator.

Irwin brings the period and characters alive with his compelling dialogue and authentic historical detail. The Skull and the Nightingale is an excellent novel which would be a good choice for a book club, as there are plenty of issues to discuss.

However, for me, it lacked pace and didn’t hold my interest as I’d hoped.

Fenella J Miller AT THE DYING OF THE YEAR (Richard Nottingham Mysteries) Chris Nickson, Crème de la Crime, 2013, $28.95/£19.99, hb, 224pp, 9781780290423 The year is 1733, and it has not been an easy one for Richard Nottingham, Constable of Leeds.

Still recovering from a stab wound, on his first day back on the job he’s confronted with a hostile new mayor and the discovery of the bodies of three brutally murdered children. Nottingham and his trusty sidekicks believe they know the murderer’s identity – but the rich merchants of Leeds band together to protect one of their own.

There are several novels in this series, but this was my first; I think a better experience would result from reading them in order. Unlike many mysteries, this seems to spend a great deal of time on character relationships, especially familial units; it fleshes out the characters, but it also leaves less focus on the mystery plot. The novel is wellwritten, though there were a few slightly repetitive passages. An important character is dispensed with quite abruptly (and, for fans of the series, I suspect devastatingly) and a great deal of page space is spent on the effect of this on the main characters.

The mystery element is resolved early on, and then it’s simply a matter of proof and justice served – and readers may find that justice summarily and disappointingly (though realistically) executed.

The vast gulf between rich and poor, and the quality of justice for each, is a theme which will resonate with modern readers.

Bethany Latham DRAWN TO PERFECTION Victoria Owens, Hookline, 2013, £9.99, pb, 302pp, 9780956847683 Drawn to Perfection is set in the Welsh Marches of the 1750s. Caelica’s mother is ill, her brother faces trial for forgery and her clergyman father is hated by his parishioners. Caelica catches the eye of a rich landowner’s son, and she is aware that the family fortunes could be restored if she was 17th Century — 18th Century

to make a good marriage. She is a shy girl, quite a complex person who is controlled by those around her. Should she let the circumstances of her family shape the future for her?

The novel is a lovely evocative read which is very descriptive, and with very good dialogue which is in tune with the era. It moves at a good pace to keep the reader engrossed and has well-drawn, believable characters. It has been well researched, and the author obviously has an interest in and a love for this period. The chapters are quite long, but this fits the writing well. Secrets are kept, relationships are strained and sacrifices made.

The cover is intriguing but did not initially draw me to the book; however, once I opened the cover, the story drew me in from the first page. I enjoyed the book and would recommend it for a wide audience. It would be suitable for readers of historical fiction, family sagas, romance or mystery.

Barbara Goldie THE PAGODA TREE Claire Scobie, Viking Australia, 2013, AU$29.99, pb, 368pp, 9780670077335 In 18th-century India, women are the chattels of gods or men. When she is branded a handmaiden of Shiva, young Maya’s destiny seems set, but her intelligence, beauty and grace give her better prospects. She trains with Palani, famed dancer and courtesan to the Prince of Tanjore. After death and disaster strike, Maya flees to Madras, where she puts her talents into practice.

Several men impact her life: Mudaliar, a dubash (middleman) for the East India Company; Thomas Pearce, an ambitious young trader; and an anguished missionary, Walter Sutcliffe.

The novel opens with an enigmatic episode featuring Maya’s Aunt Sita that foreshadows its frustrating structure. There are abrupt switches in points of view and timeframe, unconnected paragraphs and loose ends. The main love affair has unromantic elements, and there are transcendental passages at odds with the straightforward narrative elsewhere. The female characters are mostly tragic, and the attitudes and behaviors of the men fluctuate with their fortunes. The risks that Maya takes in her quest for love can make her seem too modern, and the dialogue is not always consistent with period. As in the beginning, the conclusion is uncertain.

Meticulous research and cultural authenticity are evident on every page, but readers unfamiliar with the background may feel bewildered without a clearer historical context behind some of the more horrific episodes. (The endnotes do help.) Yet in spite of its shortcomings, the vivid atmosphere does hook you in, and the unpredictable storyline becomes strangely compelling. Perhaps in its own way it is a metaphor for India itself – a mass of contradictions – and a second reading might pay better dividends. Recommended, but with reservations.

Marina Maxwell

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THE CORSAIR Abdulaziz Al-Mahmoud (trans. Amira Noweira), Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing, 2013, £7.99, pb, 306pp, 9789992194720 It is early in the 19th century. The trade links between Bombay, Oman, Iraq and on to China are seen as strategically important, a trade which Britain cannot afford to lose. Sir Evan Nepean, the Governor of Bombay, devises a strategy to fight piracy in the seas around Arabia, and to curtail, if not wipe out the local Wahhabist opposition. He devises a scheme to create an alliance with Erhama bin Jaber, a local pirate, the Sultan of Oman, the Khedive of Egypt and Britain. Unfortunately, the strategy soon starts to fall apart as Erhama refuses to betray his Wahhabi allies. Major George Sadleir is sent to the heart of the Arabian Desert with a priceless gift for the Egyptian leader to act as an incentive to join the fight.

This is a fascinating story full of twists and turns. There are a wide range of local disputes, rivalries and intrigues, made worse by British interference in the region. The British are regarded as untrustworthy, devious, and downright treacherous by all who come into contact with them, including their allies – and with good cause.

British interests are paramount, while the locals are considered uncivilised and only tolerated as long as they further British strategic requirements. All characters are well drawn, while the local politics and rivalries are effectively portrayed. The action scenes are brief, rather than detailed, but paint a vivid picture of battle without being graphic.

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THE DEVIL IS WHITE

This is a well written book, which brings alive history from a different viewpoint. More please.

Recommended.

Mike Ashworth THE GLASS OCEAN Lori Baker, The Penguin Press, 2013, $13.99, pb, 352pp, 9781594205361 / Virago, 2013, £12.99, pb, 352pp, 9781844089475 The Glass Ocean is a story told in hindsight by orphaned Carlotta Dell’orro, who tells of her birth through her parents’ story. In Victorian England, Leonardo Dell’orro is a socially awkward artist, while Clotilde Girard is the daughter of a selfprofessed naturalist and world traveller. They become acquainted while on Narcissus, a ship set upon a voyage of naturalist pursuits, and both are imbued with their own distilled form of narcissism.

Leo is obsessed with his art and possesses an otherworldly admiration for Clodtilde but continuously feels dissatisfied on both fronts.

Clodtilde is a beautiful but frivolous girl who nurtures her own vanity and an admiration for her father.

The disappearance of Clotilde’s father serves as the catalyst for their marriage, and they settle in Whitby on the North Sea, where Leo learns about glassmaking while Clotilde suffers in loneliness. Despite their dismal domestic situation and characters that come between them, Leo and Clotilde remain together out of necessity, immersed in their own obsessions. Carlotta, the product of this elusive alliance, arrives just in time to witness the final disintegration of what was always a very fragile, almost glass-like union.

The Glass Ocean is remarkable in that its chief draw lies not in revealing what happened, but how it happened. It is a sad story reconstructed on a

E D I TORS’ CH OICE

William Palmer, Jonathan Cape, 2013, £16.99, hb, 297pp, 9780224096829 It is 1792 when well-born young poet Caspar Jeavons finds himself swept up in the preparations for the new colonial utopia of Muranda, an island off the western coast of Africa. Sir George Whitcroft may well be the appointed governor, but the heart and soul of the venture is the idealistic and spirited Captain Coupland, whose vision of a free new world without slavery binds together naive Reverend Tolchard, drunkard physician Dr. Owen, free mulatto servant Jackson, and thoughtful carpenter Hood. But as subscribers and settlers are recruited, it becomes increasingly clear that the colonists are very much underrating their enterprise...

When off they sail, with the noblest intentions and an ill-assorted company, the voyage first, and then Muranda, prove very different from Coupland’s dream. This is a wonderful, cruel tale of thwarted purpose and human nature, told in crisp language and beautifully set in an unforgiving corner of Africa. An intelligent, insightful, well written book.

Highly recommended.

Chiara Prezzavento HNR Issue 65, August 2013 | Reviews | 27

foundation of small facts, colored and filled with the suppositions and faint memories of a daughter who barely knew her parents. It may take more than a handful of pages to acclimatize oneself to Carlotta’s voice, which is poetic, repetitive and not always linear. Nevertheless, Lori Baker has skillfully captured the washed-out colors, hollow sounds, intense aromas and damp-filled feel of this gray world of Whitby. One walks away from this haunting story feeling chilled by the apathy of its characters and intrigued by the art and the era.

Hanne Pearce WREATHS OF GLORY Johnny D. Boggs, Five Star, 2013, $25.95, hb, 244pp, 9781432827021 Captured by the Union Army after the Battle of Wilson’s Creek in 1861, Alistair Durant is given parole and begins the long walk home to Missouri. While on his trek home, he meets Beans Kimbrough, a young man who tried to kill his own sergeant and is on the run from the Confederate Army. They become friends and together travel to Clay County in Missouri, where Beans introduces him to a man named Charlie Hart, a.k.a. William Quantrill. It is Hart’s plan to organize a militia to fight against the federal army and Union sympathizers in Missouri. Alistair and Beans join the guerrilla band and fight alongside Bloody Bill Anderson and Frank James. Alistair will learn there are no wreaths of glory in fighting an uncivil war.

Johnny Boggs is a prolific Western writer of novels and articles. His stories rarely fail to please those who enjoy tales of the West, including this book about the American Civil War and the fighting that took place in Missouri. Highly recommended not only for those who enjoy Western lore, but for Civil War buffs also.

Jeff Westerhoff THIS HOUSE IS HAUNTED John Boyne, Doubleday, 2013, £14.99, pb, 300pp, 9780857520920 / Other Press, 2013, $14.95, pb, 224pp, 9781590516799 Norfolk, 1867. Eliza Caine, aged 21, is alone in the world after the sudden death of her father.

Still grieving, on a whim she moves from her home in London to become governess to two children at Gaudlin Hall in Norfolk. It is immediately clear both to Eliza and the reader that matters there are highly unusual, and Eliza finds herself in a house with a disturbed, haunted and vengeful presence.

The children, Isabella and Eustace, are left virtually alone, and Eliza has to prise out the shocking history of the events of Gaudlin Hall, and the reasons why she is the sixth governess in a year, from the reluctant and frightened villagers.

Eliza narrates her story in a good simulation of the 19th-century style, and any reader familiar with Henry James’ Turn of the Screw will soon see a whole host of similarities with this story – the governess employed on mysterious terms, the emotionally disturbed children, and Heckling, the taciturn retainer at Gaudlin Hall, all seem to be derived from James’ tale. It is a gothic story, with the 28 | Reviews |

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supernatural events reaching a crescendo either of chilling scariness or melodramatic ridiculousness, depending upon one’s perspective of paranormal stories. This is an excellent novel, gripping and absorbing.

Doug Kemp CITY OF DEVILS Diana Bretherick, Orion, 2013, £12.99, pb, 552pp.

9781409127925 Set in wintry 1887 Turin, this blockbuster follows James Murray, a young Scottish doctor in training with eminent, medico-crime expert, Cesare Lombroso. It is aimed at readers interested in criminology and mutilation of corpses where handwriting and body part dimensions confirm criminality. The background of Turin and its monuments, theatres, brothels, and cafes are well documented. But it is too long and ponderous a thriller.

There are five or six brutal and disgusting mutilation murders involving organ removal, even disembowelment. One, in the catacombs, makes this a startling and macabre detective thriller.

Commendably, we find all the victims are crooks but, at pains to find that justifies such horror, I can only think the author, a past ex-criminal barrister, revels in the horror she has written. Sadly, the only touch of real humanity is James Murray’s love for Lombroso’s servant, a reformed prostitute, Sofia.

The author has a good mastery of multiple

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voices as seven speakers try to identify criminals by measuring their body parts. There are long meetings between Lombroso’s students, but when the police are involved, even Lombroso himself is suspected. There is scant action to increase the pace, and the interminable discussions, meetings, conferences and symposia drag to a halt whatever pace may have been created by the frequent discovery of victims. Whatever action there is, is often narrated with a lack of haste.

Apart from some exceptions, the characters are not fully formed, and limp writing, for instance using obsequiousness instead of servility, stands out. The book describes large important gatherings where onlookers are seen admiring important delegates, and the denouement hinges on the ash from a cigar butt concluding with strange goingson atop a high building.

The author has worked extremely hard on this book. But I ask, ‘was it worth it?’

Geoffrey Harfield A BRIDE BY MOONLIGHT Liz Carlyle, Avon, 2013, $7.99/C$9.50, pb, 417pp, 9780062100283 In 1847, the elegant Lisette Colburne, recently returned from America, seeks to make a deal with Royden Napier of London’s Scotland Yard. She dumps twenty thousand pounds in American dollars on his desk with the demand that he stop the prison release of Rance Welham, better known

CINNAMON AND GUNPOWDER

E D I TORS’ CH OICE

Eli Brown, Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2013, $26.00/C$30.00, hb, 336pp, 9780374123666 Nervous chef Owen Wedgwood (who always travels with his own whisks) is the unfortunate witness to an attack at a dinner party one summer evening in 1819.

His employer Lord Ramsey, one of the owners of the Pendleton Trading Company, meets his fate at the end of pirate captain Mad Hannah Mabbot’s jade-handled pistols. Before Wedgwood can escape to the pantry, Mabbot and her fearsome horde kidnap him and drag him off to the infamous Flying Rose. Mabbot makes a deal with Wedge: his life for a three-course meal every Sunday. Though the crew of the Flying Rose is a far cry from the dukes and duchesses of England and the hardtack and rum of a pirate ship a far cry from his usual provisions, he agrees. As Mabbot sails the seas in search of the notorious thief the Brass Fox, Wedge creates such surprising dishes as tea-smoked eel, crab croquettes, and rum-poached figs.

Cinnamon and Gunpowder is glorious, great fun.

Difficult to pin down, it sails between a culinary novel, a travelogue, a romance, and a rollicking adventure.

From the fiery, erudite Mabbot, “Shark of the Indian Ocean,” to resourceful Wedge, Brown creates memorable characters, even down to the most minor in the cast, like the foul-mouthed, scorpion-raising, knitting first lieutenant Mr. Apples. These characters are brought together with prose to sink one’s teeth into, such that I read with a pencil in hand to eagerly underline choice phrases. I do confess to finding Wedge’s menu at times to be deliciously anachronistic and worldly for a chef from Georgian England (Ravioli? Mole sauce?), but I forgave him once my taste buds began tingling. This book is as layered and flavorful as one of Wedge’s meals.

Cheerfully recommended.

Jessica Brockmole 19th Century

as Lord Lazonby, a notorious gambler arrested for murder. She accuses Lazonby of leading her sister’s fiancé to commit suicide, leaving her sister to die a penniless orphan. In a twist of fate, she agrees to play the role of Napier’s fiancée so he can keep an eye on her rather than turn her in to the police. They then work together to solve his most challenging case.

Although the novel features a cast of twenty characters, the author provides a cast list at the beginning which helps a great deal as we follow this complex plotline. Royden and Lisette engage in sizzling encounters with each other through various episodes in which they appear to be enemies, then lovers. Liz Carlyle keeps the reader guessing, and the ending is most amusing.

Liz Allenby

When Mercy sees someone she shouldn’t, her life is suddenly at risk. She and her uncle are pursued, forced to set sail in a small boat and embark on an odyssey full of bizarre adventures and discoveries along the coast.

The Rathbones is a literary adventure, inspired by the Odyssey and Moby Dick. It is rich in language and the world of the sea and the sperm whale.

Mysteries of the past are revealed, Mercy finds the truth about her missing brother and father, and the future of the Rathbones is finally settled.

Kate Braithwaite

DEATH AND THE COURTESAN Pamela Christie, Kensington, 2013, $15.00, pb, 229pp, 9780758286406 It’s the flamboyant age of the Regency, where Miss Arabella Beaumont makes her living as a courtesan offering her physical wares to very rich fellows. With witty banter such as how size matters relating to ribbons for condoms, a story unfolds of how Arabella seeks to clear her name of murder.

Her favorite Duke assures the authorities of her cooperation, therefore she is free to roam and investigate at whim, thus introducing the reader to many characters.

The writing is drenched with sexual innuendo as an attempt at humor or charm, but the intrusive narrator, who occasionally addresses the reader, lacks the charm intended. Sadly, the mystery takes a back burner as Arabella struts around town telling stories, until finally the point of the novel reemerges with the final scenes. The text includes some archaic words such as clew, shew and chuse, but the tone might be right for those desiring unique and lighthearted entertainment.

Marie Burton

TAINTED ANGEL Anne Cleeland, Sourcebooks, 2013, $14.99, pb, 368pp, 9781402279058 Tainted Angel takes place during the Napoleonic Wars. England has employed various spies who apparently don’t trust each other any further than they can see them, and not even then. The heroine, Vidia Swanson, aka Lina McCord, etc., is a beautiful woman and successful spy. Her success as a spy is largely based on her stunning beauty and her skill in flirtation that easily deceives her French targets. Lucien Carstairs, aka Lord Tynebourne, spy extraordinaire, while desperately in love with Vidia, suspects she is a double agent. Lucien is determined to clear Vidia’s name despite the fact that it was his dead wife, Marie, herself a French agent, who denounced Vidia. Then there is the question of missing gold shipments and a fortune in notes from the Bank of England, which may or may not be forgeries, and Vidia’s involvement with the wealthy and mysterious Mr. Brodie, her protector and owner of her townhouse.

This is Anne Cleeland’s debut novel. This is much more to the plot than the love story, which is standard fare and fits the bill as a historical romance. There are added thrills. Tainted Angel is a masterpiece of plot twists and adventure. A suspenseful read to take to the beach.

Audrey Braver

THE RATHBONES Janice Clark, Doubleday, 2013, $26.95, hb, 384pp, 9780385536936 In the 18th century, generations of Rathbones sailed the Connecticut coastline hunting sperm whale and building an empire from their success.

The patriarch was Moses, a man with many wives who was said to be able to sense sperm whales off the coast when they were still leagues away.

But time has passed, and by 1859 the whales have left the coast. Mercy Rathbone’s father has been at sea for seven years, and Mercy has lived an isolated life being tutored by her uncle Mordecai while her mother carves whalebone and waits for her husband to either return or be declared dead.

Mercy is haunted by memories of a brother who no one will acknowledge has ever existed. The Rathbones and the sea seem inextricably linked.

Even their house is built from bone, and the attic is the hull of a ship, the bottom half of a fifty-foot square rigged brig hoisted up and bolted on the house for a roof.

THE SCARLET THIEF Paul Fraser Collard, Headline, 2013, £7.99, pb, 281pp, 9781472200259 The story opens on the banks of the river Alma in the Crimea in 1854. The King’s Royal Fusiliers, led by Jack Lark, are in a desperate situation with little room for manoeuvre. Chapter 2 backtracks six months to Aldershot barracks, where we find Jack as an orderly to captain Arthur Soames, in love with Molly, one of the laundry girls, and bullied by colour sergeant Slater. Molly is killed by Slater, and Soames and his orderly embark for the Crimea.

Soames dies of fever en route and Jack takes over his identity. This is an interesting plot device, although it strains credulity, opening the way for the ‘false’ officer to save the day at the Alma.

This is not a long book, and the pace is fast and furious. The battle scenes are described in great detail with all the horror we have come to expect of the Crimean War. The characterisation is good, although I think the main characters could have been fleshed out more. At times it seems as if they

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incidental to the war itself.

This is a debut novel, intended as the first in a series. The historical content is authentic, and the story has a good twist at the end. It will be interesting to see how Paul Collard develops his likeable protagonist and what he gets up to next.

Marilyn Sherlock THE SECRET LIFE OF LADY JULIA Lecia Cornwall, Avon, 2013, $7.99, pb, 384pp, 9780062202451 Attractive Julia Leighton has come to Vienna during the 1814 Peace Talks as a paid companion to the sister of a British diplomat, and as a “listener.”

Julia is an earl’s daughter who was once betrothed to a duke, but she was disowned because of an indiscretion committed in her father’s library with a handsome jewel thief, Thomas Merritt, during her own engagement ball!

Thomas is also in Vienna. Although aware of the numerous opportunities to meet women during the balls and soirees, he cannot forget Julia.

While others woo her, Julia remembers Thomas frequently, but they harbour secrets from one another. Because many others are aware of them, too, it is surprising that neither one has heard them. Meanwhile, Julia becomes aware of a bizarre plot and sees letters that would implicate the Duke of Wellington and discredit the British. When Julia meets Thomas again, and their old flame is rekindled, she concocts a plan.

This historical romance has many intriguing twists and turns. Lecia Cornwall has penned a steamy love story that puts the glitz and glamour of Vienna and details surrounding the Congress to good use. Although the ending is a bit drawn out, the novel is an entertaining page turner.

Recommended.

Waheed Rabbani THE DEATH OF LYNDON WILDER & the Consequences Thereof E.A. Dineley, Corsair, 2013, £12.99, hb, 584pp, 9781780332277 I don’t normally comment on format, but I felt I had to with this novel. Its compact size (albeit with quite a sturdy thickness!) and eye-catching, periodappropriate cover are particularly appealing. The publisher’s blurb was a little misleading, however, with descriptions such as ‘Hauntingly written’ and ‘Nothing is as it seems.’ It led me to expect a historical murder mystery, rather than the absorbing family drama it actually is.

It is set in 1813, during the Napoleonic Wars.

Lyndon Wilder was the beloved heir to the family estate of Ridley in Wiltshire and has been killed in battle. The novel follows the aftermath of the impact of his death on his family and on Anna Arbuthnot, the newly-appointed governess of Lyndon’s now-orphaned daughter.

Dineley does a wonderful job with characterisation. Lady Charles, Lyndon’s grieving mother, should be sympathetic, but Dineley doesn’t flinch from giving us instead a monster of self-centred behaviour. It is also a keenly observed HNR Issue 65, August 2013 | Reviews | 29

portrayal of the ‘golden boy’ phenomenon that exists within families. Other characters are similarly well-developed and believable.

The plot is undramatic, which is part of this book’s appeal. It is a slow burn of revelations of a family’s true relationships, rather than what they want the world to see. Much of this view is provided

by Anna, an outsider to the family. Dineley also flies in the face of current writing fashion by writing the book in the omniscient point of view. This adds to the atmosphere rather than detracts from it. I hope we see more from this talented debut author.

E.M. Powell KIKU’S PRAYER Shūsaku Endō (trans. Van C. Gessel), Columbia Univ. Press, 2012, $29.50, hb, 328pp, 9780231162821 Anyone familiar with Asian literature knows of Shūsaku Endō’s famous novel, Silence, which described the phenomenal faith and persecution of the Christians (“Kirishitans”) in early 17th-century Japan. Now Endō continues the story of the cost of faith with a fictional account which takes place between the end of the Shogunate era and the beginning of the Meiji era (1868).

Mitsu and Kiku are two Japanese teens who are about to begin work in the city of Nagasaki. They are strictly exhorted to stay away from any men from Nakano or Motoharo, the place where the “Kuros” live. At the same time, French missionary priests arrive in Nagasaki. Father Petitjean has a single-minded desire, to find any secret Christians who survived the previous elimination. After his superior leaves Nagasaki, Petitjean’s wish is fulfilled, and he begins to shepherd a large (for Japan) community of secret believers, without realizing how costly his mission will be. However, the law is clear in Japan and is being strictly enforced.

At the same time, the government fears treating the Christians too harshly because of the reaction of foreign powers who are now living in Japan.

Kiku falls in love with a Christian man, Seikichi, who symbolizes the Christians’ deep faith. Ito Seizaemon is the persecutor who is tortured by his admiration of these people yet unable to stop making them suffer even more.

The overwhelming beauty of Endo’s writing lies in the exquisite sensitivity in his descriptions of how these devoted followers of Jesus and Mary express their faith and how Kiku, an unbeliever, converses with the statue of Mary, whom she alternately loves and hates. Endo’s writing style had clearly matured by the time he wrote this story, which will be recognized as the classic Japanese story of Christianity it truly is. A wonderful, poignant and beautiful work of historical fiction – highly recommended!

Viviane Crystal KEANE’S COMPANY Iain Gale, Quercus, 2013, £14.99, hb, 343pp, 9781780873626 Set in Spain and Portugal in the spring of 1809, 30 | Reviews |

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this is to be the first in a series of Peninsular War novels based around the nascent army intelligence units.

A duel and a skirmish with French soldiers provide a dramatic introduction to the hero, James Keane, a cool, capable officer who is also a dab hand at “turning” a card game to his advantage. Expecting disgrace, he instead finds himself promoted to become an “exploring officer” – not exactly an honour, he feels, as they were not regarded as “real” soldiers, and being a spy was seen as less than gentlemanly. Keane is sent to recruit a troop from the military gaols – men whose uncommon skills in house-breaking, forgery and languages will stand them in good stead behind enemy lines.

We get powerful sequences full of visceral action, such as the recapture of Oporto from the French and an encounter with a brutal guerrilla leader.

However, there is a tendency for the viewpoint to shift unexpectedly between characters mid-scene, which interrupts the flow of the narrative, and on a number of occasions characters repeat information in virtually identical phrases only a few pages apart.

I felt that the introduction of Keane’s potential love interest – Kitty Blackwood, the sister of his sworn enemy – was sketchily handled and the girl herself thinly characterised.

Unfortunately, the novel was also let down by several glaring editorial errors: we are told that Keane joined up in 1798, but later references are made to his “twenty years of soldiering”. His enemy, Blackwood, is named John initially, but reappears later as Charles.

A number of loose ends were left hanging, to be picked up in subsequent adventures. Keane and his disparate band may very well improve upon acquaintance.

Mary Seeley THE PARIS AFFAIR Teresa Grant, Kensington, 2013, $15.00, pb, 436pp, 9780758283938 The Paris Affair begins with a two-page list of characters, a mix of real historical figures and fictional people. The opening chapters are full of drama as Teresa Grant sets the time, place and political situation then caps it off with intrigue and murder. A great way to start. Soon, Malcolm and Suzanne Rannoch are trying to unravel three mysteries: the death of Bertrand Laclos, a French émigré who acted as a British spy; the death of Antoine Rivere, who moments before dying threatened that the information he had would “shake the British delegation to its core”; and the revelation that Malcolm’s half-sister, Princess Tatiana Kirsanova, may have borne a child.

Grant brings historical detail to life with the unobtrusiveness that indicates a skilled storyteller.

As the main protagonists, Suzanne and Malcolm are people we care about: deeply in love, with difficult pasts, skilled in espionage and yet flawed in other ways. Several of the lesser characters, both real and fictional, also demand our attention.

The plot twists and turns as Suzanne and Malcolm, aided by their closest friends, uncover

clue after clue in pursuit of the truth. Every step forward reveals deeper secrets along with political struggles and family crises. The ending is both satisfying and surprising despite the many secrets that remain.

What did I wish for? Fewer descriptions of clothing, setting, appearance, and gestures intermingled with dialogue. Such descriptions slowed the pace and detracted from the main story. I would have preferred a less complex cast of characters and side stories. I also found the sections providing background from earlier novels rather confusing, although I’m sure those who have read Grant’s prior books in the series will have an easier time piecing together these threads.

Mary Tod THE BLACK COUNTRY Alex Grecian, Putnam, 2013, $26.95/C$28.50, hb, 384pp, 9780399159336 In The Yard, Alex Grecian introduced Inspector Walter Day of the newly formed Scotland Yard murder squad. In this sequel, Day travels to the British Midlands, a “Black Country” of suspicious inhabitants and dangerous coal mines, to investigate the disappearance of a mother, father, and young child. As townspeople mysteriously fall ill and a hideous stranger stalks the night, Day’s missing persons case evolves into something darker.

The Yard was set in a depraved Victorian London, with all the sinister ambiance that allows, but Grecian manages to make the small English village just as menacing. His setting is evocative, tilted houses slowly settling into the mining tunnels over which they were constructed, and his prose is vivid – especially when describing gore. The characterization is less strong than in the debut, however, and those who haven’t read that novel will find the backstory perfunctory and cameo character appearances (e.g. Day’s wife) irrelevant. Still, Day and his sergeant have an Inspector Lewis/Sergeant Hathaway vibe that makes for a successful pairing.

While the mystery is resolved for the reader far earlier than for the detectives, the read is still thrilling, and the ending is a bloodbath reminiscent of Shakespearean tragedy. Recommended for those who like their mysteries dark.

Bethany Latham THE PRISONER OF PARADISE Romesh Gunesekera, Bloomsbury, 2013, £8.99, pb, 389pp, 9781408830376 First published in 2012, The Prisoner of Paradise tells the story of orphaned Lucy Gladwell, sent to live with her aunt and uncle in Mauritius. The plan is to find Lucy an eligible husband among the colonists, but Lucy, her head full of Keats’ poetry and the romantic novels of Thomas Moore, has other ideas. In this tribute to the historical romance, both playful and deadly serious, Lucy’s struggle to find a means of independent living is mirrored by the wider struggle against slavery, in 1825 coming to its messy and sometimes violent end in the British Empire. Her imprisonment in paradise also echoes that of the exotic Don Lambodar, a young 19th Century

translator living in exile from Ceylon as part of the retinue of a rebellious prince.

This is a terrific summer read, full of Austenlike comedies of manners but also profoundly sensual in its descriptions of everything from tropical gardens to Lambodar’s opium-induced dreams about Lucy. The sex which bubbles away below the surface of 19th-century romances is given free rein here. It is also a tale of shocking injustice and bloody revolution, in the home as well as on the sugar plantations.

Gunesekera blends the many layers and strands of his yarn with the apparent effortlessness only a master storyteller can achieve and plays on the emotions without mercy. Even while you are laughing out loud at the low farce of a genteel tea party to which Lambodar turns up stoned out of his head, your heart aches for his bruised self-esteem and the caged mynah bird hanging above the group of guests and parodying their conversation. The novel is full of shocks and surprises and, while sometimes uncomfortable, is never dull.

Sarah Bower GOOD MAN FRIDAY Barbara Hambly, Severn House, 2013, $28.95/£19.99, hb, 256pp, 9780727882554 Piano-playing, crime-solving Benjamin January returns in a new installment of Barbara Hambly’s excellent mystery series. This time, instead of his usual haunt of 1830s New Orleans, January heads to the fledgling Washington, DC on the trail of an English mathematician who abruptly disappeared some months ago. Though January is traveling with wealthy sugar planter Henri Viellard and his wife, the capital is still fraught with danger for a free man of color, between slave-stealers and riots.

But January is always resourceful and does not let the tense race issues of the city interfere with his investigation. Calling upon new friends—including a young Edgar Allan Poe and notables such as John Quincy Adams—he follows the trail from drawing room to drawing room. Though all signs point to the missing Englishman being dead, his enemies are alive and willing to kill to protect their secrets.

This is another solid mystery from Hambly.

Though not set in January’s home of New Orleans, she builds the setting with the same dedication to detail so that you feel the dusty streets of young Washington DC and the rough-and-tumble crowd. As always, her research is well done and carefully worked in so that the whole book bursts with historical fact. It seemed I was learning something new about this fascinating era on every page, but Hambly pulls it off so that fact is seamless within story. All of the elements are there: an intriguing mystery that keeps you guessing, a smart and capable protagonist in January, and a cast of complex and interesting supporting characters, all held together with excellent prose. Recommended, especially to anyone looking for historical fiction set in less-common eras and settings.

Jessica Brockmole

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WHAT THE DUKE DESIRES Sabrina Jeffries, Pocket, 2013, $7.99, pb, 416pp, 9781451693461 When Lisette Bonnaud’s father dies unexpectedly, she loses everything. Her parents never married, and her scheming half-brother George forces the Bonnauds from their home.

Years later, Lisette, her brother Tristan, and her half-brother Dominick Manton operate a private investigations firm, and Tristan seems to have found the missing heir to a prominent dukedom.

The current Duke of Lyons, Maximilian Cale, thought his brother Peter died in a fire years ago, but the evidence is convincing. Now Tristan has gone missing, and Lisette and Max each have their own reasons to find him.

Jeffries takes a common theme in romance novels—the pretend marriage—and adds a suspenseful twist as Lisette and Max travel to France in search of Tristan and Peter. As the faux couple grows closer, they begin to share secrets about their lives, and the attraction grows. Torn between duty, desire, and a tragic family secret, Max must decide if love can make him overcome his fear of commitment. The pacing is quick, the characters are likeable, and there’s a nice blend of action, adventure, and romance. Fans of fast-paced,

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steamy Regencies will enjoy the first in this new series.

Nanette Donohue ONE GLORIOUS AMBITION Jane Kirkpatrick, WaterBrook, 2013, $14.99, pb, 400 pp, 9781400074310 Dorothea Dix was one of America’s most effective reformers, but we don’t hear as much about her as we should. Jane Kirkpatrick has written a historical novel guaranteed to correct that problem. One Glorious Ambition presents readers with Dorothea’s tireless campaign to improve care for the mentally ill and introduces readers to a remarkable woman.

A 19th-century girl, especially a poor one raised in the home of a rich grandmother, was expected to seek the best husband she could find and to raise her children well. Dorothea remains single, even though her career as a teacher was ended by long bouts of illness. When she regains her health, Dorothea begins to teach female prisoners in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Then she finds the rooms where the insane and mentally handicapped are kept in brutal conditions.

In 1842 Dorothea convinces Middlesex County to build an asylum where they can live and have

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Hannah Kent, Picador Australia, 2013, AU$32.99, pb, 338pp, 9781742612829 / Little Brown, 2013, $26.00, hb, 336pp, 9780316243919 / Picador UK, 2013, £12.99, hb, 256pp, 9781447233169 Agnes Magnusdottir has been found guilty of murder. As the authorities wrangle over the date and method of her execution, she is sent to work on the farm of District Officer Jon Jonsson to await her fate.

Jon’s wife Margret is shocked and angry, and their two daughters have differing opinions of her. Can this reserved woman really be guilty of such a shocking deed? Are their own lives in jeopardy?

To add to the family’s apprehension, Agnes is adamant that the only person she will accept as her counsellor is the inexperienced young clergyman, Toti, who struggles to find a way to salvage her immortal soul. Agnes’ private thoughts and memories are woven throughout the narrative, and they gradually reveal her solitary past and the fateful decisions that led to her situation.

This book takes you to remote and inhospitable places and creates powerful images that will long linger in the mind. Ravens circling overhead. Dark winters and cold grey seas. Brooding ice-bound mountains. Farmers leading a hardscrabble existence on the edges of civilization. In the claustrophobic communal living and sleeping arrangements of the badstofa, religious faith sits uneasily with superstitions that date back to the sagas, and people are still at the mercy of omens and dreams, cruel gossip and closed minds.

A true story from 19th-century Iceland adapted by an author from Australia may seem a strange combination, as there couldn’t be two more disparate countries in many ways, but Hannah Kent’s beautiful prose demonstrates both consummate writing skill and an inherent understanding of what life is like in isolated and forbidding landscapes. Whenever a novel generates pre-publication excitement, it can be difficult to give it a fair assessment, but in this case the hype is more than warranted. Superb and highly recommended.

Marina Maxwell HNR Issue 65, August 2013 | Reviews | 31

their illnesses treated. Then she visits another jail. Soon she is being called to jails across eastern America, pleading with the states to create an asylum system. In 1848 she begins her work at the national level. Dorothea Dix becomes a lobbyist, snagging passing congressmen and senators with her buttonhook to plead, cajole, or embarrass them into supporting her campaign.

I loved One Glorious Ambition. Kirkpatrick’s clear prose brings both Dorothea and her world to vivid life, from the halls of Congress to the tortured souls to whom she devotes so much of her life. I would have enjoyed reading more about Dorothea’s stint as Superintendent of Army Nurses during the Civil War, but perhaps Kirkpatrick intends to explore that in another tale. Highly recommended.

Jo Ann Butler MURDERS MOST FOUL Alanna Knight, Allison & Busby, 2013, £19.99, hb, 320pp, 9780749013523 In 1861, Detective Constable Faro has to solve the mystery of a murdered woman whose body has been found abandoned in an Edinburgh close.

His superior officer, Detective Sergeant Gosse, is determined to pin the murder on any suspect as soon as he can. He quickly becomes frustrated with Faro when he suggests this is no random killing, but one linked to other murders that occur. In each case a playing card, the nine of diamonds, has been found at the scene. Faro follows his hunches and pursues his theory that a serial killer may be at large.

Meanwhile, Gosse sets his eyes on Lizzie, who is in love with the detective constable. Throughout this intriguing mystery there is an emotional intensity, which is deepened because of Faro’s affection for Lizzie despite his desire and obsession for his first love, Inga St Ola. The book has been beautifully written and researched. Victorian Edinburgh has been recreated to thoroughly engage the reader with the characters and settings as they follow the intricacies of the plot. Faro finally discovers the identity of the murderer in what is a delightfully surprising resolution to the case. The final scene delivers a very touching and satisfying ending to what is an enjoyable crime novel.

Valerie Loh SAVING LINCOLN Robert Kresge, ABQ Press, 2013, $17.95, pb, 362pp, 9780988539525 Beth Wendland arrives at her aunt’s home in Richmond, Virginia in June of 1862. Her Aunt Anna hardly recognizes her niece, who is bedraggled and shockingly thin. Beth, had run away from her family in New Jersey and was presumed dead. Beth realizes the life she led in bondage as a prostitute must be kept secret from Anna. Beth learns her cousin Andy is a courier for the Confederacy, but as Beth soon finds out, Anna has other loyalties and works with her friend Elizabeth to uncover vital information.

Captain John Saulnier, wounded in battle, is assigned reluctantly to the Secret Service.

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However, he is consoled when part of his job is to oversee the making of a bomb that is intended to kill President Lincoln. Saulnier’s face is a hideous web of scars and his cruelty toward women spies is unspeakable, Hattie Lawton is one who knows.

Beth takes it upon herself to rescue Hattie from a hospital after Saulnier arranges to break Hattie’s arm. Unfortunately, Beth makes a serious mistake in judgment that will put her in the clutches of Saulnier. What Saulnier doesn’t know is that Beth is a spy for the North, the infamous Icicle, who continues to elude him.

Robert Kresge will astonish audiences with his Civil War novel. He maintains balance between the realms of reality and fiction to complement his imagined tale. His story meanders through our history picking up faces, like the most famous spy Elizabeth Van Lew, Grant, Sherman, and Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. Readers will recognize battles, people and places mentioned throughout. The Plug Uglies, Colonel Mosbey, Libby Prison, Torpedo Bureau, Confederate Secret Service, the muddy lawns of the Capitol quartering troops and the unfinished Washington Monument. Saving Lincoln is a plausibly animated historical novel. Highly recommended.

Wisteria Leigh

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LOVE AT ANY COST (Heart of San Francisco, #1) Julie Lessman, Revell, 2013, $14.99, pb, 416pp, 9780800721671 Set on the coast of San Francisco, author Julie Lessman brings us a sassy romance when Texas heiress Cassie McClare visits her Aunt Cait during the Gilded Age. Jamie McKenna has been working hard all of his life to provide for his impoverished family and has his mind made up that he wants to marry an heiress to provide a costly surgery for his invalid sister. He sees Cassie as his ticket to wealth and courts her as passionately as he can despite her resistance.

At the heart of this burning (slightly uncomfortable in a Christian novel) romance is the prerequisite of Aunt Cait for Cassie to only love a man who loves God first. These ladies aren’t taking no for an answer, and the journey towards faith for Jamie is not an easy one, forcing Jamie to make difficult decisions which do little to endear the reader to him. Overall, if the reader can get past the multiple references to slanting, tipping or flat smiles, the interesting blend of romance with spiritual tones make up for the bumpy start. The supporting characters help flesh out the story while also providing for a strong start to this faith-based

E D I TORS’ CH OICE

MY NOTORIOUS LIFE (US) / MY NOTORIOUS LIFE BY MADAME X (UK) Kate Manning, Scribner, 2013, $26.99, hb, 448pp, 9781451698060 / Bloomsbury, 2013, £12.99, hb, 448pp, 9781408835647 Scrappy Axie Muldoon is a child of the gritty New York streets. Begging is a way of life for her and her two siblings when they are scooped up by one of the 19th century’s moralizing do-gooders and packed off for Illinois on an orphan train. Once in the small town of Rockford, Axie’s family is torn apart as her younger sister Dutch and little brother Joe are adopted by different families. Axie herself is considered an undesirable and is sent back to New York with fellow orphan Charlie. There she begins a meteoric rise from humble servant girl to midwife apprentice to New York’s most infamous “she devil.”

My Notorious Life is a humorous but often heartbreaking look at New York’s forgotten ones. Axie is a plucky heroine, feisty and determined to not only make something of herself but to reunite her family.

She does it all on her own terms, and even as rises up from the gutter, she never forgets her roots. She is a very three-dimensional character, which is a hard feat to accomplish. You sympathize with her, cry with her, and laugh at her antics and wry sense of humor.

Manning deftly captures the abject despair of poverty and the dazzling glitter of the Gilded Age. The hypocrisy of late 19th-century America is always present and rendered brilliantly through the people who come to Axie for help, as well as those who seek to destroy her. There are aspects of social commentary woven into the narrative – some might even say that they are applicable to modern times – but the plot itself shines the brightest and should be enjoyed. My Notorious Life is highly recommended and not to be missed.

Caroline Wilson

19th Century

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THE GOOD LORD BIRD

E D I TORS’ C H OI C E

James McBride, Riverhead, 2013, $27.95/C$29.50, hb, 432pp, 9781594486340 Was John Brown a terrorist, martyr, hero, lunatic, saint or deluded fool? After reading The Good Lord Bird I would still hesitate to give a straight answer, although James McBride does appear to be leaning toward a heroic, almost saint-like depiction of the raider of Harper’s Ferry toward the end of this rollicking ride through the latter part of Brown’s life.

McBride introduces a fictional character into Brown’s small band of followers: the boy Henry Shackleford, who, in a hilarious moment of confusion, takes on a new identity as a girl and finds it too difficult, or frequently too convenient, to shake off. Henry’s lie is clearly identified with the much bigger lie every black character has to assume in order to survive in a world of slavery and endemic racism, while the white characters appear blind to many different levels of truth. Even John Brown, whom Henry admires as an unstoppable force of nature, is seen by him as changing the truth to fit his own views, particularly in his lack of understanding that the slaves he is trying to free are often far more concerned about simple survival than about his principles.

The Good Lord Bird takes the iconic events of Brown’s crusade and puts them in a different light, both cruder and more nuanced than the standard story, with unfaltering pace and writing that is finely lyrical even when the characters’ voices are vulgar. The constant use of the word ‘nigger’ may challenge some readers, while others may dislike the dark humor of life on the edge of society. It’s likely this novel will draw strong reactions, and for that reason I would recommend it as a must-read to those interested in American history. Time will tell, but given the writing and subject matter, it has the potential to be one of the significant novels of 2013.

Jane Steen historical series.

Marie Burton FREUD’S MISTRESS Karen Mack and Jennifer Kaufman, Putnam, 2013, $25.95, hb, 368pp, 9780399163074 Minna Bernays has always played second fiddle to her older sister, Martha. While Minna has bounced from house to house as a servant, Martha enjoys a comfortable life as the wife to Dr. Sigmund Freud, a rising star in the new science of psychiatry, and the mother of their six children. After being dismissed from yet another position for being too empathetic, Minna arrives at her sister’s house, ostensibly to help take care of the children. She soon finds herself drawn into Freud’s circle, first as a sounding board for some of his more radical ideas, then as his lover. Minna’s guilt over the illicit affair threatens to destroy her, but she can’t seem to leave Freud — until he leaves her.

Freud’s Mistress is a fascinating exploration of the bonds of sisterhood, the destructiveness of obsessive love, and the toll that they take on one woman. The authors capture the atmosphere of fin-de-siècle Vienna — a world ripe with the possibility of change. Though there is no direct proof of an affair between Minna Bernays and Sigmund Freud, Mack and Kaufman do a fine job with the few known facts of the relationship between the two. Highly emotional yet not overwrought, Freud’s Mistress will appeal to readers 19th Century

who enjoy pop-historical novels about the women in the lives of prominent men, à la Loving Frank or The Paris Wife.

Nanette Donohue PERIL ON THE ROYAL TRAIN Edward Marston, Allison & Busby, 2013, £19.99/$29.95, hb, 384pp, 9780749012441 Scotland, 1858. Inspector Colbeck and Sergeant Leeming are back on their tenth case. A goods train has been deliberately derailed by unknown perpetrators, leaving a trail of devastation, three men dead, and a damaged reputation for the Caledonian Railway Company, whose line it is.

There are a number of possible suspects: a rival railway company with much to gain; a group of angry Sabbatarians, determined to stop Sunday travel; not to mention various scavengers who see railway accidents as opportunities for plunder and profit. But, as Colbeck and Leeming delve more deeply, an uglier possibility rears its head. Could the perpetrators be aiming to assassinate the royal family itself, en route for their summer visit to Balmoral? And time is running out. Inspector Colbeck is in Scotland at the special request of the Caledonian Railway’s General Manager, Nairn Craig – an invitation thoroughly resented by the Superintendent of Railway Police, Rory McTurk, who sees it as trespassing on his territory. He’s been told to cooperate but he’s determined to unmask the perpetrators himself – but would he go so far

as to conceal importance evidence from Colbeck?

Peril on the Royal Train is exactly what a traditional whodunit should be; railway fiction fans especially should love it. The historical research is impeccable and cleverly woven into the story. The red herrings are eminently plausible. I particularly liked the way that Colbeck’s employer back in London was infuriated at losing his best detective and causes Inspector Colbeck quite as many problems as the obstructive McTurk. The minor, though important, character of Jamie Farr, a shepherd with an abiding hatred of railways, is realistically and sympathetically drawn and provides the book with an intriguing subplot. The book thunders along at a cracking pace; it certainly kept this reader on the edge of her seat.

Elizabeth Hawksley THE SON Philipp Meyer, Ecco, 2013, $27.99/C$29.99, hb, 592pp, 9780062120397 / Andrews McMeel, 2013, £14.99, hb, 384pp, 9780857209429 As its page count implies, this is a behemoth of a book. And I devoured it in just a few days.

Spanning over one hundred and fifty years in Texas, The Son touches on everything from Comanche kidnappings in the 19th century to land grabs of Mexican American lands to the oil boom and bust of the 20th century.

The book alternates between three different perspectives: that of Eli McCullough, kidnapped by a Comanche tribe in the mid-19th century; Peter McCullough, his son, whom he considers a disappointment; and his great-granddaughter, Jeanne Anne, the heir to the McCullough empire.

All three perspectives are equally engrossing, not an easy feat to accomplish. The story of Texas is also woven throughout each narrative. Meyer never glorifies or glosses over this state’s turbulent history, and there are neither heroes nor villains here.

The young Eli may be the biggest cipher of the book. Kidnapped as an adolescent, he adapts to life with the Comanches, and although he eventually returns to his former life, he’s scornful of civilization’s trappings. He reserves the most disdain for his son Peter, whom he finds soft. Peter is judged so because he is an unwilling participant in the massacre of a Mexican family on adjacent land. Jeanne Anne becomes the de facto head of the family after World War II takes her brothers.

Learning the oil business, she also faces prejudice due to her gender.

Confession: I had never thought myself as particularly interested in Texas, but Meyer has made a convert of me. Its history is unique, and with each storyline, Meyer allows the reader to see how it was shaped. Don’t mess with Texas, indeed.

Ellen Keith THE INVENTION OF SARAH CUMMINGS Olivia Newport, Revell, 2013, $14.99, pb, 304pp, 9780800720407 This engaging, lively inspirational tells the story of Sarah Cummings, obliged to work as a maid after being orphaned in her teens but determined HNR Issue 65, August 2013 | Reviews | 33

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E D I TORS’ C H OI C E

David Morrell, Mulholland, 2013, $25.99/C$28.99, hb, 359pp, 9780316216791 / £13.99, pb, 9781444755688 It’s 1854 in London, and a murderer has just carefully recreated the most heinous mass murder of that century, a brutal, senseless slaughter in 1811.

This current, 1854 assassin, however, goes further, killing even more people. Now it’s up to Detective Ryan to figure out who did it before panic sweeps across the city and country, a panic that could possibly even topple the government. Ryan would be out of luck if it weren’t for the help of the brilliant Thomas de Quincey, the Hunter S. Thompson of his era, a sensationalistic journalist and addict who wrote Confessions of an English Opium Eater and was friends with poets Wordsworth and Coleridge. De Quincey’s beautiful 21-year-old daughter Emily is his loyal assistant, a kind of feminist Dr. Watson to his Sherlock Holmes. She’s smart, funny, loyal, earnest, and with a strong sense of social justice. Author Morrell gives over great portions of the story’s telling to her, via her journal.

I loved the way Morrell went back and forth between what felt like pure history (about the enormous percentage of people in 19th-century England who were addicted to laudanum, for instance, or how newfangled the idea of “detectives” was), then to page-turning action sequences, and then to Emily’s account, told in an old-fashioned and likeable voice. The murderer gets his turn as well, and we come to understand his warped reasoning.

This book is fastidiously researched and plotted as well as being pleasingly compelling, despite its dark subject matter. Morrell does not into gruesome detail; he rather transports the reader to the fog- and pig-bound streets of long-ago London, seen through the eyes of believable, fallible, and appealing characters—plus one murderer and one Machiavellian politician, Lord Palmerston. Absolutely recommended.

Kristen Hannum to climb higher in Chicago society. The path she chooses is deception; she uses her dressmaking skills and her mistress’s castoffs to recreate herself as Serena Cuthbert, society beauty.

Part of a series set on Chicago’s wealthy Prairie Avenue in the late 1800s, this novel has elements of romance and spiritual growth but does not overemphasize either. Newport sketches the tale of a young woman who takes a wrong turn in using her gifts to advance herself with subtlety and wry humor, leaving the reader to draw conclusions without preaching. Despite moments when the characters appear to be speaking 21st-century English rather than 19th-century, the Chicago setting, although lightly drawn, is believable and the characters interesting.

Altogether a pleasant, fast read that will delight readers looking for an uplifting story, even if they do not usually read Christian fiction.

Jane Steen CHANGES Pamela Nowak, Five Star, 2013, $25.95, hb, 287pp, 9781432827533 Lise Dupree, a librarian in Omaha, Nebraska in 1879, is part Native American and is attempting to pass for white. But keeping the secret becomes difficult. Her aunt is part of a Native band in trouble with the law for leaving their reservation 34 | Reviews |

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without a pass. How can she let her aunt linger in prison? She must do something.

Lise meets District Attorney Zach Spencer, who suppresses his sympathy for the Native Americans while his job requires him to side with the government against them. Lise and Zach soon feel a tug of attraction. Complications are brought by a Senator who is working to get Zach elected to higher office for his own questionable reasons; and Rufus Christy, the local Indian agent, who bears a lifelong grudge against the people he’s supposed to serve. Then Zach must defend General Crook against the Ponca chief Standing Bear in a landmark trial. The outcome could ruin both his political chances and his relationship with Lise.

Nowak incorporates real people who were involved in the Standing Bear trial into the plot, such as a romance between the newspaper editor and Standing Bear’s interpreter Susette. I think the plot would have been improved if the revelation about Christy’s family being attacked by Sioux when he was a child had been placed earlier in the book, to give more dimension to Christy’s character. Otherwise, I liked this post-frontier romance and recommend it to those who relish steamy bedroom—err, library—scenes.

B.J. Sedlock

THE PATH OF THE WICKED Caro Peacock, Crème de la Crime, 2013, $28.95/£19.99, hb, 224pp, 9781780290416 Queen Victoria’s Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli calls upon his favorite “private intelligencer,” gentlewoman Liberty Lane, at the start of historymystery The Path of the Wicked. But she stoutly refuses to spy and quickly turns to a case she’s just refused: to travel to rural Gloucestershire to uncover the truth of a murdered governess. A local magistrate and confessed “coward” had hired her because he’s uneasy about the quick arrest of Jack Picton, a political agitator for the crime. Soon a mysterious horse racing bet, a disappearance, elopement, and a judgment of infanticide all figure into the mix.

This is the sixth in the Liberty Lane series.

Peacock (pseudonym of crime novelist Gillian Linscott) gets her clever heroine off and running, and the taut pace continues until the real murderer is uncovered. On her way, Liberty is assisted by her stout defender and fellow horseman, Amos Legge, and Tabby, street-smart sometime lady’s maid.

She also delves deeper that the town wishes into the lives of two absent women: Mary Marsh, the murder victim, and the accused Jack’s sister Joanna, tried and convicted of her illegitimate baby’s death.

Both are connected, key to solving the mystery, and achieve vibrant life under Peacock’s deft hand.

Layered with wonderful characterization, knowledge of the time and place, and political consciousness, The Path of the Wicked should please readers who like their mysteries in, of, and looking beyond their period.

Eileen Charbonneau HELL OR RICHMOND Ralph Peters, Forge, 2013, $25.99, hb, 542pp, 9780765330482 North vs. South, Grant vs. Lee – what could be more engrossing? This novel, a followup to the author’s Cain at Gettysburg, covers the Civil War’s pivotal month from May 10 to June 5, 1864. It begins with Grant’s assignment to the Union’s Army of the Potomac, carries the reader through several meat-grinding battles, as the two armies do their death dance moving ever southward after each bloody and indecisive battle, and concludes with the Union army crossing the James River on their way to besieging Petersburg—the key to taking Richmond and defeating Lee. This is historical fiction with a capital “H” to the point of being dramatized history in the grandest style. No plot? No problem. History provides the storyline—as well as many of the details. Much more than just Lee and Grant, dozens of other characters, both North and South, are brought to life in meticulous detail drawn largely from the hundreds of letters these men wrote home— as well as official field reports and biographies penned by earlier writers. You feel what they feel.

You bleed with them—and you find yourself alternately cheering for both sides in this epic as the author, a career officer himself, takes the reader into the minds of individual soldiers in language 19th Century

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E D I TORS’ C H OI C E THE COLLECTOR OF LOST THINGS

Jeremy Page, Little Brown, 2013, 373pp, £14.99, 9781408704189 In 1845, mankind’s wholesale, careless despoiling of the Arctic is underway. Collector Eliot Saxby has taken passage hoping to find survivors of the latest victim brought to extinction: the helpless, flightless Great Auk. His life on Amethyst is strange and frightening.

Captain Sykes, with his amiability and his embroidery, the disturbingly enigmatic First Mate French, bearlike and taciturn Second Mate Talbot, together with the whole crew, are all consummate sailors, adventurers, huntsmen and profit-seekers whose commodity is dead bodies.

Saxby’s flamboyant fellow passenger, Bletchley, longing to use his new handmade rifles, undergoes continuing mental collapse following his first witnessing of a sickening massacre. His fragile and compassionate companion, Clara, bears an uncanny, overwhelming likeness to Saxby’s lost love, Celeste. Amidst mounting destruction Saxby and Clara discover a living treasure which at any cost must be kept secret throughout the homeward voyage. But Saxby is now a haunted man, enduring an assault on his senses, victim of a terrifying phantom, The Huntsman.

Readers may find that this tragic story of pride, cruelty and reckless greed is only made tolerable by its glorious celebration of the natural world and the intricate, minutely detailed presentation of life on Amethyst, even although this old former slave ship, at her life’s end, is now trading in the ruthless depredation of the savage and beautiful Arctic. This novel deserves to be a prize winner.

Nancy Henshaw

as rich, earthy, and politically incorrect as the time and circumstances they were trapped in. Highly recommended.

Barry Webb CROSSING PURGATORY Gary Schanbacher, Pegasus, $25, 2013, hb, 336pp, 9781605984438 In May of 1858, Thompson Grey abandons his farm in Indiana, unable to live in the present and inconsolable after the death of his wife and two children. He feels responsible, believing his lust for a better life killed his family, and walks away full of thoughts about his empty life.

There can be no words to describe Thompson’s deep sense of guilt and self-loathing, but Gary Schanbacher gives readers a rare glimpse into a man’s emotional battles: “Dream world or real? … He fought to relegate his dark epiphany to the realm of drifting and unreliable imagination… The world took shape … but the truth remained before him, ox-like, stubborn, massive and accusing.”

Crossing Purgatory is the hellish self-imposed journey Thompson takes as he grieves daily, directionless, haunted by nightmares and restless nights. Bereft of everything he loves, he prefers the open space of the outdoors. Perhaps his purpose is to find his lost soul. He is confronted by Captain Upperdine, a wagonmaster leading immigrants to a new life out West along the Sante Fe Trail.

Upperdine, puzzled by the taciturn farmer, relays 19th Century

the perils of the unforgiving climate and convinces Thompson to help him manage his party across the country.

As his wagon train diminishes in size, Upperdine

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leads Thompson and one remaining family to his home to rest and make plans. Upperdine has an Indian wife, who provides some security from her people and protection for his vast land holdings.

The land isn’t suitable for crops, but Thompson devises a plan to farm the barren land for profit.

Unsure about his future and driven by blinding ambition, he is tempted to revisit his past.

Gary Schanbacher strips Thompson Grey down to his intimate, unfiltered thoughts. Readers will savor this beautifully rich historical novel, a work whose literary future is assured. Schanbacher’s clear writing illuminates many precise visual details. Take this one on vacation this summer.

Wisteria Leigh PERDITA Hilary Scharper, Touchstone Canada, 2013, C$19.99, pb, 412pp, 9781476700137 That author Hilary Scharper spent her childhood summers on the Bruce Peninsula in southern Ontario is clearly evident in her latest work, Perdita, an atmospheric combination of gothic love story, intriguing mystery and a heartfelt tribute to the natural world.

When journalist Garth Hellyer is introduced to Marged Brice as part of his work for the Longevity Project, which seeks to find the oldest living person in the world, he simply cannot believe what she and her birth certificate seem to be telling him, that Marged is, in fact, 134 years old. She also confesses that while she is more than ready to die, she cannot as long as ‘Perdita’s’ future remains in doubt.

Garth readily accepts Marged’s offer to read her diaries and, with the help of his neighbour and childhood friend Clare, is soon involved in uncovering a past filled with love, tragedy and the untamed beauty of their surroundings.

E D I TORS’ CH OICE

Nick Rennison, Atlantic, 2013, £12.99, hb, 434pp, 9781848871793 This is the first novel from the author of 100 MustRead Historical Novels, and Rennison has clearly used his wide reading wisely to craft an excellent adventure novel set in 1870. Traveller and gentleman Adam Carver and his not-so-dutiful and somewhat grumpy sidekick, Quint, become embroiled in a mystery connected to a lost manuscript which may lead to a wonderful treasure.

Murder and political secrets are combined as Carver and Quint follow the trail from down-at-heel London to a strange monastery in rural Greece with elements of an Indiana Jones-type or Sherlock Holmes-type chase.

The book has an elegant, precise and amusing style, which is very readable. It really is a page turner which all historical fiction fans will relish. It is fast-paced and well plotted, yet oozing with period detail and imagination.

This is labelled as book one, and I for one am already looking forward to the next in the series. Is there room for a number 101? Very possibly, and certainly this is very highly recommended. I enjoyed it immensely; it is the best historical novel I have read for some time.

Ann Northfield HNR Issue 65, August 2013 | Reviews | 35

Whilst Scharper’s description is sometime a bit repetitive and her writing style isn’t always smooth as it might be (the use of the awkward name ‘Marged,’ for example, providing an unnecessary distraction), she nonetheless envelops the reader into her story as successfully as the fog of the Georgian Bay envelops the characters. Her discourse on Greek mythology and the possible origins of the name ‘Perdita’ is particularly interesting and provides an interesting construction around which the spirit of young Perdita can be woven. That this novel is the first of a planned trilogy clearly shows that Scharper believes Perdita still has more to say.

Janice Parker THE EDGE OF THE EARTH Christina Schwarz, Atria, 2013, $25.00/C$25.00, hb, 275pp, 9781451683677 Journey to the wilds of California’s Big Sur region, where secrets are hidden in the dense fog at The Edge of the Earth, the newest book by New York Times bestselling author Schwarz. The stars of this book are the setting and its inhabitants: the isolated Point Lucia Lighthouse, where young, naive socialite Gertrude “Trudy” Swann and her new husband Oskar run away to work and study in 1898. The Crawley family, austere Henry and formidable Mrs. Crawley, and her brother, Archie Johnston, jointly keep up the lighthouse. The Crawley children, Mary, Edward, Nicholas and Jane (who opens and closes the story), are constantly underfoot, and their tales of a “mermaid” quickly reinforce the need for Trudy to take up the role as the lighthouse’s sole teacher. Trudy’s life changes irrevocably when she discovers the secrets of the light station in the caverns below.

The atmospheric Big Sur is a departure from the Midwestern locales of Drowning Ruth and So Long at the Fair and far more isolated than Los Angeles is in All is Vanity. The oppressive fog that envelops the lighthouse’s rocky outcropping obscures the wilderness beyond, creating an atmosphere that feels as cold, isolating and as removed from civilization as young Trudy comes to experience firsthand. Schwartz harnesses this setting, hides a few family secrets, and slowly unveils them with a steady amount of suspense, but the pacing could be quicker. The juxtaposition of innocence and corruption is telling and may be off-putting to readers who prefer lighter fare. Fans of Schwarz’s previous novels will quickly recognize her signature approach of delving into the human spirit as Trudy and Oskar take divergent paths to achieving the desires of their hearts.

Lauren Miller A CHAIN OF THUNDER Jeff Shaara, Ballantine, 2013, $28.00/C34.00, hb, 592pp, 9780345527387 Jeff Shaara once again visits the battlefields of the Civil War in this novel, this time recounting the siege of Vicksburg in the spring and summer of 1863. General Ulysses S. Grant understands the importance of capturing Vicksburg for the Federals; it is the last remaining impediment to 36 | Reviews |

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complete Federal control of the Mississippi River.

If he can capture the city, Grant will have cut the Confederacy in half and will have isolated the eastern war zone from much-needed supplies from the west. But the defenders of Vicksburg are a stubborn lot, and Grant is forced to lay siege to the city.

Shaara’s books have always been more about the people that live the events rather than the events themselves. It comes as no surprise that in this book he reveals not only the viewpoints of the military leaders on both sides such as Grant, Sherman, Pemberton, and Johnston but also those of the ordinary people, the soldiers that battle for the city and the citizens of Vicksburg that bear the brunt of battle. Using primary sources to great advantage, the voices of these people come across to the reader as poignantly clear as they did 150 years ago.

Fritz Bauer, a Federal sharpshooter serving in the 16th Wisconsin regiment, tells much of the soldiers’ story. In contrast to Bauer’s story of fighting and waiting out a siege is the story of Lucy Spence, a young resident of Vicksburg. Amid the hardships of famine, disease, and destruction visited upon the city, she finds a useful purpose serving as a nurse to wounded soldiers and civilians alike.

Shaara’s historical accuracy is faultless, and he tells a good story. Clearly, his formula for sold historical fiction is working yet once more.

John Kachuba WHEN THE HEART HEALS Ann Shorey, Revell, 2013, $14.99, pb, 352pp,

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9780800720733 Rosemary Saxon never planned on becoming a nurse, but the War Between the States changed everything. Now the war is over, and Rosemary has nowhere to turn. Nursing—an un-ladylike profession—is her only skill. Desperate for work, Rosemary applies for a nursing position with Noble Springs’ new doctor.

Elijah Stewart is looking for escape. A lifetime of family woes, plus years spent caring for wounded soldiers on the front lines, has left him ready for a change. He heads to Noble Springs, Missouri, hoping for peace. He never expected Rosemary Saxon. An attraction between the young doctor and his nurse quickly develops. But as the attacks against Rosemary and her “witching” ways become more brutal, can this fledgling love survive?

Ann Shorey’s When the Heart Heals—the second book in the Sisters at Heart series—offers an inspirational message of courage in times of doubt. Though the characters sometimes make reckless and, quite frankly, ridiculous decisions, they are ultimately quite loveable. The mystery of Rosemary’s attacker adds an air of drama to this portrait of life after war. Ultimately, When the Heart Heals is a solid read for any fan of historical Christian fiction.

Shaylin Montgomery DEATH OF A DOWAGER Joanna Campbell Slan, Berkley Prime Crime, 2013, $15.00/C$16.00, pb, 308pp, 9780425253519 Jane Eyre and her husband Rochester travel to London in 1821 to visit an ocular specialist who

E D I TORS’ CH OICE

Kent Wascom, Grove, 2013, $25.00, hb, 432 pp, 9780802121189 The son of a fire-eating Baptist preaching his way across the post-Revolutionary backwoods, Angel Woolsack has learned his father’s trade well. In fact, his father has literally put fire in the boy’s mouth: Angel’s punishment for wayward word or deed is chewing a live coal from the campfire. The lad frees himself from his father’s grasp with a shovel across the deranged man’s head, tries the perilous life of a highwayman, and then tumbles to western Florida. That bloodsoaked land is already a bone of contention with Spain and France, but Angel joins Aaron Burr’s plot to tear that region away from the fledgling United States and form a new country.

Kent Wascom’s novel distills the United States’ frontier history into potent moonshine: political machinations, fire and brimstone religious revival, a turbulent love story, the agonies of slavery, and the drawing and re-drawing of our country’s boundaries with blood.

This is an amazing debut. It roves from Natchez to Indiana and to New Orleans like the Odyssey staged in a revival tent and narrated by Elmer Gantry. Wascom’s vivid imagery transfixes, leaving me like a bird watching a snake creep closer, unable to look away lest I miss one delicious detail. We will all be hearing from Kent Wascom again, and the sooner the better. I completely recommend this book to everyone, and hold onto your hat, because it’s a heckuva ride!

Jo Ann Butler 19th Century

might be able to restore his eyesight, damaged when his first wife burned down his manor house.

At the opera they are confronted by his former fiancée, Blanche, and her mother, Lady Ingram, who “cuts” them in a deliberate insult. Also, the king’s mistress, Marchioness Conygham, befriends Jane in an effort to retrieve a letter Jane possesses in which the king has admitted to a prior marriage to the Catholic Maria Fitzherbert. On the verge of his coronation, King George IV can’t afford to offend his Anglican populace. Jane promises the king she won’t reveal the letter. To temper the public snub

by Lady Ingram, Jane visits the woman and her daughters for tea and coffee. The Dowager Lady Ingram drinks her coffee and drops dead. The flighty Blanche—still angry at being spurned by Rochester—accuses him of the deed. Now Jane must use her innate intellect to ferret out the killer, while deciding what to do with the scandalous letter.

Second in the Jane Eyre Chronicles, the novel nicely continues the adventures of Brontë’s intrepid heroine. The writing is full of appropriate period detail, but the mention of indecent French fashion is more 1790s than 1820s. Why Jane doesn’t just burn the letter must have been addressed in the previous book. Death of a Dowager is a breezy, cozy mystery, and Ms. Brontë would no doubt have approved of Slan’s depiction of Jane.

Diane Scott Lewis THE DAUGHTERS OF GENTLEMEN Linda Stratmann, The Mystery Press/Trafalgar Square, 2012, £8.99/$14.95/C$16.95, pb, 286pp, 9780752464756 The strength, and possibly also the weakness, of this Victorian mystery lies in its intricate plotting. From the unpromising start of a minor puzzle involving the distribution of anti-marriage pamphlets in a private girls’ school, The Daughters of Gentlemen evolves into a complex tale of murder, blackmail, adultery and deception.

This second novel in the Frances Doughty mystery series sees Frances beginning a new life as a private detective in Bayswater, where preparations for the 1880 General Election are underway. The atmosphere of middle- and upperclass life in a genteel London district is well evoked, with less success when it comes to the servants and underclasses, and the plot blends nicely into the atmosphere of electioneering and demands for women’s suffrage.

I had difficulty working my way into this novel because of the low-stakes nature of the initial mystery and some artificial-sounding dialogue near the beginning. The story improves with the first murder (although I was disappointed by the throwaway solution to this particular mystery) and becomes considerably more intriguing as it progresses. Encountering many scenes where the dialogue is lively and natural, I regret the author’s decision to summarize certain key dramas—a suffrage meeting, an inquest and a confession in particular—rather than using dialogue to expand them into a more exciting spectacle.

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As often with plot-driven novels, I craved more development of the main characters’ inner lives and relationships. This was particularly true with regard to the large cast of helpers, antagonists and informers whose purpose seems primarily that of providing information.

Jane Steen BROCK’S TRAITOR Tom Taylor, Hancock and Dean, 2013, $19.98/ C$19.98, pb, 332pp, 9780986896125 Exhausted after only three months of fighting and recovering from a wound suffered at Queenston Heights in October of 1812, Jonathan Westlake is stunned to receive a letter from General Isaac Brock, written shortly before his death. There’s a traitor in the British army, and Jonathan reluctantly agrees to uncover his identity. The search soon uncovers many disgruntled Canadians whose talk in taverns along the St. Lawrence borders on treason. But these are basically good men, not the traitor he’s after.

American riflemen, led by Lieutenant Tasker, have been raiding Canadian towns and homesteads, kidnapping and imprisoning men believed to be members of the militia, including his uncle. In attempting to rescue him, Jonathan is almost captured, and later, his worst fears come to pass just as he discovers who the traitor is. Thought to be a spy, Jonathan finds himself a prisoner in Sacketts Harbor, where preparations are underway for an assault on York. But escaping in time to warn the British of the invasion and reveal the traitor’s identity become complicated. Tasker and his men have orders to shoot Jonathan on sight. When the traitor goes missing, Jonathan must uncover the

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ringleader of the spies, which may prove costlier and more shocking than he ever suspects.

Taylor deftly weaves complicated threads into a compelling story of honor populated with characters as complex as real people. He ably demonstrates that nothing is black and white, especially in times of war, and sometimes choices made have outcomes no one can predict. The intensity of Brock’s Traitor captures readers from the start and never lets go until the last page is turned. Even then, the characters and story continue to haunt long after the reader finishes the book.

Cindy Vallar MURDER IN CHELSEA Victoria Thompson, Berkley, 2013, $25.95, hb, 304pp, 9780425260418 This fifteenth installment of Victoria Thompson’s popular Gaslight era mysteries hits midwife and widow Sarah Brandt close to home.

The parentage of her young adopted daughter, Catherine, is about to be resolved. But the mother who abandoned her wants her back, so says the nursemaid. When Sarah sends her friend Detective Sergeant Frank Malloy to investigate the claim, he finds the nursemaid murdered. Sarah works with Frank to discover the killer. Both sides of Catherine’s natural family tree are full of suspects: her chorus girl mother and her lover are mostly interested in financial gain, while her rich, doting, but dying father’s side of the family is fighting to keep the child from any inheritance.

The characterizations are well rendered, and the suspense ticks along at a healthy clip. Sarah’s parents help her negotiate the world of upper-class

THE MESSAGE ON THE QUILT

E D I TORS’ CH OICE

Stephanie Grace Whitson, Barbour, 2013, $12.99, pb, 320pp, 9781616264437 Emilie Rhodes is a newspaperwoman at heart.

Unfortunately, in 1890s Nebraska, there’s no such thing. Newspapermen, including Emilie’s father, run the world. When her father forbids her a career in journalism, Emilie begins writing for the competition—anonymously, of course.

Noah Shaw is troubled by his mother’s stories of the past. These stories, represented by pictures on a quilt she stitched, plague his mind with questions: Where does he come from? Where does he belong? Will he ever learn the truth?

When Emilie and Noah cross paths, a deep attraction begins to develop. But will Noah’s dedication to finding the past prevent him from creating a future?

Will Emilie’s ambition outweigh her love for Noah?

Stephanie Grace Whitson’s latest addition to the Quilt Chronicles series, The Message on the Quilt, is one of the best books I have ever read. The characters are multi-faceted—vulnerable enough to be endearing, but strong enough to be inspiring. The story is layered with mystery and drama but frequently peppered with humor. And the writing style is completely engaging. Overall, I would recommend The Message on the Quilt to any reader of historical Christian fiction—or simply any reader, for that matter!

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New York society, while Frank is ready to knock heads together to protect the little girl they both love. I’m glad Sarah’s clients put off their labors so that she could resolve this family crisis. Even the obstacles keeping Sarah and Frank from teaming up romantically fall away by book’s end, which is sure to delight readers of this series.

Eileen Charbonneau SAUTEE SHADOWS Denise Weimer, Canterbury House, 2013, $15.95, pb, 254pp, 9780982905487 This first book of the author’s Georgia Gold series introduces the four families whose lives intertwine in war and peace over a turbulent time for Georgia and the nation. In Sautee Shadows Georgia’s coast and mountain communities are linked during the economic expansion of the 1830s and 40s.

The Randall Family has links to New York through shipping. Son Jack is torn between his Northern and Southern roots. The Rousseaus are rice planter customers who begin the tradition of building a summer house to escape the heat and fevers of coastal Savannah. There, orphaned Mahala Franklin helps her grandmother run a hotel. But Mahala also has a home in the Sautee Valley, where her mother’s Cherokee roots run deep. Mahala is another character with feet in two worlds, and she has a burning desire to solve the mystery of her gold miner father’s murder.

Infused with a deep love of place and wonderful descriptions, Sautee Shadows might have benefited by a surer hand at showing instead of telling so much of its incident-filled plot. Characters, especially Jac and Mahala, are well rendered, especially when left alone to be in their scenes.

Better editing might have caught anachronisms like “egocentric,” “no way,” “twenty-something” and “closure.”

Eileen Charbonneau INHERITANCE: Book One of Southern Son, The Saga of Doc Holliday Victoria Wilcox, Knox Robinson, 2013, £19.99/$27.99, hb, 349pp, 9781908483553 Doc Holliday is reimagined in this first book of a trilogy on the man and the legend, delving into never-before-related history. Born John Henry Holliday and known as John Henry to his friends and relatives, he was set to inherit a family plantation before the Civil War destroyed the South. A youth during the tumultuous years of the war, his family moved from the Atlanta area to the Florida state line in the small town of Valdosta.

From there he attended dental school, visited the Midwest with a colleague, and finally returned to his roots near Atlanta—but not to the life of which he had always dreamed.

This is a story of family struggles, the devastation of war, young love and simply of a sensitive and intelligent boy growing into a man. John Henry wanted desperately to marry a girl he couldn’t have, though this part of the story continues into the next book.

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The Doc Holliday of legend had a past, and it’s brought forth beautifully in this narrative with a detailed account of the United States during the Reconstruction era. Through this novel steeped in history, the reader will find an interesting connection with the celebrated 20th-century Southern author, Margaret Mitchell, and the inspiration for her novel, Gone with the Wind.

Though Doc Holliday lived a short life due to illness, it was filled with events and adventures— the next, titled Gone West, promises to reconnect the reader with the Southern gentleman as he travels in search of a life he never intended to live.

This novel is highly recommended for Georgians— especially antebellum and GWTW fans—and, of course, historical and Wild West enthusiasts.

Arleigh Johnson THE PASSION OF THE PURPLE PLUMERIA Lauren Willig, NAL, 2013, $15.00, pb, 480pp, 9780451414724 Lauren Willig’s dazzling series about spies of the Napoleonic era has just been enriched by the addition of her latest offering, The Passion of the Purple Plumeria. A novel replete with hilarity as well as intriguing historical detail, there is really no comparison of Willig’s historical fiction mysteries with any other works of the genre, past or present.

The staid spinster Gwendolyn Meadows is in actuality an agent of the famed League of the Pink Carnation, and Talleyrand himself cannot predict when and where she might turn up next. When Gwen encounters the roguish Colonel William Reid in their mutual search for two missing schoolgirls, sparks fly between them, opening up a perilous new path of adventure and romance. Their odyssey includes a hunt for fabulous legendary jewels, an encounter with a dangerous cabal known as the Hell Fire club, and an unforgettable night at the opera. In the meantime, they are pursued by an enemy who will stop at nothing to hinder their quest. The greatest mysteries, however, lie within the hearts of the protagonists. Only an immersion in Dickens, Austen, and Doyle could result in a novel as witty, amusing, and suspenseful as The Passion of the Purple Plumeria.

Elena Maria Vidal THE FAMILY MANSION Anthony C. Winkler, Akashic, 2013, $15.95, pb, 256pp, 9781617751660 A complicated character study and darkly comedic look at early 19th-century plantation life, The Family Mansion tells the story of a young Englishman’s three-year stint as an overseer at a Jamaican sugar cane plantation.

Hartley Fudges is the second son who will not inherit his father’s title, monetary holdings, or family mansion. After a botched attempt to kill his older brother, Hartley flees to Jamaica, where he becomes one of a handful of white overseers to nearly one thousand slaves.

Hartley is both horrific and admirable in his behavior: he buys a slave in order to set him free

yet has no qualms about fathering children with his slaves. His freed slave, now on a campaign to become a “gentleman,” is resentful of the changing order in his world, while Hartley himself finds true love with a slave woman who returns his affections just as passionately. The affair changes his behavior, blinding him to the growing discord and rebellion on the plantation until events culminate with a violent tragedy that awakens Hartley to the absurdity of the “English gentleman.”

The plot and narrative style favors the 19thcentury novel, with various asides providing historical detail or context. While readable, the seemingly blasé tone is at times disturbing – Winkler’s arch tone implies a kind of understanding with Hartley and his choices – and provocative. The narrative has a droll, wry, and at times, downright wicked sense of black humor and serves to highlight the uncomfortably real history of the English in Jamaica.

Audra Friend WASH Margaret Wrinkle, Grove, 2013, $25.00/£16.99, hb, 384pp, 9780802120663 This story, involving three main characters, takes place in Tennessee right after the War of 1812 during the Western expansion. Wash (short for Washington) is a slave from Nags Head, North Carolina who spends the first 17 years of his life in near solitude before coming to live at the Richardson estate. He is sullen and distrustful from abuse at the previous plantation. When Richardson realizes he needs money, he decides that Wash would better serve as a stud rather than a worker alongside other slaves. Pallas lives on a nearby plantation. Unable to have children of her own, she is a healer and midwife delivering many of Wash’s offspring. After she is called in to care for him they become secret lovers.

Richardson is a methodical, meticulous master who keeps all his transactions in a leather-bound book. His horses, slaves, and business accounts all receive the same attention to detail. When this book accidently comes into Wash’s possession, Pallas reads him the names of his children. His reaction is one of sadness, anger and destruction.

Richardson is fascinated by Wash and goes to his quarters every night to share a bottle of bourbon and talk non-stop until dawn. Wash never speaks during these many encounters, but his thoughts are paramount to the story. There is very little dialogue throughout, and I feel this has made the difference between a fair book and a good one.

Wash’s shamanist mother instills in him a history of his ancestors and all that she knows about them but never speaks a word in the story.

Writing a book about slavery in this age of political correctness is courageous, but I thought this book was difficult to follow and the characters were less than memorable.

Susan Zabolotny

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but with memorable music.

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FLOWERS FOR MISS PENGELLY Rosemary Aitken, Severn House, 2013, £19.95/$28.95, hb, 224pp, 97807278782295 In 1911, Effie Pengelly, a comely young maidservant, has few opportunities to pick wild flowers, much less to converse with a young man; her time belongs to her employer. Effie is careful not step out of line with the woman, who is capable of ending her livelihood and her good reputation.

When a stranger comes asking for Effie by name and is later found dead, Effie, who does not know the man, is alarmed. Young constable Alex Dawes not only believes Effie, he is also attracted to her.

Alex comes from the upper middle class, however, and Effie’s father is a miner. They are both warned to remember their station.

Ramifications of the murder shake the entire village. The lack of communication between genders and social classes permits deceit and causes misunderstandings. Even when Effie is absolved and her lying employer is discredited, she and Alex still have much to overcome.

Aitken is at her best describing lives most of us have never known. Servants can be dismissed on a whim. Readers beg for books to borrow. Miners live in fear of an accident. Offhand references to the sinking of the Titanic and the 18-year-old Prince of Wales remind us how remote the village is and put security—and flowers—for girls like Effie Pengelly in perspective. Recommended for fans of Aitken’s popular Cornish series (A Cornish Maid, 2009) and anyone who enjoys seeing love overcome adversity.

Jeanne Greene BLOOD TANGO Annamaria Alfieri, Minotaur, 2013, $25.99, hb, 272pp, 9781250020482 In a little over a week in October of 1945, Juan Perón went from vice-president of Argentina to a disgraced prisoner to the most powerful figure in the government, largely through the efforts of his mistress, radio actress Eva Duarte. Alfieri has created a murder mystery using the stabbing death of a fictional dressmaker’s assistant who wore Eva’s hand-me-down gowns and copied her dyed blonde hairstyle. Suspects include the victim’s abusive boyfriend and controlling father. Another theory was that she might have been mistaken for Evita and murdered by Perón’s enemies, particularly a left-wing trade unionist and a right-wing army lieutenant. By focusing on clothing, lipstick and hair rather than politics, the novel avoids the saint or sinner controversy. Although the plot resolution involves some ingenious turns, the structure allows only a superficial treatment of a fascinating character and a decisive historical moment. If you are interested in the glamour of this complex woman, you might still be better off with Madonna and the movie, also without political significance 19th Century — 20th Century

James Hawking BEST KEPT SECRET: The Clifton Chronicles, Book III Jeffrey Archer, St. Martin’s, 2012, $27.99/C$31.99, hb, 373pp, 9781250000989 / Macmillan, 2013, £20.00, hb, 368pp, 9780230748248 One has to admire a man who not only does it all but also lives to write about it. Archer’s series, The Clifton Chronicles, follows the arc of an Englishman’s life from his chance conception, tumultuous school days, arrest and imprisonment (Only Time Will Tell, 2012), until he becomes a best-selling author (The Sins of the Fathers, 2012).

The one barrier to happiness Harry cannot overcome—the identity of his father—prevents his marriage to the woman he loves. When Best Kept Secret opens in 1945, Harry and his beloved Emma Harrington, and Emma’s brother, Giles, are waiting for no less than the House of Lords to decide their fate.

Archer’s plot-driven novels are hard to discuss without spoilers, but readers may be sure that if Harry settles down, his son Sebastian (too naive to be a Harrington-Clifton) will shake things up.

When villains from Harry’s past join forces with his newest enemies—the book is full of haters—they lay a trap for his son, thus leading up to a shocking cliffhanger. To find out who suffers most, fans will have to wait for the next installment of this fastmoving adventure series written by a master.

Jeanne Greene THE ROVING TREE Elsie Augustave, Akashic, 2013, $15.95, pb, 308pp, 9781617751653 Augustave’s expressive debut traces a young woman’s search for her cultural and emotional identity. Born in rural Haiti in the late 1950s and adopted by white American parents, Iris Odys is continually drawn back to her natal culture but can only experience it as an outsider working her way back in.

The Roving Tree opens with a mystical sequence reflecting the vaudou religion of the Haitian people.

Moments after Iris’s death in childbirth, the loa of fertility grants her a final wish. Iris asks the spirit to record her life story so her daughter will know where she came from. Her tale isn’t one you’ll have heard before.

It begins in the village of Monn Nèg in 1961, when a visiting anthropologist and her husband agree to give five-year-old Iris a better life by raising her as their own in suburban Westchester, New York. Her loving adoptive parents accept her for who she is, but her white schoolmates aren’t always so kind. As a young woman, Iris reconnects with Haitian traditions through her love of dance.

When tragedy calls her back to Haiti, she begins piecing her family history together.

Augustave does an exemplary job guiding readers through unfamiliar territory. In ‘70s New York City, in Haiti under the brutal Duvalier regime, and later in Zaire, Iris must continually

adjust to new customs and decide which ones to assimilate and which to discard. Her relatives’ stories, seen in flashback, reveal the class prejudice so prevalent at the time, the long-term effects of slavery, and the African traditions passed down over generations.

Richly evocative of each successive time and place, from colorful scenes of vaudou rituals to political corruption in ‘80s Africa, the novel also tells a universal story of heritage and rediscovery in its depiction of a soul full of passionate yearning.

A worthy contribution to modern literature of the African diaspora.

Sarah Johnson CHANGING PATTERNS Judith Barrow, Honno, 2013, £8.99, pb, 309pp, 9781906784393 Post WW2, Peter Schormann, a German exprisoner of war, has left his home country to be with Mary Howarth, a matron of a small hospital in Wales. Mary nursed Peter in the POW camp hospital and intends to marry him. Many obstacles stand in their way, and events take a tragic turn.

This is an excellent read which has been well researched, and the author obviously has a love for this period. It is well paced and grips its reader from the first few pages. The language is well suited to the novel and the time and reads easily. It has great pieces of dialogue and good descriptions. Its chapters are short, which help build the tension in the novel quickly and bring in the many threads.

The characters are well drawn and the time and place brought to life.

Changing Patterns is a good read for historical fans and lovers of fiction in general, and it also contains crime and romance. It is perfect for those who would like to know more about the 1950s or those who remember them well. Changing Patterns is a sequel to Pattern of Shadows but reads well as a standalone book. It is a novel that I would recommend to a varied audience.

Barbara Goldie MYSTERY IN MALAKAND Susanna Bell, Attica, 2013, £7.99/$9.99, pb, 273pp, 9781908002549 1920. Widowed in the Great War, Hester Metcalfe returns to nurse in Peshawar on the Northwest Frontier, where she was born and raised. The Frontier is seething with rebellion: the many local tribes as well as the Afghans are being stirred up by the Bolsheviks who have long coveted British India. When Hester’s lover, a British officer, is murdered, she is determined to find the killer. But is the murderer a Pathan rebel or someone from the British community? And why was her lover’s corpse found in a ditch in the Old City? When the Chief Commissioner offers an opportunity to travel into the mountains to meet her lover’s mysterious contact and gather information, she is eager to go.

The plot is not very plausible, and there are far too many characters to keep straight, but that does not really matter. Peshawar and the Frontier HNR Issue 65, August 2013 | Reviews | 39

make the novel worth reading. Bell’s descriptions of the Old City with its bazaars and twisting alleys with hundreds of shops and teeming with varied races and tribal people are fascinatingly exotic and colourfully drawn, the mountains and their villages and people even more so. She is excellent on weather and the shifting light on the landscape, as well as dust and flies and smells. She makes the whole Frontier with its people and customs wonderfully vivid. Oddly, she seems not to be interested in details of British life in the Cantonment and there is very little sense of period, except in her loving descriptions of cars. But the timelessness of the mountains and the ancient rivalries and feuds among the native people are more than enough. An interesting read for fans of the Raj and the Frontier.

Lynn Guest MIDNIGHT IN ST PETERSBURG Vanora Bennett, Century, 2013, £12.99, 466pp, 9781780891590 Set during the convulsions and upheavals of revolutionary Russia, this novel is centred around Inna Feldman, who decides to flee Kiev after witnessing the assassination of Prime Minister Stolypin in a theatre. As a Jew in this time period, her position is made even more vulnerable by the atmosphere of fear and racial hatred. Inna goes to St Petersburg to a distant relative, Yasha Kagar, in search of safety and security; he is to become of the two loves she is torn between. Yasha is a violinmaker who is filled with revolutionary fervour. The other man who will feature in this love triangle is the Englishman Horace Wallich, who works for the famous jeweller Fabergé. This character is inspired by and based on the author’s own greatuncle, which adds a personal twist to the novel. The depiction of the turmoils of Russia is convincing, and the author keeps the reader guessing to the end as to which direction and which man Inna will finally select. There are real-life characters such as Rasputin and Prince Youssoupoff, which adds a feeling of even greater authenticity. The character of Inna is not always entirely likeable but perhaps is more realistic for that very reason. The novel is steeped in its time period and is well-researched. It is quite slow-moving and character-driven. Those seeking high action will be disappointed, but lovers of this time period and of romance should be content.

Ann Northfield THE LIGHT IN THE RUINS Chris Bohjalian, Doubleday, 2013, $25.95, hb, 320pp, 9780385534819 What was it like for Italians and Germans to coexist as allies when the reality was that neither trusted each other? In 1943, the Italians south of Florence are wondering whether the Allies or Germans will fully invade Italy first and hoping secretly that it will be the former. The Rosati family is considered Italian aristocracy; their social position and the discovery of an Etruscan burial site on their property earn them the constant presence of German soldiers, who want to abscond with any 40 | Reviews |

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LETTERS FROM SKYE

St a f f P u b li cati ons

Jessica Brockmole, Ballantine, 2013, $25/C$28.00, hb, 287pp, 9780345542601 / Hutchinson, 2013, £12.99, hb, 304pp, 9780091944636 Letters from Skye is a love story told in letters, a favorite form in English novels since the 17th century, which draws us into the lives of the correspondents.

Asked why she chose this format, Jessica Brockmole says, “I started writing letters as an exercise in dialogue… and a way to get to know my characters. I had just moved to the UK and was transitioning into what was, in a real sense, an epistolary relationship with friends and family in the States. With phone calls expensive and webcams not available, communication was written: emails, instant messaging and, yes, letters and postcards.

“I was fascinated by what could be said in a letter and what could be understood in the spaces between, by the agony of a delayed letter and the excitement of one delivered just in time, by imagining the conversation-taking place between lines on the page.

Just as I had to put so much of myself into each message home, so do the characters in Letters from Skye.”

When David Graham, an American college student, writes to Scottish poet Elspeth Dunn in 1912, he feels a bit presumptuous—a thrice-published author deserves more eloquent praise than his—but it seems important to acknowledge the power of her words.

Elspeth Dunn is not the sophisticate David first imagines, however. She is a lonely young woman who has never left her home on Skye, an island off the coast of Scotland. This is Elspeth’s first fan mail and, touched by David’s sincerity, she responds. Their first letters are light and gently teasing but, as David and Elspeth begin to trust each other, they share their dreams and, in time, begin to fall in love. Because each fills the other’s need to be understood, the letters become an essential part of their lives.

There is no sense of impending war—until 1915. Brockmole explains: “As I researched Skye during the First World War, I was struck with its isolation, its self-sense of not being involved in such a distant war. The Battle of Festubert in 1915, where most of the British casualties were men from Skye and the Western Isles, changed that. From 600 miles away, Skye felt the war keenly.” In the same year, the sinking of the Lusitania by a German U-boat brought war home to the United States and, while Congress clung to isolationism, men like David Graham volunteered for service in Europe.

When David joins a volunteer ambulance corps, he and Elspeth plan to meet before he goes to France—they have begun to dream of a life together—but there are obstacles to be overcome. As their fortunes ebb and flow, the letters become scattered, out of order; some we fear, remained unread Elspeth’s daughter’s letters begin in 1940. Margaret is in love and, although she knows nothing of her mother’s history, she gives the matter little thought. Brockmole says, “I think when we’re content, we tend not to question or doubt. At least that’s true for Margaret, who accepts what her mother tells her: “The first volume of my life is out of print.’”

When Elspeth disappears, it’s as if someone we have known for years stops writing. Margaret, concerned, searches Elspeth’s empty house for clues to her mother’s whereabouts, but all she has to go on is a letter from a man she never knew existed. What happened to the woman who packed away her dreams with a bundle of letters? As the novel continues, Elspeth’s and David’s own words reveal the depth of the relationship between two strangers a world apart.

Letters from Skye is a lovely tale, well told. Highly recommended.

Jeanne Greene valuable art as German loot. In fear and loathing, the Rosati parents watch their youngest daughter, Cristina, fall in love with a young, crippled German lieutenant, and then multiple Germans take over their home as residence.

The reader can vicariously feel the overwhelming guilt they feel for collaborating and their desperation to cooperate in order to survive.

One senses how agonizing such a decision was on a daily basis, as well as its long-term effects. Add to the mayhem that ten years later, in 1955, someone is murdering the Rosati family one by one; the murderer’s killing method is exceedingly gruesome, producing horror and revulsion in the reader, as well as an automatic question of who could hate so deeply to commit such a vile act. Serafina, a former 20th Century

resistance fighter and now a detective, is involved in solving the Rosati murders; she is mysteriously connected to this family, and her emotionally torn memories as a result of her investigation may prove to be her psychological undoing.

Tuscany is now known as a beautiful tourist part of Italy, but its story as a brutal battleground of WWII needs to be told -- and is done so here on personal, familial and social levels. Memorable, significant, and powerful historical fiction!

Viviane Crystal

view of the New Woman of the Edwardian era, but they test societal boundaries in ways that are, ultimately, safe. As expected, the novel ends with a dramatic cliffhanger, making readers wonder what will happen to the heroines in the final volume.

Though Downton Abbey is the obvious comparison, this book is more focused on the coming-of-age story of its three main characters rather than the societal changes sweeping pre-war England.

Nanette Donohue

PALISADES PARK Alan Brennert, St. Martin’s, 2013, $25.99/ C$29.99, hb, 421pp, 9780312643720 If you’re still searching for the perfect beach read, look no further. Alan Brennert brings to life the crowds, the screams from the roller coaster, the heat of a summer’s day, and the dazzling lights at night on the midway in his fact-based novel. Yes, we’re talking that Palisades Park, with the big sign perched on the New Jersey cliffs, the catchy song, and the generations of merrymakers saddened by the long-running amusement park’s closure in 1971. In the 1930s, Eddie Stopka is one of the park’s concessionaires, with a successful French fry stand that he runs with his wife, Adele. They have two children, Toni and Jack, and all seems perfect.

The Great Depression and the Second World War bring changes, both to their business and personal lives, and Eddie joins the navy as Adele is left to run the stand on her own and wonder about her own lost career dreams.

The younger generation has its troubles, too, as Toni is intent on becoming a high diver (“not ladylike,” says Adele). The park is the backdrop for the family’s angst and triumphs, and undergoes trials of its own, with accidents, changes in ownership, and struggles to provide ever newer rides and exciting entertainment. Readers get a snapshot of America from the 1930s to the 1970s, as seen in both the visitors and the employees, and the scenes reflecting the turbulence of the Civil Rights era are particularly well-drawn. Mostly, though, the park is, as Eddie says, “a place where you could forget the mess that’s going on in the world, or the heartaches you’ve got in your life.”

Palisades Park pulls this family together, time after time, and will pull readers in, as well.

Helene Williams

SOUTHERN CROSS THE DOG Bill Cheng, Ecco, 2013, $25.99, hb, 322pp, 9780062225009 / Picador UK, 2013, £12.99, hb, 336pp, 9781447224891 Cheng’s impressive debut is a journey along the back roads of Southern history, at a time—the ‘20s and ‘30s—when it is dangerous just to be young and black. Robert Chapman is only eight years old when his odyssey begins, and although his early life was far from trouble free, it seems like heaven looking back.

When the Great Flood destroys their Mississippi home in 1927, Robert’s father leaves him with a brothel owner for reasons the boy comprehends— his mother’s breakdown, his brother’s murder, his own helplessness—but Robert grows up feeling abandoned. Unworthiness follows him like a jinx or a devil, as he calls it, from the brothel when it burns down, to months of backbreaking labor as a teenager, and virtual imprisonment in the swamp, where he kills a man to save himself. Robert says he “can’t get clean.” Even integrity seems like a curse when he gives up freedom for his first love; but Robert’s not a sad man. “For you,” he says, “I will sing and dance and stomp my feet to beat the Devil.” Man’s humanity is always more remarkable than his survival.

The intricate and sometimes overwhelming plot is carried by strong characters and an adroit use of language. Cheng, a New Yorker, was drawn to Southern history by the music; the title, which comes from the early blues, refers to the railroads.

He writes in a patois all his own, for the most part convincingly, of a terrible place in which “the past keeps happening.” Readers will look forward to more from this talented writer, perhaps with a less familiar setting. Southern Cross the Dog is highly recommended.

Jeanne Greene

SUMMERSET ABBEY: A Bloom in Winter T.J. Brown, Gallery, 2013, $15.00, pb, 284pp, 9781451699050 Wealthy sisters Rowena and Victoria Buxton, along with their friend Prudence Tate, return in this sequel to Summerset Abbey. Victoria is drawn into the fight for women’s suffrage by a charismatic leader, Rowena discovers a passion for flight—not to mention her handsome flight instructor—and Prudence finds that married life is more difficult that she could have imagined. All three women are ambitious and want to experience all the excitement their world has to offer, but each finds herself thwarted by society’s expectations of what a woman should be.

Brown captures the atmosphere of a changing England nicely, although some readers may find this novel heavy on drama and light on history.

Each of the main characters presents a different

RUTHERFORD PARK Elizabeth Cooke, Berkley, 2013, $16.00, pb, 336pp, 9780425262580 Europe is hurtling towards the beginning of World War I, and Rutherford Park in rural England sleeps in its own denial. Yes, it’s 1913, and family life for Lord William Cavendish, his wife Lady Octavia, and their children Harry, Charlotte and Louisa parallels the looming crisis. Embracing change is never quite as successful when one has refused to relinquish political, social, economic or racial biases from the past.

Secrets are revealed with all the tragic, devastating effects never conceived of in the initial satisfactions of sexual or emotional release. A maid gives birth to a child of someone in “the house,” but the mother dies and the child is hidden. One, after all, must maintain the status quo, for what would the neighbors think? The father is riddled with guilt

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but suppresses it all with his desire to learn how to fly one of the newest Blackburn I airplanes that will become a feature in the looming war. Another twenty-year-old son announces his bastard status and vows revenge after being refused monetary compensation; the announcement itself shatters a marriage and instigates an affair between one of the spouses and a visiting American historian/ writer. A British debutante falls in love with a French diplomat and elopes, with terrorizing and psychological shock paralleling the breakout of war between Germany and France.

The pre-WWI times invite changes to more modern ways of thinking and acting. The author clearly shows these must be experimental while in transition, but they are thrilling and dramatic in realization. Elizabeth Cooke’s fictional family portrait is intensely engaging as it reveals the passionate thoughts and dreams of these revolutionary characters, who represent the best and worst that history has catapulted into the 20th century. A great read!

Viviane Crystal WHISTLING PAST THE GRAVEYARD Susan Crandall, Gallery, 2013, $26/$29.99, hb, 320pp, 9781476707723 Starla Claudelle is a handful. The nine-year-old lives with her grandmother, a humorless woman, in small-town Mississippi in 1963. Her mother left them for a recording career in Nashville, and her father works on an oil rig to support her. Naturally, Starla is a trial to her grandmother Mamie, who tries to rename her Jane and punishes her for punching a neighborhood bully. Under these conditions, what else is a fearless tomboy to do but take to the road, hoping to find her mother, who by now must be a star?

This is a wonderful road trip of a book. Starla gets a ride from Eula, a sweet, Christian, black woman who has “found” a white baby. In 1963 Mississippi, this is a recipe for disaster, which Eula’s angry husband Wallace sees more clearly than Eula. Starla, Eula, and baby James hit the road for Nashville, sans Wallace. Starla’s ideas about race are challenged when the tables are turned and she’s the only white person in a black neighborhood where they are given aid by Miss Cyrena, a wise schoolteacher. On the surface this scenario could reek of cliché, but Starla and Eula are original characters. Their responses to their circumstances spring from who they are rather than a rote set of behaviors imposed upon them.

Although it’s inevitable that Starla returns home, her homecoming doesn’t mean a return to the status quo. This is unabashedly a happy ending, often a rarity for books set in the Civil Rightsera South. I hope Crandall follows up with Starla when she is about ten years older. Surely she’d have some original observations on the women’s rights movement of the 1970s.

Ellen Keith SHORECLIFF Ursula DeYoung, Little, Brown, 2013, $25.99, hb, 352pp, 9780316213394 Like most storied New England families, the Hatfields have their share of secrets. During the summer of 1928, the family gathers at Shorecliff, their summer house on the picturesque Maine HNR Issue 65, August 2013 | Reviews | 41

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John Florio, Seventh Street, 2013, $15.95, pb, 235pp, 9781616147952 Set in both 1906 and 1930, this story centers on Jersey Leo, also known as Snowball, an albino bartender of mixed race in Prohibition-era New York City. Jersey has two homes: the Pour House speakeasy and the Hy-Hat, a youth club that tries to keep young people out of trouble. When Jersey inadvertently purchases counterfeit moonshine (the sugar pop moon of the title), he must travel to Philadelphia to settle the score and return either the money or the moonshine to his boss. While in Philadelphia, he’s tracked by a pair after his bones for a voodoo ritual. They follow him back to New York. All this, and women problems, too.

Jersey decides to call on the might of his boxer champion father. The two fight to survive and triumph as the story of Jersey’s origins is explored in the 1906 sections. The two plot tracks dovetail nicely by journey’s satisfying end.

Crackling with Chandleresque crack-wise charm, a breakneck pace and wonderful characterizations, Sugar Pop Moon delivers the goods. Details of both periods bring them alive. Best of all, Jersey is a wonderful character, in league with great ultra-outsiders like Beverle Graves Myers’ Tito Amato. Highly recommended.

Eileen Charbonneau coast, for a long vacation. The older cousins are there against their will—they’d rather be home in the city—but thirteen-year-old Richard sees his Shorecliff vacation as an opportunity to get to know his mysterious older cousins, and, by extension, to learn more about adult life.

Richard spends most of his time eavesdropping on his cousins and on the group of adult women collectively called “the aunts,” and when he’s not eavesdropping, he’s sharing the fruits of his labors (and stirring his family up). There’s a lot bubbling underneath the idyllic surface—sibling rivalries, forbidden attractions, long-hidden secrets—and when the truth comes to light, it will change the family forever.

DeYoung’s debut takes a while to get moving, mainly because the cast of characters is so sprawling that it takes some time to get used to everyone. Richard can be an irritating narrator, but it’s a purposeful kind of irritating, and it works because he’s a thirteen-year-old boy with a penchant for stirring people up. The plot meanders from event to event, with a few recurring themes and events, and clumsy foreshadowing keeps the reader guessing what dramatic event is going to close the Hatfield family’s summer. Shorecliff reads like a tabloid exposé of a wealthy family’s troubles, only with highbrow pretensions.

Nanette Donohue MASARYK STATION David Downing, Soho, 2013, $26.95, hb, 336pp, 9781616952235 / Old Street, 2013, £12.99, pb, 304pp, 9781908699138 This novel takes place in Berlin in 1948. As a double agent, John Russell works for both the American CIA and the Soviet NKVD. Russell’s wife, Effie Koenen, is a well-known film actress, and she lives in Berlin with their adopted daughter.

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the CIA, he goes where he is needed. This takes him outside Berlin to Trieste and Prague, but, now in his fifties, Russell is looking for a way to retire.

Russell’s break comes when a Russian defector tells him about an incriminating film he has on Beria, head of the Soviet MGB. This soldier uses the film as a bargaining tool to force Russell to help him and his fiancé escape to America. Russell intends to use the film for his own purposes, This is the sixth in the John Russell series. David Downing has created a complicated plot with many twists and turns while the hero seems caught in a maze. As is often the case in spy novels, the reader needs a scorecard to keep track of the players as the hero moves from country to country.

Audrey Braver THE CONFESSIONS OF AL CAPONE Loren D. Estleman, St. Martin’s, 2013, $27.99/ C$31.99, hb, 416pp, 9780765331199 Peter Vasco is an FBI proofreader with stenographer abilities working out of the Washington DC office. In 1944, shortly after Al Capone is released from prison, Vasco is called into the office of the director, J. Edgar Hoover. Because he was trained to become a priest at a Roman Catholic seminary prior to his current position in the FBI, and because his father has worked for Capone as a truck driver during Prohibition, Hoover feels Vasco would have the ability to meet Capone. Al Capone is currently living in Miami suffering from advanced syphilis. Vasco is going to pose as a priest, gain access to Capone (through his father’s contacts), and obtain information that would enable the FBI to arrest other Chicago gangsters.

This is a story not only of the dangerous assignment but also of the interaction between Vasco and his father, who also lives in Miami. Peter and his father have become estranged over the

years, and the meetings between them result in a closer relationship and help to heal old wounds.

This is another well-crafted novel written by a popular author of Westerns and other adventure novels. It’s a character-driven novel with interesting personalities, family histories and a plot involving the underworld of the 1940s. At times, it’s a pageturning thriller, although most of the book deals with obtaining confessions, not only from Capone but also from Vasco’s father. Highly recommended.

Jeff Westerhoff SHADOWS ON THE NILE Kate Furnivall, Sphere, 2012, £7.99, pb, 435pp, 9781847443410 / Berkley, 2013, $15.00, pb, 448pp, 9780425265086 Jessie Kenton traumatically “lost” her autistic little brother when she was seven. Twenty years later, when Georgie’s adopted replacement, the brilliant Egyptologist Tim, goes missing, Jessie is determined: she will find him. But 1932 Egypt, where all clues point, is no place for a lone woman, so Jessie travels with charming Sir Monty Chamford, who may or may not know something about Tim’s disappearance. Now, this book boasts a vivid, evocative language, and a few very engaging characters, and I really wanted to like it. But a plot relying for the most part on coincidence, unlikelihood and far, far, far-fetched Holmesian clues, the characters’ penchant for educational exposition, and a general preachy tone annoyed me more than a little, spoiling what otherwise could have been a pleasant read.

Chiara Prezzavento THE WAYS OF THE WORLD Robert Goddard, Bantam Press, 2013, £16.99, hb, 416pp, 978059306973 It is 1919, and Paris is seething with diplomats and politicians wrangling over the aftermath of the First World War, as well as the journalists and spies that inevitably follow them. James Maxted, former ace pilot with the Royal Flying Corps, goes to investigate the mysterious death of his father, who has fallen from a Paris rooftop. Max, as James is known, finds himself facing a cover-up— allegedly for the good of himself and his family.

It soon becomes apparent that Henry Maxted was murdered for political reasons. Max finds his own life under threat, while his father’s mistress is arrested for another murder. As the death toll mounts, it is clear that a master spy and an assassin are on the loose, and—apart from Max’s former wartime comrade Sam—it is impossible to know whom to trust.

Robert Goddard’s latest novel is complexly plotted and fast moving, and has the feel of a classic spy thriller with many twists and turns.

I found the setting of the Paris peace talks fascinating, although the speed of the action and the number of participants does not allow for deep characterisation, and there were some scenes where I would like to have spent more time. Many levels of mystery are presented and not all are resolved at the end, because there will be a sequel. Max’s adventures are not yet over, and this first account of them is a good holiday read.

Ruth Downie

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FLORA Gail Godwin, Bloomsbury USA, 2013, $26.00/C$27.50, hb, 278pp, 9781620401200 / Bloomsbury, 2013, £16.99, hb, 288pp, 9781408840863 Godwin, ever the keen observer of human nature, is at her finest here in this startling comingof-age tale of a young Southern girl grappling with enormous loss and the first twinges of desire. Tenyear-old Helen is our narrator, though moments of decades-later perspective scattered throughout, highlight the importance of living the story through the eyes and feelings of the young girl.

It’s the summer of 1945, Hitler is dead, but the war isn’t over yet, though it seems a long way away, here in this small North Carolina town. Helen’s grandmother, Nonie, had died that spring, and Helen and her father are both struggling. Helen’s father will be spending the summer in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, working on a secret government war project, so he has asked her cousin Flora, a new teaching-school graduate with “the gift of tears,” to stay with Helen. A polio outbreak then confines the two to the house for weeks; Helen thinks she’s going to die of boredom, while Flora practices cooking, teaching, and sharing the advice she received in her correspondence with Nonie. The arrival of Finn, who delivers the groceries, adds a layer of intrigue to the girls’ lives.

The narrative is infused with images of regret, and the reader knows something dark lies ahead.

Godwin weaves an incredibly lifelike, suspenseful tale, perfectly capturing the feelings of a ten-yearold whose actions can be at one moment childish, and fully mature and empathetic the next. The Southern landscape is also a vital character in this novel, from the driveway potholes to the overgrown bushes to the disintegrating but still imposing house. This haunting tale of remorse illustrates the burden of responsibility and the lifelong consequences of small decisions.

Helene Williams BLOOD FROM A STONE Dolores Gordon-Smith, Severn House, 2013, £19.99/$28.95, hb, 240 pp, 9780727882639 In her latest 1920s mystery (after Trouble Brewing, 2012), Gordon-Smith keeps intrepid writer/investigator Jack Haldean busy with a grisly killing on a train, a trail of sapphires, and a “locked room” murder by poison. There are also missing persons, criminal or otherwise, who may be masquerading as each other. But when strangers appear on the scene unexpectedly, the real question is not one of identity but common sense: why would a sensible person trust any of them?

Gordon-Smith scatters just enough confusing information to distract the reader from the wellworn ground. How can a parure of sapphires be overlooked? Why can’t an ex-soldier handle a gun?

Why doesn’t anyone think twice before venturing underground? Why aren’t fingerprints, no longer just a “nicety” as implied, used to close the case much earlier?

Not to worry. The aristocrats look down their noses at the hoi polloi, sip their sherry on time, and change to the appropriate clothing for each activity or time of day. Blood from a Stone is for readers who will enjoy the atmosphere without asking awkward questions.

Jeanne Greene 20th Century

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Sam Halpern, HarperPerennial, 2013, $14.99/C$16.99, pb, 400pp, 9780062233165 Young Sam Zelinsky is the son of Jewish sharecroppers in Kentucky in 1945—a situation that author Sam Halpern writes about with authority, since he grew up the son of Jewish sharecroppers in Kentucky. He tells his story mostly through flashbacks from the present day as his protagonist Zelinsky, now a grieving, retired professor, finally returns to Kentucky, as his wife had asked him to do before she died.

Zelinsky is looking for his boyhood friend, Fred Mulligan, who has disappeared as completely as most of the shanty-like farmhouses that their families had lived in. He’s also looking for answers about his life and choices, at last revisiting the place and culture that shaped him. Rural Kentucky in 1945 amounts to a foreign land, and Zelinsky’s childhood included demon-haunted pools, a friend’s father who everyone realized might beat his son to death, poverty accepted without complaint (because everyone was poor), incipient mobs looking for the guilty (or at least a scapegoat), wide-ranging freedoms and responsibilities that most modern-day boys can only imagine, and, luckily for our protagonist, wise mentors, including his own father, who teach him how to be a man in the face of danger and moral quandaries.

Author Halpern, a retired physician, became famous as a character before he wrote this book: he’s the dad in Sh*t My Dad Says. That’s his son Justin Halpern’s popular twitter feed, book, and (briefly) sitcom. The older, already famous Halpern no doubt had an entrée to agents and publishers, but this is a heart-touching and memorable story that deserved to be published.

It’s both a coming of age novel and a tale of redemption, of righting old sins. I loved it and absolutely recommend it.

Kristen Hannum THE CHILDREN OF WRATH Paul Grossman, St. Martin’s Griffin, 2013, $15.99/ C$18.50, pb, 324pp, 9781250020819 This thriller, set in Depression-era Berlin, is the prequel to the action in The Sleepwalkers and features a younger Willi Kraus, married and father to two young boys, trying to negotiate the demands of marriage and fatherhood while fending off the anti-Semitism rife in the Kripo, Berlin’s criminal investigation department. Kraus is furious when he is taken off a serial murder case and assigned to a seemingly mundane matter of tainted sausages, but the two investigations are horribly linked.

The Children of Wrath contains many of the elements also found in The Sleepwalkers—the rise of the Nazi party, the decadence of 1930s Berlin and the strange cults and societies that flourished there—but Kraus’ relatively lowly position in the Criminal Police brings out the era’s pervasive antiSemitism much more strongly as Kraus, who has an excellent war record and holds the prestigious Iron Cross, constantly has to prove himself in both his professional and his private life. Grossman endows Kraus with a dry sense of humor and a passion for justice that carry him well through the wide variety of settings and scenes afforded by a cosmopolitan city on the brink of economic disaster and political violence.

Grossman’s writing has a European feel that lends a distinctive voice to his detective’s viewpoint.

The plot is fast-paced and intriguing with some nicely gruesome touches, leading up to a page-

turning climax. The somberly reflective ending suggests that no more Willi Kraus books will be forthcoming, and I think that’s a great shame.

Grossman has imagined a character who both belongs intimately to his time and location and is set apart from it by the tragedy of his age, and the result is fascinating.

Jane Steen I’LL BE SEEING YOU Suzanne Hayes & Loretta Nyhan, MIRA, 2013, $15.95/C$18.95, pb, 336pp, 9780778314950, 0778314952 During World War II, 4-H Clubs would extend their programs to help lonely soldiers’ wives with a pen-pal scheme. Glory Whitehall and Rita Vincenzo meet each other this way, and their correspondence is the basis for this novel.

Glory is a young wife and mother, the witty Rita much older, yet they have an instant connection, and while their respective husbands and Rita’s son are away serving overseas, the two women quickly form a close bond. They reveal their secrets and emotional hurdles to one another as well as share the inevitable anxieties caused by war and long separation from their menfolk. Glory’s indecisive love life is kept in check by Rita’s maturity and wisdom, and it is Glory’s bubbly optimism that pulls Rita out of her own misery and despair when no one else can.

As historical authenticity goes, whether women in that far more reticent and conservative HNR Issue 65, August 2013 | Reviews | 43

era really would have exchanged such intimate personal details of their marriages with strangers is debatable. But belief really doesn’t matter, as the charm and chat in the letters soon hook you in, and you’re more than happy to go with the flow and eager to find out what happens to everyone.

The background is well-researched, and the inclusion of war-time recipes is a delightful extra feature. The ending might be predictable, but you wouldn’t want it any other way. It’s just a pity the book’s title is so well-worn. The famous song aside, there have been several other romantic and historical novels with this name, some also about World War II, which could lead to confusion among readers and librarians. A bit of originality as in other successful epistolary novels, e.g. 84 Charing Cross Road and The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society, could have given it a more distinctive punch.

Marina Maxwell THE DAZZLE Robert Hudson, Jonathan Cape, 2013, £16.99, hb, 301pp, 9780224097154 In the 1930s, fishing for giant tuna was all the rage amongst the fast set. In 1934, we’re told, Scarborough is hosting a tuna-fishing contest sponsored by Johnny Fastolf, a dissolute English aristo, which is to be attended by various celebs, including Zane Grey and Martha Gellhorn but not, alas, Ernest Hemingway. Most glamorous of all, however, is Fastolf ’s yacht Dazzle, resplendent in stripes of black, blue and white. As the dilettantes, high on dope, dance in and out of each others’ beds and the fishing contest between Grey and wealthy Englishman Lorenzo Mitchell-Henry is played out in the hostile North Sea, it becomes apparent that behind all the dazzle (get it?) dangers lurk in the form of sex, death, espionage and a mysterious Chinese drug baron who may or may not be Chinese and may not even exist.

The Dazzle is clever, playful, preposterous, and amusing in parts. The writing sparkles. But I didn’t take to any of the characters and struggled to finish the story, which Gellhorn says she feels compelled to write about in order to convince herself it was really happening. ‘(Is writing another way to tame the confusion?)’ she asks parenthetically in a letter. ‘(Or is it just another distortion?)’ Quite.

Sarah Cuthbertson UNSINKABLE Dan James, Random House UK/Trafalgar Square, 2013, $12.95/£6.99, pb, 390pp, 9780099558132 Set on board the Titanic, Unsinkable is a mystery that follows Arthur Beck, former Scotland Yard member looking to start over in America after being part of a horrific incident that has sent him into a downward spiral. He is not on board long, however, when he spies the man he believes is responsible for the taking of the lives of three fellow policemen, and Beck feels he must alert both Captain Smith and Bruce Ismay of the presence.

Meanwhile, he captures the attention of reporter Martha Heaton, who easily surmises he is up to something as he conducts his investigation. The story moves between the two as Beck tracks down the mysterious killer and Martha endeavors to find out what is going on. Interspersed with the tales of those two we meet Sten-Ake, a Norwegian cancer 44 | Reviews |

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victim whose presence ends up being more vital than it would seem at first.

Unsinkable is a well-written mystery, though not a particularly layered one. Beck’s nervousness is palpable as he moves about the ship, and Martha’s tenaciousness allows us to access areas and people on board that we might not normally have seen. In fact, Martha’s feminist attitudes in first class were the only piece I didn’t really buy about this novel, as she was often abrupt and abrasive. Still, the book moves along at good clip, and it’s very obvious to this Titanic buff that the author knows his stuff. In the end, the title becomes about more than just the ship; I really enjoyed seeing how it all played out and cannot help wondering what happens next. A fun, intriguing tale.

Tamela McCann FOR BETTER OR WORSE Elizabeth Jeffrey, Severn House, 2013, $28.95/£19.99, hb, 256pp, 9780727883018 Stella and Captain John Nolan meet while he is convalescing from wounds suffered in battle, and after a whirlwind eight-week courtship, they marry. Wartime romance is not uncommon during the Great War, but after one week together he returns to the front and is tragically killed as the armistice is signed. Stella has no family to help her through this tragedy, and the invitation to John’s home for the holidays is a welcome one. However, the cold reception she receives from his mother and sister, Rosalie, breaks her spirit. Invited to stay, she finds that her greatest allies are her father-in-law and Rosalie’s husband Phillip, who was injured in the war and is now crippled as well as dispirited.

Her work with the soldiers before her marriage, combined with a strong spirit, moves Stella forward to help Phillip and to stand up for herself in her new role. We cheer for her as she seeks happiness and independence at last, and can again find love in a place where so many people work against one another.

Elizabeth Jeffrey draws us into this sometimes dysfunctional middle-class British family by telling their story from conversations that their staff has below stairs. She gives us a good look at how returning war veterans are affected emotionally and physically by their circumstances and how both classes deal with the fates bestowed upon them.

We see the devotion and faithful relationship of the kitchen maid, Emma, with her shell-shocked husband, which contrasts with the actions of her selfish, unfeeling mistress, Rosalie. This book is a must read for those of us who enjoy a nice slice of early 20th century history, and its beautiful cover will grace your bookshelf.

Beth Turza GINNY APPLEYARD Elizabeth Jeffrey, Piatkus/Trafalgar Square, 2013, $8.99/£7.99, pb, 376pp, 9780749957988 On a bright, warm Sunday afternoon in September, 1934, Ginny Appleyard waits on a quay in a small fishing village near Colchester, England.

Ostensibly, she is waiting for her father, who was mate on a racing yacht, but actually, she is waiting for her childhood friend, Nathan Bellamy, whose father is the captain. He had written her that he has something special to tell her, but when she sees Nathan leave the yacht, he has the beautiful,

sophisticated Isobel Armitage on his arm. Isobel’s father owns the yacht. This is the beginning of Ginny’s heartbreak. Instead of the marriage proposal Ginny is expecting, Nathan tells her he is going to London to set up his artist studio, courtesy of Isobel Armitage. Nathan is a talented artist and a minor success among Isobel’s London friends, but their lifestyle does not appeal to Nathan. He longs for the simple, quiet life of home and Ginny’s devotion and friendship, realizing that it is she that he truly loves. But what would a love story be if all ran smoothly?

Elizabeth Jeffrey vividly describes life and the inhabitants in a small fishing village with all their faults and virtues. Her heroine is intelligent and gutsy. Fate has given her lemons, and with determined resignation she makes lemonade. As a hero, Nathan, while a decent man, is weak and a bit naïve. Ginny Appleyard is well-written and interesting and, all in all, a good read.

Audrey Braver THE GUNNERS OF SHENYANG Yu Jihui, Signal 8 Press, 2013, $16.95, hb, 260pp, 9789881554024 The Gunners of Shenyang is set in the early ´60s in Maoist China. The student narrator might, in this country, be telling us a story about college pranks, or the weird and disgusting habits of his roommates—all the usual things expected of a coming-of-age story. Sadly, Yu Jihui, whose story this is, lived in China during the “Great Leap Forward,” a criminally negligent program of industrialization in which as many as 45 million Chinese died of starvation. This environment certainly put a damper on any “Animal House” fun and games. These young men were simply too hungry to get up to much, except flatulence contests, which resulted from a diet of soybean husks.

The cover picture, of the hand clutching a carrot, represents the grim story, where ordinary, lively young men try to stay alive and suitably patriotic in an insane world of endless political meetings and under the continual threat of denouncement and banishment. A stolen carrot, in fact, precipitates the ultimate, fatal action. Of necessity, this is a gray novel about a gray time; nevertheless, it is also a worthwhile personal testament both to the horrors of a murderous dictatorship and to the resilience of the human spirit.

Juliet Waldron THE SECOND-LAST WOMAN IN ENGLAND Maggie Joel, Canvas/Constable & Robinson, 2013, £14.99, hb, 345pp, 9781472101938 Harriet Wallis, middle-class wife and mother in a respectable neighbourhood, has been accused of shooting her husband. But why would she want to murder him before a houseful of well-to-do guests during the coronation day of Queen Elizabeth II, an action which makes her at once instantly newsworthy but her motivations quickly forgotten by a 1950s public and by her own family? Maggie Joel’s moving fictional narrative of lives torn apart by horror of a pre-war past and the difficulties of living in a very different post-World War II Britain answers these questions.

While Harriet’s respectable marriage to Cecil Wallis is slowly revealed to hold darker, devastating 20th Century

secrets which threaten to destroy everything, Jean Corbett feels that she has been called by God to undertake the role of nanny in the Wallis household to lay her own ghosts to rest. As their two inner worlds begin to converge, and social mores battle with emotional loyalties, it is clear that all roads lead to murder.

This is a story of vengeance and shattered illusions of memories past, and of respectability made unbearable by adherence to rules and social manners which no longer hold value in a post-war society. Most of all, however, it is a story of the hidden trauma carried by ordinary people throughout their lives and which, given the right circumstances, can reach breaking point.

Maggie Joel has produced some ordinary yet intriguing protagonists spanning the social classes, traumatised by their feelings of responsibility for a past over which they had no control, and for whom we can feel immense sympathy.

As a piece of post-World War II social history this is a fascinating work; as a novel of crime, morality and motivation for murder, this is at once readable and heartbreaking. It comes highly recommended.

Claire Cowling VIRGIN SOUL Judy Juanita, Viking, 2013, $26.95, hb, 320pp, 9780670026586 Geniece is a young African-American student at the city college of Oakley College when we first meet her. She is determined to get an education, which she sees as the only way out of the segregationist mentality of most of America. At least it’s a chance. What was it like in the 1960s to be proud of one’s race and yet be mocked if one was not militant in one’s beliefs and responses to the surrounding white world?

Judy Juanita charts the path of her protagonist to show how this young woman slowly acquired a sense of her “black-ness.” Initially, it is her friend Allwood who initiates her into the writings of Frederick Douglass, W.E.B. Dubois, Malcolm X, Stokely Carmichael, and others who intelligently wrote about race in the United States. She’s fascinated by this world that doesn’t quite seem real, especially through the haze of constant pot smoking. Then it’s on to her political education via Fanon, Marx, Engels, Dubois (a different side of his later writings) and others. This is the world that basically elicits reaction from a militant, angry group of African-Americans who mock everything in the non-black world and who, through the Muslim religion, begin to develop a proud identity.

Geniece has to cope with family reactions to the changes they see in “Niecy.” But the space between academia and practical living can be vast, one which Geniece finally crosses and unites, exhilarated at first when she joins protests and marches but later petrified as militancy becomes a literal war. In one respect, Geniece’s observer/participant role works well, providing objectivity about this evolution into revolution via the Black Panther Party that underscores its reality. Virgin Soul is a vital read as a vivid, realistic account of this historically significant period in American history. Highly recommended!

Viviane Crystal

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CITY OF HOPE Kate Kerrigan, William Morrow, 2013, $14.99, pb, 352pp, 9780062237286 / Pan, 2012, £7.99, pb, 400pp, 9780330516990 City of Hope, the sequel to Ellis Island, begins in Ireland in 1934. It has been over ten years since Ellie returned from America with enough money to pay for her husband John’s leg surgery. Today, John works on the farm his parents own, and Ellie owns a successful business in town. They yearn for a child, although she has failed to carry to term.

She arrives home one day to discover John slumped over a chair, having died of a heart attack.

Ellie spirals into inconsolable grief, refusing comfort from everyone. After the customary Irish wake and funeral passes, denial and hopelessness pervade her thoughts, and she makes the sudden decision to return to America. She leaves her business and family behind as she seeks solace in her past. After arriving in New York, she questions her purpose in life until one day she meets Maureen, a homeless woman with children. Once again, an entrepreneurial challenge sets in motion a plan that has unexpected results.

City of Hope is a lovely story that captures the essence of the 1930s. The author weaves her story around the social issues of that time: labor strikes, homelessness, poverty, joblessness, and the plight of single women. Ellie Hogan is a strong female character, but the author doesn’t make her sympathetic enough. However, two lesser characters emerge who will delight the reader: Sheila, a somewhat eccentric and shallow woman out to catch a man, and Bridie, a steadfast mother figure who Ellie comes to depend on.

Readers with an affinity for generational epics and historical fiction will enjoy both Ellis Island and City of Hope, with a promise of book three to come.

Wisteria Leigh THE CONDITIONS OF LOVE Dale M. Kushner, Grand Central, 2013, $24.99/ C$27.99, hb, 384pp, 9781455519750 In Wild Pea, Illinois, in the 1950s, Eunice lives with her mother, Mern, and God forbid she be called Mother. That’s fine, because she’s not much of one.

Mern’s flightiness takes them to Wisconsin, away from supportive friends. When a flood separates them, Mern opts for California and Eunice finds a home with Rose, who lives off the land without electricity but imparts a peace and maturity to Eunice’s life. But social workers intervene, placing Eunice with a foster family. She is as unlike them as she was Mern, and she finds love and a home on a farm with Fox, an older man (Eunice is only sixteen at this point). The maturity Rose has taught her is tested when Fox has a terrible accident.

Kushner deftly captures Eunice in all of her awkward years as well as her adult relationship with Fox. The setting—small-town Midwest— means that Eunice remains almost untouched by social and political events of the 1950s and 1960s.

Instead, the period comes out in the small details; Mern styles herself after Ava Gardner, Grace Kelly, or Rita Hayworth, according to her fancy. Mern is an infuriating character, a neglectful mother without much to redeem her, almost a cliché.

Instead, Eunice’s time with Rose and with Fox is much more engrossing and original. Eunice herself

can be frustrating, but that’s an aspect of her youth, and what is satisfying is to see her not turn into her mother, deliberately choosing another path.

This is a beautifully written book, demanding time and attention. Although not overtly historical, it is impossible to imagine the time and space that Eunice has for introspection as possible in a modern setting.

Ellen Keith HIS MAJESTY’S HOPE Susan Elia MacNeal, Bantam, 2013, $15.00/£10.99, pb, 336pp, 9780345536730 In 1941, Maggie Hope, a mathematician and code breaker working for an elite British spy organization, parachutes into Nazi Germany. She poses as the mistress of a German officer who is secretly a member of a resistance movement. Her mission is to deliver radio crystals to the resistance and to plant a listening device in the office of a high-ranking Nazi, Clara Hess. On her way to plant the device, Maggie meets Clara’s daughter, Elise, a nurse in a Berlin hospital. Elise has made a horrifying discovery: blind, deaf, and mentally ill children are being gassed at secret facilities.

Working with the resistance, Elise tries to save the children and to inform the German people about the mass murders. Elise clears a space in her mother’s attic to hide the children, and she also hides a Jewish doctor and a wounded British pilot, who turns out to be Maggie’s almost-fiancé, John. As soon as Maggie discovers the truth of the euthanasia program, she helps Elise in her work, and is reunited with John. But will Elise be able to get them out of Germany without her mother’s discovering them?

Maggie is a wonderful character: brilliant and courageous, but also vulnerable as she struggles to come to terms with the horrors of war and the secrets of her own past. This novel is darker than the previous volume in the series, as it deals with the mass murder of children. The author’s depiction of wartime Berlin is vivid and horrifying.

There are a few anachronisms, such as a mention of DNA, which was not discovered until after World War II, but they didn’t bother me. The book left me wanting to know what will happen to Maggie in her next adventure.

Vicki Kondelik INTERMISSION Owen Martell, William Heinemann, 2013, £12.99, hb, 169pp, 9780434022045 In June 1961, the Bill Evans Trio, featuring Scott LaFaro, completes a series of concerts at the Village Vanguard in Greenwich Village that will become part of the iconography of jazz. Within days of the final performance, LaFaro is dead in a car accident and Evans has dropped off the jazz community’s radar, not to reappear for several months.

Owen Martell’s exquisite novella speculates about Evans’ life during his ‘disappearance’. Written in four voices – those of Bill’s parents, Harry and Mary, his brother, Harry Junior, and Bill himself – the novella probes the family dynamic with a knife-like precision and unflinching compassion.

Martell’s deployment of language is as skilful and nuanced as Evans’ piano playing, and finds out the reader’s emotional tendernesses just as surely as listening to music of any kind can do. His HNR Issue 65, August 2013 | Reviews | 45

fictional vision is clear and detailed, imbuing the most mundane of actions – washing up, playing a game of golf, taking the family to the beach on a Sunday – with an intensity which is beautiful and terrifying in equal measure. The world he evokes, with only the slightest of nods in the direction of the ‘big’ history of its time – the Kennedy presidency, Yuri Gagarin’s voyage into space – is an improbably harmonious blend of the quotidian and the portentous as the Evans family struggles with loss and disappointment against a brooding background of summer storms. In life, as in music, tiny adjustments have consequences just as forceful as major changes of key or syncopation.

The novella is elliptical and allusive, abjuring the conventions of mainstream storytelling to achieve something hypnotic and magnetising.

Well worth the read even if, like me, you find jazz incomprehensible!

Sarah Bower THE MAN FROM BERLIN Luke McCallin, Berkley, 2013, $15/C$16, pb, 448 pp, 9780425263051 This not-your-average murder mystery is set in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia in May, 1943. The country is nominally under Nazi rule but controlled by a myriad of appointed agencies. When a prominent socialite and a German intelligence officer are found murdered, the Abwehr (military intelligence), the Sarajevo police, the Feldgendarmerie (military police), the Ustasa (governing fascist party), the Geheime Feldpolizei (ultra-powerful Secret Field Police) and even communist patriots get involved in a multi-level manhunt not always aimed at bringing the killers to justice.

The book is divided into two parts. The first, covering the initial stages of the investigation, is more about the central character’s struggle with his personal demons. This is Captain Gregor Reinhardt, former Berlin police detective and decorated WWI veteran. He now serves in military intelligence and is ordered to work with local police to find the killers. His tragic family situation, nightmares of war horrors, and daily struggle to function in the suffocating war machine keep him on the brink of suicide.

The reading here is hard going as we are drawn into the depths of Reinhardt’s depression. But, if you make it to the second half, when Reinhardt is empowered to launch a full blown investigation, you will emerge into a spirited, fast-paced, and exciting hunt. The ending is all too real and not to be spoiled.

The author has an excellent sense of place.

Descriptions of the Yugoslavian countryside are especially well done. Also, Reinhardt’s character is compelling, as complex and conflicted as the powers that surround him. None of the characters in the story is flat or stereotyped; it is a cast of very human personas locked in the vicious politics of wartime occupation.

When all is said and done, I would say this is an excellent story. I look forward to the next Gregor Reinhardt mystery.

Lucille Cormier UNDER THE JEWELLED SKY Alison McQueen, Orion, 2013, £12.99, pb, 391pp, 9781409131182 / Sourcebooks Landmark, 2014, 46 | Reviews |

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THE SILENCE OF BONAVENTURE ARROW

Rita Leganski, Harper Paperbacks, 2013, $14.95, pb, 378pp, 9780062113764 Leganski has created a tale filled with the languid charm and mysticism of the Louisiana bayou. Her story of little Bonaventure, born posthumously and mute but with extraordinary hearing, is suffused with the hauntings of family secrets, hidden guilt, voodoo, and love that transcends death itself. In the early 1950s, William Arrow, Bonaventure’s father, is murdered while running an errand for his wife, Dancy, two months before the child’s birth. Overwhelmed by grief and guilt, Dancy agrees to move in with William’s intimidating, wealthy mother rather than with her own mother, a woman who is hypocritical and conniving.

As Bonaventure grows, no one realizes that his muteness is more than compensated by his otherworldly hearing. He can even hear “conjured charms and sanctified spirits deep in the marrow of New Orleans,” but more importantly, he’s visited often by the voice of his deceased father, who has delayed going to heaven until the people he loves most – his mother, wife, son – can be released from their sorrow and guilt and can permit themselves to go beyond his tragic death. Gentle Bonaventure discovers long-held family secrets and is the means by which his family can heal and be released from the mistakes and lost loves of the past.

This debut novel is a tour de force. It’s a beautifully, lyrically written fantasy and it captures the languorous mystery and allure of New Orleans in the wonderful love story between William and Dancy. Bonaventure is a believable little boy, not overly precocious but sensitive and loving.

If you love New Orleans and vampires aren’t always your thing, read this book. It’s magical.

Pamela Ferrell Ortega

$14.99, pb, 414pp, 9781402288760 Under the Jewelled Sky is the story of Sophie Schofield and the men in her life. Not having had the easiest of upbringings with her mother, it is little wonder that Sophie’s existence is less than straightforward. So too is the book, as it travels through time and place from the 1940s to the ´70s, with India starring as another vivid character as it goes through Partition. The book is wonderfully written and highly evocative, with its foreign sights and smells and sounds putting the reader firmly in synch with the characters and locations. Sophie’s father, the good doctor, comes across as one of the truly genuine characters in the story with the real love he has for his daughter as she grows from child to woman. So, too, the marvellous Mrs. Ripperton. Under the Jewelled Sky is heartbreaking and heartwarming, and you’ll need a box of tissues by your side before you get to the beautiful ending.

Katy O’Dowd THE MANNEQUIN HOUSE R.N. Morris, Crème de la Crime, 2013, $28.95/£19.99, hb, 224pp, 9781780290386 This murder mystery is set in 1914, but the historical setting is not a strong element in its pages. It reads like Golden Age detective fiction in terms of its style and the deft handling of the omniscient viewpoint with frequent shifts into the detective’s psyche. The detective, Silas Quinn, is internally tormented and under a cloud due to the high body count of recent investigations, and early

in the novel the action seems almost unbearably suspended as Quinn overanalyzes minor points, including the fact that the officer technically in charge of the case wears an identical overcoat to his own.

Just at the moment where it seems the author’s gift for vivid, highly figurative description is being allowed to run wild to the detriment of the story, the locked-room plot resolves itself into an intense psychological mosaic. The plot itself—the murder of a young woman who works as a mannequin in the department store owned by Benjamin Blackley, a crowd-pleaser with a domineering, sadistic side—is relatively straightforward, but the way in which the unraveling of the mystery affects Quinn is fascinating. Murder mysteries tend to deal with the darker emotions, but in The Mannequin House it is the detective, the representative of justice, who seems to stand squarely within their shadow, to the bemusement of his colleagues.

R.N. Morris’s elegant writing style does much to sustain the reader’s interest, but where he falls down, perhaps, is in attempting humorous touches, especially with quirky, dialect-ridden minor characters. But then the same could be said of other Golden Age writers. When we look through Quinn’s eyes the prose is flawless. An uneven but compelling read.

Jane Steen RATLINES Stuart Neville, Harvill Secker, 2013, 403pp, 20th Century

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Jan Morrill, Univ. of Arkansas Press, 2013, $29.95, hb, 305pp, 9781557289940 On December 7, 1941, the Japanese military attacked Pearl Harbor, killing the father of a young African-American, Terence – who flies out of his house in a rage, joins some friends, attacks a Japanese man, and is convicted of murder. Sentenced to serve two years in prison, he has plenty to think about. He begins to study to get his high school diploma and learns to see bias, prejudice, and race from a different point of view, with the assistance of a caring white lawyer who inspires Terence to become a truly free man who serves society rather than blames or abuses it.

At the same time, Terence’s crime has left Sachiko and Nobu fatherless and their mother, who becomes more and more disheartened with life day by day, a widow. The three are sent first to the Japanese internment camp in Santa Ana, California, and then to another camp in Arkansas. They struggle mightily to deal with their immense anger and confusion at the shameful behavior of the Americans who imprison them “for their own safety,” albeit in the guise of a naïve and shameful excuse. Beautiful and strange friendships are formed, misunderstandings and apologies abound, and hope springs eternal in the face of the harshest conditions.

This novel is sensitive, bold, and creative; the truth of the experiences herein is nothing less than astonishing and refuses to truck with clichés or easy solutions. This is one of the best books this reviewer has read in years! Highly recommended.

Viviane Crystal £12.99, hb, 9781846557378 / Soho, 2013, $26.95, hb, 356pp, 9781616952044 Ireland, in the summer of 1963, is preparing for a visit from U.S. President John F. Kennedy when a series of murders draws unwelcome attention to the community of ex-Nazis sheltering in the country while its government turns a blind eye.

Intelligence officer Lieutenant Albert Ryan is ordered to investigate and make the bad publicity go away.

Stuart Neville’s earlier books have received considerable acclaim, but I was disappointed in Ratlines. The setting is original, covering an aspect of post-war history which has unsurprisingly been swept under the carpet. The plot is gratifyingly complex and the pace relentless (and the violence liberal, if a little unoriginal), but setting and characterisation are perfunctory and put me in mind of the literary equivalent of painting by numbers. Period references to a new film about a glamorous secret agent called James Bond should be a neat intertextual joke, but are too heavyhanded. Although the dog-loving, vintage swilling torturer, Celestin Laine, is a joyful villain, Ryan himself is clumsily characterised. The devices used to distance him from Bond are too obvious – his ‘saggy’ face and cheap suits, a girlfriend (only just on the right side of a Bond girl) who calls him Bertie.

Most catastrophic to the narrative, however, is his compassionate streak. At a crucial point he fails to follow through as a professional agent should and, for me, this made him, and the rest of the story, implausible. The plot no longer felt strong enough to support the action.

Ratlines is entertaining enough, and I would 20th Century

be content to find it in my holiday villa for a spot of beach reading but ultimately, the book fails to deliver on its promise.

Sarah Bower THE BRIDE BOX Michael Pearce, Severn House, 2013, $28.95/£19.99, hb, 224pp, 9780727883032 In 1913, while Egypt’s nominal head is a Khedive, the country is actually controlled by the British High Commissioner. Captain Owen is the Mamur Zapt—head of the secret police—in Cairo.

A young girl, Leila, is discovered hiding under a train from Luxor. She informs the authorities that she was sold by her father to a group of Sudanese but escaped before being put on a slave ship. Owen is asked to probe into the matter, for such activity is thought to have been eliminated.

Owen’s colleague Mahmoud works for the Parquet—Department of Prosecutions—which, although staffed by lawyers, investigates crimes. An odious shipment addressed to a Cairo Pasha is also unloaded from a Luxor train. The item is a Bride Box thought to contain the ‘bottom-drawer’ objects of a bride, but instead a young woman’s corpse is found inside. Mahmoud is assigned to the case.

Leila happens to spot the Bride Box and exclaims that it belongs to her elder sister, Soraya.

Leila also identifies Soraya’s clothing from the box, confirming the identity of the deceased, so Mahmoud and Owen head to Soraya’s village.

There they question a lineup of possible suspects and, in their investigations, uncover much more than slave trading and murder.

While the mystery aspects in this novel are

light, the period details of life in the cities and villages, including the poverty and descriptions of the landscape, are extensive. Egypt in 1913 was undergoing tumultuous times, and Pearce brings out the conflict between the various ethnic groups admirably. He presents a balanced approach, with musings such as: “The Egyptian population is struggling under the oppression of the Pashas.

Egypt is struggling under the rule of the foreigners.

Who were the British to rule his country?”

While this is the seventeenth novel in the Mamur Zapt series, it can be enjoyed as a standalone. Recommended.

Waheed Rabbani IN THE MIND’S EYE Barbara Ponomareff, Quattro Books, 2011, C$16.95, pb, 84pp, 9781926802497 In this novella set just after World War I, Caitlin, a newly graduated psychologist interning at the Toronto Hospital for the Insane, grapples with both personal and professional dilemmas. She is one of the first women to enter her profession and must forge her own path without role models.

Will she continue to work with hospitalized schizophrenics when her time as an intern is over? Will she go ahead and marry her fiancé, who is something of a self-important careerist, but whose intellect captivates her? Her relationship with Philip, a young, severely mentally ill patient, threatens to cross professional boundaries. Her feelings for another man, recently returned from war and traumatized by it, leads to an unexpected romantic encounter. In the end, she comes to see others and herself more clearly and has a better idea of what she wants from life.

Much of the novella consists of exposition, grounded in Caitlin’s point of view. I would have liked a bit more dialogue and more opportunity to observe characters directly. The scenes with the fiancé are quite spare, barely sketched out. Philip’s relationship with Caitlin is the heart of the novella and is deeply moving. But he is fully developed as a character only late in the story when Caitlin reads his journal. It might have been better to give the reader more of a sense of who he is sooner. The author is a retired psychotherapist, and the writing is psychologically perceptive. It is also poetic and often strikingly beautiful. I was engrossed throughout and would love to read a longer, more fleshed out work by this author.

Phyllis T. Smith YOU MAKE ME FEEL SO DEAD Robert Randisi, Severn House, 2013, $28.95/£19.99, hb, 192pp, 978072788277 Eddie Gianelli is a pit boss at the famous Sands Hotel and has become friends with the Rat Pack in Vegas of 1964. Early on in You Make Me Feel So Dead, one of those friends, Frank Sinatra, calls Eddie G. and asks him to show a friend a good time; the friend in question is Elvis Presley, and Eddie’s job also includes keeping Elvis out of trouble (by request of Colonel Tom Parker). This proves more difficult than Eddie imagined when another close friend is accused of murder and Eddie becomes involved in the investigation. Before long, Frank, Dino, and Elvis are helping Eddie track down possible leads and interacting with mobsters and suspicious policemen.

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You Make Me Feel So Dead is a fun mystery, and its use of the Rat Pack and other celebrities is thoroughly enjoyable. Randisi takes some of the known facts of the time and works Eddie G. into them flawlessly. The mystery is simple and not hard to follow. There is a lot of emphasis on who is eating what for some reason, but Randisi makes it entirely plausible that the Rat Pack and Elvis somehow become involved in a murder investigation. My only personal issue was I didn’t realize this was the newest in a series, so occasionally I was wondering about stories referenced. But overall I was immersed in the atmosphere of Las Vegas in the ´60s and had a rollicking good time. I’ll be searching out others in the series.

Tamela McCann HUMAN GAME Simon Read, Constable, 2013, £18.99, hb, 235pp, 9781780330204 The 1963 film The Great Escape ends as the majority of the re-captured World War II prisoners from Stalag Luft are shot in cold blood by the Gestapo. Simon Read’s Human Game commences at the beginning of the intensive three-year search for the Nazis who murdered these fifty Officers of the British and Allied Forces.

On the night of 24 March 1944, seventy-six airmen, whose duty was to harass, confuse, and confound the enemy, escaped from the prisonerof-war camp in Sagan, then part of Germany. The hunt for them occupied 100,000 German military personnel. Perhaps if they had known before the break-out that escaping had now become a deadly game, it may not have happened. As the Allies penetrated further onto German soil, the Nazi regime became even more barbaric and Hitler had made a secret decision to execute the escapees when caught.

In September 1945, amid the post-war chaos of a divided Germany, a RAF investigation team started to track down many of the Gestapo murderers. With limited resources they had to deal with the inefficient French and obstructive Russians whose zone, which now included Sagan, was closed to British and American forces.

Escape stories permeate both world wars. In Human Game, it is what happened afterwards which makes for chilling reading. Meticulously researched, Simon Read has written a book of ‘faction’, a drama documentary which it may become, skilfully told and totally compelling.

Gwen Sly THE EMPEROR OF PARIS C. S. Richardson, Doubleday Canada, 2012, $25.00, hb, 276pp, 978385670906 That baker Octavio Notre-Dame will meet art restorer Isabeau Normande in C. S. Richardson’s second novel, The Emperor of Paris, is never in doubt to the reader, but Richardson does not make the meeting quick or painless. And for that, the reader is all the richer.

In early 20th century Paris, Isabeau initially becomes aware of Octavio as he escorts his shellshocked father around the Louvre, making up imaginative stories about the paintings and their inhabitants. When she later sees him carrying large bundles of books across the Tuileries Garden each Sunday afternoon, she believes he must be a writer 48 | Reviews |

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or, at least, and an avid reader like herself. What she can’t know is that, like herself, Octavio suffers from a childhood impairment which prevents him from embracing the world as fully as he would like.

Richardson’s novel is a beautifully constructed book which he says took five years to write and in which the reader can appreciate his carefully chosen, witty and inviting words on every page.

His love of Paris is clear throughout the novel, but instead of putting the city center stage he uses it very successfully as a quiet backdrop against which his collection of beautifully observed, idiosyncratic characters go about their daily lives. By taking his time and choosing his words carefully, Richardson masterfully weaves the strands of their stories together into an extraordinary love story.

Despite Richardson’s first novel, The End of the Alphabet, winning the Commonwealth Writer’s Prize and The Emperor of Paris being longlisted for the 2012 Giller Prize, Richardson believes that he is still ‘learning the craft’ of writing. If the beauty and atmosphere of his latest novel is anything to go by, I readily look forward to his next endeavour.

Janice Parker THE HANGING OF SAMUEL ASH: A Hook Runyon Mystery Sheldon Russell, Minotaur, 2013, $25.99, hb, 320pp, 9781250001016 The talents of one-armed railroad detective Hook Runyon are put to the test in the mystery The Hanging of Samuel Ash. In the post-war West

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of the late ‘40s, Hook and his faithful dog Mixer are dealing with pickpockets and the usual ups and downs of life on the rails when the corpse of a young veteran is found hanging from a wigwag signal.

Reluctant to abandon a war hero to a pauper’s grave, Hook sets out with the casket to find the young man’s family, if there is one. His search leads him to a small town in Oklahoma where there are many carefully protected secrets. While trying to uncover the truth behind the victim’s death, Hook is faced with challenges brought about by a potential assassin, a callow new assistant, and a lovely former convent novice, not to mention the usual colorful cast of railway compatriots. In the meantime, Hook endeavors to expand his library of first editions, which he keeps in the red caboose he calls home. Full of suspense as well as pathos, Russell’s narrative style is laced with the dry humor that makes for a highly entertaining read.

Elena Maria Vidal THE TWELFTH DEPARTMENT William Ryan, Mantle, 2013, £13.99, pb, 320pp, 9780230769045 / Minotaur, 2013, $25.99, hb, 352pp, 978-0312586522 This is the third in William Ryan’s Soviet detective series set in 1930s Moscow. Captain Korolev, hero of the Revolution and now a police investigator, is looking forward to a well-earned holiday and a prized visit from his young son Yuri. This pleasant and potential future unravels quickly, however, when he is ordered to investigate

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Dan Smith, Pegasus Crime, 2013, $25.95, hb, 368pp, 9781605984407 / Orion, 2013, £7.99, pb, 400pp, 9781780222868 In the winter of 1930, the inhabitants of Vyriv, a tiny village in the western Ukraine, wait uneasily for the Red Army advancing across the country, pillaging villages and taking “volunteers” for work camps. Luka, a weary war veteran, only wants to protect his family and his farm from Stalin’s reach, and he prays that the army will ride right past the hollow in the steppes where Vyriv lies hidden. When someone does arrive, it’s an exhausted stranger pulling a sled with a grisly cargo. The anxious villagers react with fear, thinking to save themselves, only to find that the opposite has happened. In the chaos, a child has vanished.

Luka, former army sharpshooter and expert tracker, sets off across the frozen steppes with his teenaged sons after the child and the one who took her. One son is guilt-ridden over the child’s disappearance, the other vengeful. But the thief is playing a more sinister game, with the child as his bait. Luka must learn to trust in his skills and the strengths of his two sons as they evade the advancing Soviets and attempt to beat the child thief at his own game.

The Child Thief is a taut, smart thriller and, as might be expected from the premise, uncomfortable. But it is more than just the chilling hunt for a kidnapper. Luka’s search dredges up a lost feeling of excitement from his army days, and an accompanying feeling of unease. He’s never fully recovered mentally from war and suspects that his quarry might be as jagged. The Child Thief offers up a tense pace and nervous twists, but it’s emotionally satisfying. Beyond its obvious thriller qualities, it’s a story about fathers and sons, about the aftereffects of war, and about a ruthless and unforgiving slice of history. Highly recommended.

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the murder of an eminent scientist. As Korolev digs deeper, it emerges that the victim’s research was of vital importance to the top echelons of the Soviet state, and when another scientist is brutally murdered, he finds himself caught in a turf war between competing factions in the NKVD. As he struggles to satisfy both his masters and his own conscience, Yuri goes missing, and Korolev attempts to bring the investigation to a resolution that he can live with and that keeps his son safe.

I haven’t read the previous two novels in this series, but The Twelfth Department is so good that in fact, while not hindering the reader’s enjoyment, it further succeeds in whetting the reader’s appetite for the previous novels. The fetid and suffocating atmosphere created by Ryan, where friends, colleagues and even family cannot be trusted, is brilliantly realised and becomes progressively worse as the narrative unfolds and Korolev’s choices narrow. The characterisation is simply excellent.

Korolev is a conflicted and complex character whose personal story intertwines with the twisted and turning investigative narrative while the other characters, such as the Moscow mob boss, Count Kolya, are all energised and smoothly drawn.

As a crime story this is excellent, but as a historical crime novel, it is outstanding.

Gordon O’Sullivan BEN BARKA LANE Mahmoud Saeed (trans. Kay Heikkinen), Interlink, 2013, pb, 276pp, $15, 9781566569262 In 1964, al-Sharqi, an Iraqi political refugee, arrives in Mohammadiya, a town on the Moroccan Mediterranean coast. Finding a high-school teaching position and an apartment in a modern concrete building, he feels like a stranger who has “stumbled upon a paradise that Adam himself would envy.”

Al-Sharqi is described as one who’s “never far from sex or politics.” He soon discovers unattached male friends and joins them in the la-dolce-vita in town and in neighboring Casablanca. While many fun-loving girls partially fulfill al-Sharqi’s carnal desires, he learns of Moroccan political strife through befriending a former activist, al-Habib, who dwells in the same building. King Hassan is cracking down on the opposition. Al-Habib was imprisoned but, having a weak heart, was released.

While al-Sharqi wishes to live in peace, his tranquil life is soon disturbed when a voluptuous young woman, Ruqayya, come to reside in the same building. Her beauty immediately besots al-Sharqi, but she does not return his amorous advances and prefers to remain only in a friendly relationship.

Ruqayya’s deep love for the ailing al-Habib, is a mystery for al-Sharqi. When, following a murder, al-Sharqi learns of the reason for Ruqayya’s infatuation, he faces a dilemma, whether to be deceitful or stay true to his principles.

Originally published in Arabic in 1970, the novel’s theme of survival from remnants of colonial misery, anguish and dejection, during a time of disorder from political change, is still current today, particularly following the Arab Spring.

Mahmoud Saeed’s tale of infatuation, reprisal and treachery, with evocative descriptions of North African scenes and life, entices us. Also, his writing style will remind readers of Camus’ celebrated The Stranger. The wonderful lines, such as “Can you 20th Century

discover a forest the first time you walk through it?” will surely beguile readers into a second perusal.

Highly recommended.

Waheed Rabbani THE ART OF JOY Goliarda Sapienza (trans. Anne Milano Appel), Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2013, $30.00, hb, 704pp, 9780374106140 / Penguin Classics, 2013, £25.00, hb, 704pp, 9780241956991 Modesta begins her account by describing her mentally challenged sister, Tina. Their mother says Tina is a curse caused by her father’s sinful ways.

Sin is a constant presence in Modesta’s early years but not something she takes to heart after she has been raped, becomes an orphan, and is sent to live in a convent financed by rich, aristocratic families. She quickly displays a keen intelligence and becomes the protégé of the Mother Superior, Mother Leonora, to whom Modesta links with emotional and sexual energy that sets her apart from her other teachers and peers. Her idealization of this woman is shattered when she discovers that the older woman also sexually satisfies herself, and on it goes until her death.

To Modesta, sex is an ever-present focus, which she describes in essence as “an art, a skill, a mental and physical exercise of the mind and of the senses like any other.” Those who deny this definition she perceives as holding a deep fear of “investigation, of experimentation, of discovery, of life’s fluidity… a copy of the old Christian bourgeois society.” She moves on to serve as a maid in the Bradifortis family and marries their retarded son. Never satisfied, she has an affair and an illegitimate child.

Relationships seem beyond her, a distraction to a constant elusive hunger. Later, she discovers a political sense during WWII when she helps those fleeing the harshness and life-threatening eye of Fascism. Affairs with men and women characterize the later years of Modesta’s life, always qualified by a refusal to be possessed or adhere to social standards.

The Art of Joy to this reader is difficult to define or pin down as presented by its first and thirdperson narrator, whose life can be exemplified by the same ambiguity. Interesting and very different historical fiction!

Viviane Crystal WHEN LOVE CALLS (The Gregory Sisters, Book 1) Lorna Seilstad, Revell, 2013, $14.99, pb, 352pp, 9780800721817 Hannah Gregory has a promising future ahead of her when she must abandon her education to become the caretaker of her younger sisters, Charlotte and Tessa. Lincoln Cole, the young lawyer sent to evict them, finds himself on the wrong side of Hannah Gregory, and she rebuffs his help at every turn. Instead, Hannah pursues a job as a “Hello Girl,” a telephone switchboard operator.

The stringent rules the company enforces chafes at her independence and complicates matters when her best friend finds himself in trouble with the law. Is it possible that Hannah can support her family and pursue her dreams at the same time or will she miss her connection when love calls?

Seilstad, author of the Lake Manawa trilogy, sets the first book about the Gregory Sisters against

the 1908 backdrop of union riots and arson in Des Moines, Iowa. In Hannah, we discover the twofold blessing and burden of having a passionate, driven personality while other characters demonstrate the virtues of pursuing a Christ-like love, showing kindness, and living a “pure and undefiled religion.”

When Love Calls is an altogether lovely new addition to the inspirational fiction genre.

Lauren Miller FATAL INHERITANCE Catherine Shaw, Allison & Busby, 2013, £19.99/$29.95, hb, 352pp 9780749013226 London, 1900. Detective Vanessa Weatherburn has a new and baffling case. The young violinist, Sebastian Cavendish, has committed suicide, leaving a grieving mother and a distraught fiancée.

Nobody who knew him can understand why such a talented, extroverted and charismatic young man, on the threshold of a dazzling musical career, should have taken his own life. Vanessa, ex-tutor to one of Sebastian’s close friends, means to find out. All she has to go on is his enigmatic last note to his fiancée. Her search for the truth will take her across Europe, following Sebastian’s last days, and into some obscure places illuminating several late Victorian obsessions: the importance of heredity and how it might influence the nation’s health; Dr Freud’s latest theories; and a revealing meeting at the Society for Psychical Research. As the threads begin to unravel, Vanessa edges closer to the longkept secrets of a brilliant but tormented family – secrets somebody is determined to keep, no matter what the cost.

I enjoyed this. The research is historically impeccable and never resorts to ‘info dumps’.

Concerns of the period, e.g., the dubious ‘science’ of eugenics, and the proper sphere for women, come in quite naturally and, indeed, prove to be essential to unravelling the mystery. Shaw creates an authentic 1900s world where class is important and where certain things, especially to do with sex, are swept under the carpet as a matter of course. I particularly enjoyed the glimpse into the Darwins’ family life in Cambridge – echoes of Gwen Raverat’s (née Darwin) delightful autobiography, Period Piece. Vanessa herself is a New Woman.

A feminist without being strident; she observes the proprieties where she has to but isn’t afraid to ignore them when the occasion demands. The twists and turns of the plot kept me engrossed until the very end. Recommended.

Elizabeth Hawksley THE GALLERY OF VANISHED HUSBANDS Natasha Solomons, Plume, 2013, $16.00, pb, 336pp, 9780142180549 / Sceptre, 2013, £14.99, hb, 352pp, 9781444736342 In late 1950s London, Juliet Montague lives between two worlds. In the world of her conservative Jewish community, she’s an aguna, a woman whose husband has disappeared without divorcing her. She’s treated like an outcast widow, unable to remarry, and always looked at with suspicion, as if she were the reason her profligate husband, George, fled with her small savings and her prized portrait. That portrait is the key to Juliet’s other world, the world of art, artists, and life lived large.

HNR Issue 65, August 2013 | Reviews | 49

For decades, Juliet balances raising her children, living by some of her Jewish community’s edicts, loving a painter who does not embrace the modern world, and working in a trendy London art gallery.

Her knack for discovering artists and marketing their work leads to external success, but Juliet struggles with her uncomfortable position in society, where she can never be truly herself. As the years go by, she is painted by many of the artists she represents, and this amazing collection of portraits represents aspects of herself that she didn’t realize others could see; these painting allow readers to view Juliet through multiple lenses, adding layers to an already rich story.

Solomons provides wonderful descriptions of London in the 1950s and 1960s, as the city re-awakens after years of deprivation and war, to become vibrant and lively, just like Juliet herself.

The contrast between the worlds of staid Jewish matrons and elders and the free-spirited artists is well-done, ringing true and providing younger readers with an accurate picture of those fastchanging times. Solomons’ use of the exhibition catalog entries of Juliet’s portraits to separate the chapters is a clever, effective device and an inspiration for this reader to create her own mental portraits of Juliet and her life.

Helene Williams BEAUTIFUL FOOLS: The Last Affair of Zelda and Scott Fitzgerald R. Clifton Spargo, Overlook, 2013, $26.95, hb, 364pp, 9781468304923 / Duckworth, 2013, £16.99, hb, 368pp, 9780715645437 “That’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool,” wrote Fitzgerald in his famous book, The Great Gatsby. Spargo has used those words to title his brilliant novel, based on the little-known last vacation of Zelda and Scott, the ill-fated “Beautiful Fools.”

In April 1939, following a long separation due to Zelda’s stay in mental hospitals on the East Coast and Scott’s working and drinking hard and being unfaithful in Hollywood, the Fitzgeralds take a trip to Cuba. Scott is hopeful that this would be the elixir to revive their foundering marriage. In Havana and on the beaches, they encounter many local Cubans and Europeans who help them live their accustomed high life. While Scott continues to enjoy his alcohol and chocolate, Zelda begins to feel better. Despite enduring the usual tourist traps, witnessing a gruesome knife fight in a seedy nightclub, a near-romantic liaison with a SpanishFrench couple, and Scott getting badly beaten up in a fight, they once again experience the sparks of their former intimacy. However, Zelda’s euphoria begins to evaporate following their visit to a fortuneteller.

Using information from Scott’s and Zelda’s writings and biographies, Spargo has admirably reconstructed their vacation story. Through believable dialogue, flashbacks, and thoughts, the narrative encompasses not only the Cuban holiday but also fleshes out the Fitzgeralds’ former life and their troubled mental state. While the lovers’ tragic ending is well known, the heartbreaking story and evocative descriptions of pre-revolutionary Cuba will keep readers engrossed to the last page.

Recommended.

Waheed Rabbani 50 | Reviews |

HNR Issue 65, August 2013

THE KEEPER OF SECRETS Julie Thomas, William Morrow, 2013, $14.99/ C$16.99/£10.99, pb, 384pp, 9780062240309 The Keeper of Secrets brings together the stories of 14-year-old Simon Horowitz in Berlin in 1939 and 14-year-old Daniel Horowitz in present-day America. Simon is the son of a wealthy family about to lose everything to the Nazis, including their priceless 1742 Guarneri de Gesu violin.

Simon survives despite the odds, but loses nearly all his family. The violin, of course, is gone. Daniel, his grandson, is a musical prodigy, a young violinist already playing internationally—until his mother decides that baseball, his other love, is just too foolish a risk to his hands. Daniel reacts as any sensible 14-year-old would: he quits playing the violin.

The author actually weaves together three stories: Simon’s wartime survival; whether Daniel will or will not take on the burden and glory of his dazzling gift; and the mystery of what happened to the violin. Could it be that a Russian millionaire’s Guarneri de Gesu is the one that the Horowitz family lost to the Nazis?

This is a near perfect read, a book that teaches, intrigues, and entertains. Author Thomas is especially good at describing music; I could almost hear it. Each tale is satisfying, and the three strands come together just right.

This book’s genesis is a feel-good story in itself. Thomas, a television and film producer, got the idea for the novel when she was doing a documentary on art treasures looted by the Nazis.

She spent seven years researching and writing The Keeper of Secrets, which she then self-published as an e-book. After it sold more than 40,000 copies, HarperCollins called her. They loved the book and wanted to publish it. Recommended.

Kristen Hannum LOVE AND LAMENT John Milliken Thompson, Other, 2013, $15.95, pb, 400pp, 9781590515877 Love and Lament takes place in rural North Carolina during the 30 years leading up to and including World War I. Mary Bet Hartsoe is the focus of this work by John Milliken Thompson.

Her father is maimed from his time in the Civil War, and she can see early on that he is spiraling down into mental illness. One by one she loses her family for a variety of reasons, and she and her father are alone by the time she reaches her late teens. Her mother’s sister comes to help them and eventually marries her father, but Aunt Cattie’s presence is not enough to keep him mentally healthy, and when she dies, Mary Bet must place him in an institution. She is forced by circumstances to make her own way in the world, but she never lets the reader know how she really feels about anything and wrestles with her own psyche throughout most of the book. At age five she kills a baby rabbit and later on lets her brother’s pet crow slowly die of thirst, so her own mental state might be in question.

The synopsis states that she is forced to be independent in a man’s world, but I really didn’t see a struggle. Mary Bet makes history as the first female sheriff of North Carolina through circumstances of war but doesn’t seem to react at all when she is not re-elected. She just plods along

– arguing with herself about right and wrong, but not really standing for anything.

I wanted her to shake her fist at me and make me pay attention and care about her story, but it just didn’t happen.

Susan Zabolotny GRACE’S PICTURES Cindy Thomson, Tyndale House, 2013, $12.99, pb, 416pp, 9781414368436 Grace McCaffery needs a new start. She travels from Ireland to America at the turn of the 20th century, hoping to find that new start in the New World. But a stroll through Battery Park turns sinister, when local gangsters attack Grace, believing that her new Brownie camera holds photos of their mysterious leader.

Owen McNulty has a reputation to overcome.

Now a dedicated police offer, Owen once enjoyed a life of privilege. Unfortunately, many of Owen’s colleagues still see him as rich and spoiled.

Catching small-time gang boss Goo Goo Knox could go a long way in proving his good intentions.

Will Grace overcome her distrust of the police and allow Owen into her heart? Can Owen save Grace from the notorious gang bent on destroying her?

A turn-of-the-century novel, the first in the Ellis Island series, Cindy Thomson’s Grace’s Pictures is an interesting combination of suspense, romance, and inspiration. The engaging plot will keep readers guessing. The fantastic characters will make readers want more. Most of the story centers around Grace’s journey from captivity to freedom, a journey both physical and spiritual. The understated romance between Owen and Grace is beautifully developed. Moments between these two characters are rare, but powerful. Overall, Grace’s Pictures is a wonderful read for any fan of historical Christian fiction.

Nancy J. Attwell A QUESTION OF HONOR: A Bess Crawford Mystery Charles Todd, William Morrow, 2013, $25.99, hb, 320pp, 9780062237156 Fifth in the Bess Crawford series, A Question of Honor moves between India in 1908, when Bess is fifteen, and England/France in 1918, when Bess is a nurse during WWI. Bess’s father was stationed as colonel of a regiment on the Northwest Frontier in India. Officers often sent their children home to be educated, and as the novel opens, one officer receives word that his daughter Alice has died in England of typhoid. The distraught mother is accompanied back to England not by her husband, who cannot get leave, but by Thomas Wade, an officer who had already planned to go. Weeks after his return to duty, Thomas Wade disappears into the wilds of Afghanistan just ahead of the military police, who accuse him of murdering both a family while in England and his own parents in Agra, India where they worked for the railway. Searches for Lieutenant Wade come up empty-handed, report of his death comes in and, to the disgrace of the regiment’s honor, the crimes go unsolved.

On the Front, Bess hears the dying words of an Indian soldier. The secret he confides to her reopens the painful episode of Lieutenant Wade. With Simon Brandon’s help, her father’s right-hand man, Bess reexamines the old crimes.

20th Century

Todd weaves in themes of the vulnerability of children, hard choices when loyalties conflict, greed, the emptiness of social status, and the strength that comes from family ties. This is a particularly strong addition to this excellent series. Depiction of colonial life in India and the dire effects of WWI on English life are deeply compelling. The plot engages from the first page with surprising twists.

Bess deepens and grows in character.

Judith Starkston LILLIAN & DASH Sam Toperoff, Other Press, 2013, $15.95, pb, 436pp, 9781590515686 “A boozy, raucous, endlessly imaginative rendition of America during Hollywood’s golden age, as experienced through the lives of two of it most talented writers and creators.” Who could resist that pitch?

Lillian Hellman and Dashiell Hammett meet at a party thrown by Darryl F. Zanuck of Warner Brothers. Dash was basking in the success of The Maltese Falcon while Lillian’s career was just beginning. The attraction was instantaneous; their tempestuous relationship lasted over thirty years through the Depression, the Spanish Civil War, WWII and the McCarthy era. Both were married to other people.

What struck me immediately were the distinctive voices Toperoff has created for Dash and Lillian: voices that reflected their different backgrounds, education, social position and desires in a way that I felt like I was physically present, not merely reading about them. Dash has a hardscrabble upbringing, his father a no-good drunk who likens men to wolves “lonely, hungry, untamed.” Lillian is formed by her genteel Southern upbringing and Jewish heritage.

Dash is the storyteller whose success diminishes as Lillian’s rises. Lillian’s career is on Broadway where “a second success is more deeply resented than a first” and indeed her second play, Days to Come, closes after seven performances. Lillian picks herself up. Dash wallows in booze and squanders his money on horse racing.

At times Lillian and Dash lived together; at other times they were on opposite coasts and glad of it. They were good together and bad together.

They agreed and disagreed. They sparked and sparred. They fought and broke apart, inevitably circling back to sustain one another.

Interspersing Lillian’s and Dash’s voices with that of a third-person narrator, Toperoff presents a clear-eyed view of celebrity along with the major political and military events that bring about profound change in America and beyond.

Mary Tod THE ILLUSION OF SEPARATENESS Simon Van Booy, Harper, 2013, $24.99, hb, 224 pp, 9780062112248 / Oneworld, 2013, £12.99, hb, 224pp, 9781780743240 The Illusion of Separateness is several stories, all interconnected by events that took place during World War II. In this work inspired by true incidents, we follow the lives of Martin, Mr. Hugo, Danny, and Amelia in the present day; all three are shaped by what occurred to John (and by extension, Harriet and others) during the war.

Moving among the characters and throughout the time periods, we learn in carefully revealed layers 20th Century

how John, an American GI, crashed outside Paris and eventually came to know one of the others.

Through unconventional decisions, lives were saved and changed forever.

Van Booy has a very lyrical way of writing, with lots of gorgeous descriptors that bring the characters to life. Though this is a short novel, its depth is apparent as we watch John struggle with the realization that he holds life in his hands, and Amelia discovers the mystery of his actions after his death. At times I was overwhelmed with the tragedy and the inhumanity described throughout, but the author kept me engaged through his tantalizing revelations that had me eager to see how it would all play out. Though I did feel that some of the writing was a bit forced, almost as though it was looking for the most metaphorical way of stating an idea, overall this novel captured me early on and didn’t let go until the final page.

Recommended.

Tamela McCann DEATH AND THE OLIVE GROVE Marco Vichi (trans. Stephen Sartarelli), Pegasus, 2013, $25.00, hb, 272pp, 9781605984483 Florence, Italy sets the scene for this murder mystery, in which we find Inspector Bordelli and his partner Piras following two different murder investigations. The story takes place in the 1960s, with WWII and the German occupation of their city still fresh in the minds of our law officers, as they recall their roles in the war, and those memories impact the cases. The first murder involves the dwarf Casimiro, one the department informers. He takes the inspector to an olive grove outside an 18th-century villa, insisting that he saw a dead body there while poking around, but all they find is a Doberman set upon them by a mysterious man with a long black mark on his neck. Casimiro meets a grisly death, and the inspector is certain that he was killed because he returned to the olive grove to spy on the reclusive German man.

The other case involves a serial killer of little girls, found with human bite marks, and they struggle for clues as more children are being murdered.

The inspector calls for the aid of the White Dove, a Nazi-hunting organization, hoping that they can help him put together the pieces of this awful crime and bring the murders to an end.

I must admit I am not an Inspector Bordelli fan, finding the constant referencing to his smoking coupled with other people’s reactions to his chain smoking very distracting, an annoying addition to the book’s word count. The mystery story can stand alone without painting such a bleak and negative picture of the lonely, depressed inspector. The conclusion was a very good one.

Beth Turza THE CROOKED MAID Dan Vyleta, Bloomsbury, 2013, $26.00/C$29.99, hb, 438pp, 9781608198092 The characters of international historian Dan Vyleta’s third novel inhabit the complex, warravaged geography of 1948 Vienna. Vyleta’s novel is part murder mystery, part courtroom drama, part tragedy, part love story, and all of it compelling.

The eponymous maid is not, as the title might suggest, the villain of the story but rather a malformed young woman who works for the

wealthy Seidels, a family with dark secrets. Gudrun Anna Beer, whose first meeting with Robert Seidel opens the book, searches for her missing husband while Robert Seidel attempts to discover how his stepfather fell from the window of his study.

Meanwhile, the crooked maid also wants to know the whereabouts of Anton Beer, the American widow wants to publish a story about Beer, and an itinerant giant named Karel Neumann claims to have seen Beer.

Interwoven in this plot are details about the depredations suffered by German prisoners-ofwar as well as those suffered by the Russians, the similarities striking for their inhumanity. No one in this city, where denazification represents the city’s attempt to purge its dark past, is untouched by that past; innocence is a rare thing. A great read of an often-explored era from the side of those who lost the war.

Terri Baker THE PROMISE Ann Weisgarber, Mantle, 2013, £16.99, hb, 310pp, 9780230745650 In Galveston, Texas, in 1899, a dying woman demands a promise of her friend and housekeeper, Nan Ogden: to look after Andre, the dying woman’s son. Reluctantly Nan gives the promise, only to find herself caught up in a love triangle when Andre’s father brings home a new wife, a disgraced pianist called Catherine.

In 1900 the small island of Galveston was engulfed in a hurricane. Weisgarber has researched the time period and the storm thoroughly, although the novel wears its research lightly. The author also describes the surroundings and the weather with precision and elegance: “The barn was an island in a sea of water… The rain was a thousand waterfalls”.

She has a real talent for focusing sharply on the small, poignant details of everyday life; for example, when near-destitute Catherine realises she should have brought a present when meeting Andre, she opens her purse: “My mirror. My comb. The torn halves of train tickets.” Later, she decides the best present will be “a shiny penny”.

I only have two minor complaints about this book: firstly, the pace sagged slightly in the middle, after Catherine has arrived but before the hurricane hits, as though the author is killing time waiting for the next event to happen. Secondly, the book is titled The Promise, but after Nan has made her promise none of the characters ever seem to reflect on it again, and it does not affect Nan’s decisionmaking processes at all. The Promise is beautifully written, and its characters are well-drawn, but the promise itself seems an afterthought tagged on as a prologue. Despite this, it is a worthy and enjoyable read from an author previously longlisted for the previously-named Orange Prize for Fiction.

Laura Shepperson STARSHINE John Wilcox, Allison & Busby, 2012, hb, £19.99, 345pp, 9780749012892 As a fan of the Simon Fonthill series also by Wilcox, I was very anxious to read this novel, which is a departure from both character and setting of the previous novels. Set during World War One, it follows the fortunes of best friends and amiable love rivals Jim Hickman and Bertie Murphy as HNR Issue 65, August 2013 | Reviews | 51

they struggle to survive the muddy trenches. It is inspired in part by Wilcox’s own family history, as his father and all six uncles all fought in this awful war.

The terrible decision-making and sheer waste of human life, well-known from WW1, are very clear and the frustrations and fears of the individual soldiers are well described. The total arbitrariness of who lives and who dies is also clearly evident, with more than one soldier shot mid-sentence.

One second they’re alive and the next, gone.

The atmosphere and feeling of going over the top and being told to try to run through the mud towards the German guns are vivid for the reader, and the relationship between the main characters provides an emotional core for the novel. Both men are in love with Polly, and the war action is interspersed with her life on the home front as she takes a job doing essential war work in a factory while waiting and hoping for the two men to return home safely. Jim adapts well to army life and quickly moves up the ranks, partly at least due to the huge number of officer casualties. Bertie, however, becomes more and more depressed and mentally tormented by the death and destruction with which he is surrounded. Overall, a thoughtprovoking and atmospheric read which is recommended.

Ann Northfield A HUNDRED SUMMERS Beatriz Williams, Putnam, 2013, $26.95/$28.50, hb, 368pp, 9780399162169 Lily Dane returns to Seaview, Rhode Island, on Memorial Day of 1938 to begin another summer at her family’s home in the quaint oceanside community. She arrives with her family and sixyear-old sister, Kiki, who is lovable and precocious.

Seaview’s residents are a close-knit blend of old money socialites and families who traditionally summer and party together. When Budgie and Nick Greenwald arrive, Lily is forced to revisit her painful past.

Lily hasn’t seen Budgie, her best friend from college, and Nick, her ex-fiancé, in seven years. The Greenwalds create fuel for summer gossip not only because Nick is Jewish but because he was once madly in love with Lily. Tensions among Nick, Budgie and Lily mount as the three try to coexist during the summer season. One day, Graham Pendleton, a celebrated pitcher for the Yankees, arrives in town; Graham and Budgie had had a hot affair in college, but now, oddly, he sets his sights on Lily.

The novel begins several months before the infamous hurricane that decimated the coastal communities of Rhode Island’s South County.

Napatree Point in Watch Hill is still a sandbar visited by vacationers, and this setting promises a serene and reflective walk overlooking the turbulent Atlantic. Seaview is a fictitious community, but Beatriz Williams also captures with journalistic acuity the sudden wrath and destruction witnessed by residents.

The hurricane of 1938 lends a perfect metaphor to the lives of those who spent that summer in Seaview. Beatriz Williams masterfully imbeds unpredictable twists and turns that will transfix readers until the waters of the hurricane subside. It wouldn’t surprise this reviewer that if after reading 52 | Reviews |

HNR Issue 65, August 2013

C

THE RETROSPECTIVE

E D I TORS’ CH OICE

A. R. Yehoshua (trans. Stuart Schoffman), Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013, $26, hb, 352pp, 9780547496962 / Halban, 2013, £9.99, pb, 208pp, 9781905559565 Unlike the penitents drawn to Santiago de Compostela wearing symbolic scallop shells, aging Israeli filmmaker Yares Moses arrives in the Spanish cathedral town by invitation—to attend a retrospective of his work. In the hotel suite reserved for the aging director and Ruth, his muse, an unlikely painting hangs over the bed. Years ago, a dispute involving both Ruth and the painting, depicting a woman suckling an old man, ended Moses’ collaboration with the screenwriter Trigano and, some say, ended the director’s best work.

Trigano (who calls Moses “a failed artist”), helped organize the event; there are no coincidences here.

The director’s journey back to Israel, with its many side trips, becomes a retrospective of his own life, as Moses reflects on the wrongs he has done to others.

Worried about Ruth’s ill health, signs of aging, and his fading memory, he decides to seek out Trigano and make amends. Moses’ motives—like all his relationships—are complicated by his fears. Trigano, who knows Moses well, puts a price on his forgiveness.

Moses must replicate the painting for the camera. Staging the tableau vivant is needlessly complicated, which makes the humiliation of the old man seems needlessly cruel. When we learn the meaning of the painting, however, we begin to understand the act and its consequences.

We may read this as the story of an aging celebrity—there are parallels to the author’s life— but like the Hebrew title that connotes compassion as well as reflection, the plot contains layers of meaning. The Retrospective will surprise you, remain with you, and, eventually, demand a second look. Yehoshua’s reputation as one of Israel’s finest novelists is well deserved. (A Woman from Jerusalem, 2007.) The Retrospective is highly recommended.

Jeanne Greene A Hundred Summers, Napatree Point in Rhode Island is added to many bucket lists.

Wisteria Leigh I’LL GET BY Janet Woods, Severn House, 2013, $28.95/£19.99, hb, 240pp, 9780727882721 In this wonderful glimpse into WWII London, Meggie Elliot moves in with her loving Aunt Esme and Uncle Leo as she decides what direction her adult life will take her. Meggie’s dream is to attend the university to study law, so she begins this path by working in a law office, where she develops her first crush. London is experiencing daily bombing, and in order to serve her country, Meggie joins the WRNS. She is assigned as an assistant to a wealthy aristocrat who works in a top secret office, where her quick mind assists her superiors with breaking codes. There is more to Lord Nick Cowan than meets the eye. He is involved in mysterious and dangerous work on the side and has a history of past indiscretions that the analytical Meggie begins to piece together. Her affection for her boss begins to grow into passion, and new discoveries open up the eyes of this bright young woman.

While reading the first chapter of Janet Woods’ book, the characters seemed familiar to me. Although not advertised as a series, the story picks up the lives of those in her Depression-era novel Secrets and Lies, which I had reviewed earlier this year. Now the little girl Meg has grown up.

Once again the author has breathed life into the

lives of each person and writes their stories with the historical authenticity that one expects from a historical novel.

Beth Turza ANTIDOTE TO MURDER Felicity Young, Berkley, 2013, $16/$17, pb, 358pp, 9780425253540 Dr. Dody McCleland, England’s first woman autopsy surgeon, returns in this second book by Felicity Young. Opening in June 1911, less than six months after the end of the first novel, Dody throws herself into work at a community clinic for women after facing a setback with Chief Inspector Pike that cools their developing friendship.

Among her many patients is a young pregnant woman who is suffering from lead poisoning as a result of an attempt to end the pregnancy. Dody treats the lead poisoning, and in keeping with her conscience and the laws, counsels against further attempts to terminate the pregnancy.

Days later, the girl is found dead from a botched abortion procedure. At an inquest into the death, an anonymous letter casts blame onto Dody, and she’s removed from her position as assistant to famed autopsy surgeon Dr. Bernard Spilsbury while the police investigate her involvement. Pike is conspicuously absent during this time, as he is, unbeknownst to Dody, working undercover investigating a Danish dancer thought to be a German spy.

As with her previous novel, Young deals with 20th Century

the timely – and controversial – issues of the day with nuance and thoughtfulness. The story’s brisk plot is punctuated with rich historical detail of early 20th-century London and Young balances emotional entanglement with cool procedural process. The romantic subplot is enticing and the overarching mystery original and interesting.

While an entertaining standalone novel, readers will get much pleasure by starting with The Anatomy of Death and following with this one. Both Dody and Pike evolve in their work and in their friendship and the results are deeply satisfying.

Audra Friend LEAVING YUMA Michael Zimmer, Five Star, 2013, $25.95, hb, 340pp, 9781432827045 In 1907, J.T. Latham is serving a prison term in the Yuma Territorial Penitentiary for smuggling goods in Mexico. Because of his knowledge of the badlands around Sonora, Mexico, he is offered a pardon for rescuing the wife and children of a rich and powerful man named Ed Davenport. Latham learns that he is to help deliver the ransom for the release of Davenport’s family. A ruthless bandit chief named Chito Soto, along with Mexican rebels, is holding the family hostage in the town of Sabana, Mexico. The rescue group, consisting of Sherriff Del Buchman, Davenport, his employee Spencer and three Mexicans, is also faced with avoiding contact with the Yaqui Indian tribe, known for their hate of Mexicans and Americanos, and for torturing prisoners.

This novel is book three of the American Legends Collection, a mythical Federal Writers’ Project. Latham is interviewed in 1937, recounting his tale to a writer of the rescue attempt. In my opinion, Michael Zimmer is one of the best Western writers today. His novel is well researched, character-driven and suspense-filled until the conclusion. I have read several of his works and found each novel rewarding. If you have never read a Western novel before, I strongly suggest this book to be your first. Highly recommended.

Jeff Westerhoff

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multi-period

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LIGHTHOUSE BAY Kimberley Freeman, Touchstone, 2013, $16.00, pb, 417pp, 9781451672794 In 1901, the Aurora sinks off of the coast of Lighthouse Bay, Australia. The ship carries a small crew, and a jeweler and his wife, Isabella, who are in charge of delivering an ornate jeweled mace to the Australian Parliament. Isabella is trapped in a loveless marriage and is still grieving over the death of her infant son. When the ship goes down, she is able to swim from the wreckage, with the mace, and finds herself the only survivor. Seizing the opportunity, she leaves her old life behind and creates a new identity. Walking away from her unsympathetic husband and cruel extended family is easy, but she still struggles with the loss of her child.

Over one hundred years later, Libby Slater finds herself in a similar situation. Her lover passes away and leaves her a cottage on Lighthouse Bay. 20th Century — Multi-period

Unfortunately, Lighthouse Bay isn’t exactly a new start for Libby, it is her hometown. Returning means confronting the horrible events that caused her to leave in the first place. She also must face her sister, Juliet, who is unable to forgive her for her role in a tragic accident. As Libby tries to sort out her past she becomes drawn into the mystery of the Aurora. What happened to its passengers and its priceless treasure?

Freeman easily interweaves the story of the two women and their quest to find peace and new beginnings. The description of the Australian beach is warm and inviting, and the mystery within the story adds an exciting element. A fast-paced, perfect summer read. Highly recommended.

Janice Derr

the 1930s, others back in the 1800s. Besides the human folk who live on the mountain, many ghosts reside there as well. Some of the ghosts even take over human bodies. Though there is a genealogy chart in the front of the book, because of all the characters (living and dead) the book can become a little confusing. However, Hite evokes the mystery on the mountain elegantly.

Anne Clinard Barnhill

THE TOMB OF ALEXANDER Séan Hemingway, Arrow/Trafalgar Square, 2013, $12.95/£6.99, pb, 388pp, 9780099556855 Tom Carr is a modern-day archeologist leading a dig in Crete when a delicious new lead is found on an ancient stele. It mentions the long-sought tomb of Alexander the Great, saying that it had been moved from Alexandria by the Roman Emperor – but to where? The rest of the inscription is worn away. Modern technology has transformed the field of archaeology, revealing structures still buried and traces of ancient paint no longer visible to the eye.

Carr’s find is scanned, and words once missing point Carr toward the Pantheon in Rome.

And what of a vision described to Carr by a glamorous artist, Victoria Price? She’d been on a museum tour led by Carr when she fainted after “seeing” herself as a grave robber trapped within the tomb of Alexander, surrounded by the famed conqueror’s belongings. She describes an amulet which provides vital clues which send the couple racing from New York and across Europe to find Alexander’s tomb before ruthless grave robbers can beat them to it.

The Tomb of Alexander is the first novel from archeologist and Metropolitan Museum of Art curator Séan Hemingway. This Da Vinci Codestyle tale does a fine job of putting the reader in an archaeologist’s shoes, and if you love an entertaining mystery, The Tomb of Alexander is for you.

Jo Ann Butler

THE LAST CAMELLIA Sarah Jio, Plume, 2013, $15.00, pb, 320 pp, 9780452298392 The Middlebury Pink camellia, the last plant of its kind, is rumored to be found on the large estate of Lord Livingston and Lady Anna. With England on the brink of World War II, Flora has left her parents’ home in New York to become nanny to the couple’s four children while she searches for the rare plant for her other employer, an exotic plant broker. They say that Lady Anna died of a broken heart a year ago, due to her philandering husband, who had hoped to please her by creating a beautiful camellia tree orchard. Mystery surrounds the nearby village as young girls begin to disappear, and Flora grows to love the children and regret her involvement with the plant thieves.

Sixty years later, a writer and his wife move to the estate, recently purchased by his parents, to help him find his writing muse. Addison fills her day exploring the estate and rooms, becoming fascinated with the beautiful camellia tree orchard on the property. The mystery she needs to unravel from the past begins when she finds Lady Anna’s book, filled with pressed camellia blossoms and mysterious names and dates on each page. Will she uncover the whereabouts of the missing women of sixty years ago as well as the location of the Middlebury Pink?

In her fourth novel, Sarah Jio does not disappoint her readers. Her now-familiar format of a modern character who uses her curiosity and passion to uncover and solve mysteries from the past is full of revelations and villains. Although I have found that her wonderful books have predictable conclusions, there are both frightening and lovely surprises in The Last Camellia.

Beth Turza

THE STORYCATCHER Ann Hite, Gallery, 2013, $16.00/$18.95, pb, 352pp, 9781451692273 In her first novel, Ghost on Black Mountain, Hite explored the culture of the Appalachian Mountains during the Great Depression through the voices of five women. In her new book, she returns to Black Mountain during the same time period to tell the story of Shelley Parker, a sixteen-year-old servant for Pastor Dobbins, the local minister, and Faith Dobbins, his daughter. You would think such a job would be a good one, but Dobbins is a dark character. We are told by Armetta Lolly, the ghost who is attached to Pastor Dobbins, that he is part of a family that “had a dark streak that ran way on back to the time I lived and breathed.” The story doesn’t stay on Black Mountain in this book, however; Shelley and Faith are drawn all the way to the Georgia coast.

The Storycatcher is told in shifting points of view, all women, but from varying times: some in

ASTOR PLACE VINTAGE Stephanie Lehmann, Touchstone, 2013, $16.00, pb, 416pp, 9781451682052 Amanda Rosenbloom, the owner of a vintage clothing store in Manhattan, is having a hard time.

Her store’s lease is up, she may have to relocate, she can’t sleep, and her boyfriend won’t leave his wife.

She goes on what she thinks will be an ordinary call to purchase some clothing for her store and finds something extraordinary. Sewn into a fur muff is a hidden diary written in 1907 by Olive Westcott, a down-on-her-luck shop girl who dreams of being a department store buyer. Amanda is drawn into Olive’s world and through it discovers a thing or two about herself.

Amanda is a quirky character, but it is really Olive who stands out. Olive lived quite comfortably with her father, a manager at Woolworth’s, until he died in an automobile accident. Suddenly she has to decide whether to move in with her aunt and follow a traditional path of becoming a wife and HNR Issue 65, August 2013 | Reviews | 53

mother, or if she wants to try to make it on her own and have a career. She finds that if she wants to become a buyer she will have to start at the bottom, so she gets a job at a store counter selling toiletries.

Having to fend for herself for the first time, Olive becomes aware of how sheltered her life used to be.

With the help of her new coworkers and friends, she learns a lot about the world and is finally able to decide what kind of woman she wants to become.

Lehmann’s description of New York in 1907 and today are vivid and lovely. Her passion for the city truly shines through. Amanda and Olive’s stories captivate the reader in this very enjoyable quick read. Highly recommended.

Janice Derr JACOB’S FOLLY Rebecca Miller, Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2013, $26.00, hb, 384pp, 9780374178543 Jacob’s Folly is a quirky, imaginative, and unusual novel spanning several centuries, characters, themes, and locales. Jacob Cerf, an 18th-century Parisian Jew, is torn between the sensual delights of society and the ethereal joy of the newly emerging Hasidic tradition. After his untimely death, he’s reincarnated in a rather unusual form, and finds himself drawn to two 21st-century individuals: Masha Edelman, a young Hasidic woman straining against her family’s expectations, and Leslie Senzatimore, a volunteer firefighter and father with a tragic childhood.

Jacob was corrupted in his human life by a French nobleman who lured him from his simple religious home and transformed him into a callous hedonist. Disappointed in his new form, Jacob decides to tempt Masha and Leslie away from their loyalties and responsibilities, driving them toward disaster and ruin with malicious glee.

Miller’s irreverent mix of faith, family, and moral failings provides a serious skeleton, but as the bawdy cover suggests, the story has a decidedly earthy tone, and Miller is unapologetic in her exploration of sex, desire, and temptation. The narrative style is playful, flipping between 18thcentury Paris and contemporary Long Island, and shifts across points-of-view: Jacob, Masha, and Leslie as well as dipping into the lives of the secondary characters around them. Despite the heavy philosophical themes, the novel reads quickly and scandalously fun.

Audra Friend THE CLOVER HOUSE Henriette Lazaridis Power, Ballantine, 2013, $15.00, pb, 412pp, 9780345530684 Calliope Notaris Brown grew up between two worlds: her father’s America and her mother’s Greece. Her parents’ difficult relationship has left Callie wondering if she is capable of commitment, and her fiancé wants her to figure out their future. When Callie is notified of her beloved Uncle Nestor’s death, she returns to her mother’s hometown of Patras to sort through her inheritance: all of her uncle’s possessions. Among the odd objects in Nestor’s home is a box containing a strange assemblage of objects that Callie’s mother, Clio, takes an unusual interest in. As Callie continues to sift through her uncle’s things, she discovers that the items in the box are the key to the Notaris family’s downfall, and they 54 | Reviews |

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remind her mother of the devastating choice that she made during the Italian occupation of Greece during World War II. When Callie confronts her mother with what she has found, both women are forced to confront their pasts, and Callie begins to reconsider her future.

Power’s debut is more women’s fiction than historical fiction; the focus is solidly on Callie and her personal relationships. We see glimpses of the Notaris family’s gilded pre-war past, and witnesses the chain of events that leads to the family’s downfall. Callie and Clio aren’t always the most sympathetic of characters, but they’re more alike than either would care to admit: both are permanently scarred from the tragedies of their youth. The Clover House will appeal primarily to readers who enjoy multi-period novels focusing on women’s inner lives and desires.

Nanette Donohue THE AGE OF ICE J.M. Sidorova, Scribner, 2013, $26.00/C$29.99, hb, 416pp, 9781451692716 Prince Alexander M. Velitzyn and his twin brother were conceived of a mocking prince upon a humpbacked court jester locked overnight in the folly palace built of ice by Empress Anna, niece to Peter the Great, in St. Petersburg in 1740. A difficult youth teaches our hero that this beginning has left him able to freeze water to ice when emotion grabs him, as in sex. He gives his first lover pneumonia. His twin and descendants seem to be the only people who can endure his touch.

Alexander also seems incapable of dying, which makes him the embodiment of the Little Ice Age, cold personified. He certainly puts in an appearance anytime during this era when the cold plays an important part in history: the Enlightenment’s discovery of thermometers and experiments with cold, Napoleon’s retreat from Moscow, the Russian search for the North[east] Passage and exploration/conquest of Siberia, the 19th-century ice trade. Sometimes the historical overwhelms the novelistic and we lose sight of the personal story. Then things drag. Most of the time, however, the language –remarkable in an author for whom English is not her first language – is hypnotic and evocative. I loved the flights of fancy based on native Siberian vocabulary. Too genrebending, perhaps, for some readers, but important thoughts for those in our age who worry about polar bears drowning because they no longer have ice floes on which to land.

Ann Chamberlin THE WHISPERING MUSE Sjón (trans. Victoria Cribb), Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2012, $22.00, hb, 143pp, 9780374289072 Before the First World War, Valdimar Haraldsson begins the publication of a journal devoted to the theory that the superiority of the Nordic race is due to the quantity of seafood they consume. He is the main contributor. A shipping magnate patron invites our hero to sail on one of his fishing vessels – where no seafood is on the menu. One of his fellow passengers recites his tale of having sailed on the Argos with Jason focusing, it seems to me, on the episode of the Island of Women with male and prurient interest.

Another passenger spent the Second World War

in Poland and regales us with the repercussions of institutionalized racism. Tales of Nordic myth also appear.

Sjon seems to be very popular in the rarefied air of European belles lettres. I found little for the fan who looks for the recreation of distant times and places. I never got a scene evoked so I could smell it, and the emotions eluded me. This seems the merest sketch whispered by the muse; the receptive author should do some work to deserve the gift.

Ann Chamberlin A HALF FORGOTTEN SONG Katherine Webb, William Morrow, 2013, $14.99, pb, 496pp, 9780062234469 / Orion, 2012, £7.99, pb, 496pp, 9781409135890 Zach Gilchrist’s wife has divorced him and is taking their young child to live in America. His art gallery in Bath is failing, and the book he’s supposed to be writing about the artist Charles Aubrey is going nowhere. On the spur of the moment, Zach decides to travel to Dorset to find out more about some new Aubrey paintings that have recently come to light.

In A Half Forgotten Song, Katherine Webb blends the past and present in a delicious story of passion, secrets and lies. In 1937, Mitzy Hatcher, a beautiful wild young girl, catches the eye of the painter Charles Aubrey, holidaying in Dorset with his mistress and their two daughters. Mitzy and the elder daughter become close friends, but with each passing summer, Mitzy’s feelings for her friend’s father grow.

Zach finds Mitzy, now in her eighties, still living in the coastal cottage. He slowly uncovers the secrets in the Aubreys’ past and at the same time falls for a local sheep farmer, Hannah, despite his misgivings about her possible role in the finding of new Aubrey paintings. Richly described and full of plot twists, romance and revelations, A Half Forgotten Song is another satisfying read from the author of The Legacy and The Unseen.

Kate Braithwaite

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paranormal & | historical fantasy

GIDEON’S ANGEL Clifford Beal, Solaris, 2013, £7.99, pb, 302pp, 9781781080832 These days vampires, werewolves and demons inhabit modern-day settings, not towers or dank dungeons, thus enabling them to make pithy statements on our lack of “humanity.” The combination has been amazingly successful, as you can see from a glance at the TV schedules. Perhaps it was only a matter of time before such a tale was set into an historical context.

The main protagonist is an ageing Royalist called Richard Treadwell, in exile following Parliament’s victory in the English Civil War. He ekes out a meagre existence as a spy and mercenary while trying to avoid becoming entangled in wildly optimistic royalist conspiracies, the latest of which is a madcap scheme to assassinate Oliver Cromwell.

Unfortunately his secret employer Cardinal Mazarin has wind that something very evil is at the heart of this plot, and Treadwell is ordered to take Multi-period — Paranormal & Historical Fantasy

up the commission.

Treadwell duly travels to England, where he discovers his family have been dealt with harshly by the fanatical Fifth Monarchy movement, who believe Christ’s return is imminent. Their leader Gideon is trying to help this process along by black magic rituals. The “angel” summoned instructs him to kill Cromwell too. So Treadwell, ordered to assassinate Cromwell for the king, now has to save him to frustrate those dabbling in the brimstone.

I thought the union of historical novel and supernatural horror story didn’t fit very comfortably. A country full of religious zealots doesn’t seem to mention God all that much, and surely they would spot the Lucifer allusion? The storyline develops too slowly and there are far too many subplots involving Richard’s family, his mistress, the Freemasons and the Jews that don’t really go anywhere. On the plus side, Treadwell himself is an interesting and very different kind of hero.

Martin Bourne THE GHOST BRIDE Yangsze Choo, William Morrow, 2013, $24.99, hb, 368pp, 9780062227324 Li Lan is a young woman whose mother died and whose father lives in an opium-induced haze of mourning, with their fortunes diminished to the point of near-bankruptcy. She receives the shock of her life when her father asks her to become the “ghost bride” of the Lim family’s dead son.

Popular “spirit weddings” existed in 1890s Malaya, primarily for financial reasons. A series of meetings and random conversations makes Li Lan realize there is something suspicious about the death of her soon-to-be spirit husband and that of another wife in the Lim family.

Li Lan becomes extremely distraught when she begins to dream nightly about the dead Lim Tian Ching, who appears with a haunting, manipulative demeanor. The interest that his cousin displays regarding a future marriage with her is at first romantically moving but then becomes highly questionable. One night Li Lan is so upset she takes too much powder provided by a medium and remains half alive and half dead, in parallel to the marriage she would soon enter. For several weeks she journeys through the Lim family’s home, the afterlife of the Plains of the Dead, and her home territory, which is besieged by ox-demons and hungry ghosts.

Intriguing, complex, and haunting, the story develops into a mystery which is cleverly interwoven with elements of the afterlife as believed

by Buddhists, Taoists, Christians and Confucians (albeit on a surface level). Powers in this world, as in the afterlife, are selfish and capable of the utmost horrors and the twisting of accepted rules and regulations, yet truth will prevail no matter how difficult it is to attain. The Ghost Bride is quality historical fiction and a delightful read!

Viviane Crystal THIEVES’ QUARRY D.B. Jackson, Tor, 2013, $25.99, hb, 320pp, 9780765327628 Urban fantasy, mystery, and historical fiction, Thieves’ Quarry is the second novel in the wellreceived Thieftaker Chronicles, set in preParanormal & Historical Fantasy — Children & YA

Revolutionary Boston, Massachusetts. Ethan Kaille has survived an unfortunate background to become a thieftaker, something like a bountyhunter. He searches for thieves in order to confiscate and return what they have stolen. Ethan is also a conjurer – a wizard – and uses his magical skills to help capture his prey. Politically, he is a loyalist in a city simmering with revolution, and this, as well as rival magicians and an enticing female foe, puts him and others into peril.

When the Boston sheriff enlists Ethan to discover who murdered almost one hundred British seamen, the thieftaker finds himself facing a powerful magical enemy as well as several other opponents. It will take all his magical skills and street-smart instincts to avert a catastrophe. This story is hard to summarize without giving away the mystery, which is a page-turning roller-coaster ride that kept this reviewer up far too late into the night. Besides the compelling plot, the characters are multifaceted and evoke the reader’s concern.

The colonial Boston setting is almost a character in itself. It is sketched in skillfully, making the backdrop atmospheric without being overdone. A detail here and there puts the reader into a world where spermaceti candles have a bitter smell and someone’s wig might be found lying on a side table.

Historical figures occasionally appear but blend seamlessly into the plot without jarring. Highly recommended.

D.B. Jackson is the pseudonym of an established, award-winning author who holds a Ph.D in history.

Elizabeth Knowles

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children & young adult

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THE KINGDOM OF LITTLE WOUNDS Susann Cokal, Candlewick, 2013, $22.99, hb, 576pp, 9780763666941 The Kingdom of Little Wounds tells a series of interlocking tales set against the backdrop of the Scandinavian city of Skyggehavn in 1572. Queen Isabella and her children are falling into madness and dying from a mysterious ailment, and her just-married oldest daughter, Sophia, is the first to go. King Christian is becoming prey to a wouldbe usurper and his treacherous lies. Ava Bingen, a young seamstress, has just made a mistake that traps her in the position of an informer, while Midi Sorte, a mute nursemaid, is simply hoping to get through her day-to-day life and use her gift for writing in the service of the reclusive court historian. Unbeknownst to her, Ava’s spying sets off a chain of events that will irrevocably intertwine the fates of the two servants and the royal family as they fight for their country’s survival as well as their own.

The Kingdom of Little Wounds is a masterfully told tale with many layers of symbolism and hidden meaning. It was obvious that a lot of careful work had gone into crafting this novel, and I appreciated that very much. That said, I also felt that the depth of the book as well as its large amount of explicit content made it better suited for an adult audience than a YA one; there were many instances of sexual abuse and consensual sex, as well as horrible illnesses and death, and none of these scenes was

whitewashed in the least. I would be very hesitant to recommend this book to anyone under the age of 16 or 17, as younger readers might find its more graphic scenes disturbing.

Magdalen Dobson THE THINGS WE DID FOR LOVE Natasha Farrant, Faber & Faber, 2012, £6.99, pb, 229pp, 9780571278183 Arianne is a fifteen-year-old girl growing up in a village in the southwest of France in the spring of 1944. Luc, who is a year older, returns to the village after a long absence. As they fall in love, they are spied on by Romy, another village boy, who has been in love with Arianne for years. When Luc decides to join the Resistance a few days after the Normandy landings in June, the results are catastrophic for the whole village.

This novel, which was short-listed for the Young Quills Award, achieves a great deal in a short space.

The characters are strongly drawn. Both Arianne and Luc come across as quirky and sympathetic, as do Paul, Arianne’s brother, and some other villagers. Romy is more of a stereotype, but we are drawn into his feelings even so. We are also given some disturbing insights into the perspective of a German soldier.

Day-to-day life in the village is vividly evoked and set against Arianne’s memories of life before the war. The beauty of the surrounding countryside and of the deserted house where the lovers meet is conjured up by small details, like the red squirrels in the woods and the overgrown lawn which has become a meadow.

This is fiction loosely based on real events.

The pain and horror of the war is clearly shown, and the choices the characters must make are as complex and uncertain as in real life. The ending is not unrelieved tragedy but all the same, this is a deeply sad story despite the charm and humour of its telling. Highly recommended for readers of 14 and above.

Sandra Unerman ORDER OF DARKNESS: Stormbringers Philippa Gregory, Simon Pulse, 2013, $17.99, hb, 330pp, 9781442476875 / Simon & Schuster UK, 2013, £12.99, hb, 288pp, 9780857077349 Luca Vero and his traveling companions continue their search for signs of the End of Days in this fast-paced sequel to Changeling, which finds the band of inquisitors in the small Italian fishing village of Piccolo. Piccolo should only be a stop on the way to Zagreb, but when the group encounters a children’s crusade led by a charismatic teenager named Johann, they pause to investigate.

Johann insists that the seas will part to allow the crusaders safe passage to the East, and when an earthquake strikes, the waters recede—followed by a tsunami that decimates the village. Luca and his compatriots soon find themselves the target of the villagers’ wrath, and they must find a way to prove that they are innocent of any wrongdoing.

There are a number of apocryphal stories of children’s crusades throughout this era, and the crusade that is pivotal to this novel fits well within the mid-15th century context. Gregory has managed to avoid one of the most common problems in young adult novels written by established adult authors—her teens behave like teens, and not like HNR Issue 65, August 2013 | Reviews | 55

C

E D I TORS’ C H OI C E

AFTER

Morris Gleitzman, Puffin, 2012, £6.99, pb, 209 pp, 9780141343136 World War II: 1945, Poland. The Germans are in retreat, but Nazi death squads are still hunting down Jews. Thirteen-year-old Felix is in hiding, protected

by Gabriek, a Pole who occasionally works with the partisans. When Gabriek disappears, Felix and Dom, the pony whose stable he’s been hiding in, go in search of the partisans hiding in the forest. Will the partisans take him and Dom in, or will they kill them?

I loved this book. Felix’s parents have been taken to a death camp; he has seen people beaten, brutalized and murdered, he is in great danger himself, yet, somehow, he manages to retain his basic human decency and hold onto hope. His first-person narrative allows us an insight into how he does it. The pony Dom is a sort of empathetic alter ego. Dom’s sympathy enables Felix to feel raw emotion without being overwhelmed by it because he knows that Dom understands.

Felix also knows that children need parents. He has been orphaned, but he is instinctively wise enough to choose himself worthy surrogates in Gabriek and Yuli.

He learns that in a situation where humanity is stripped down to the bone, when all that’s left is your name, you must choose whether you will be a kind and decent human being, even in such horrific circumstances, or someone who can only feel hatred – a destroyer. Not only is the choice a difficult one, it must constantly renewed. The partisan Szulk, whose parents were also killed by the Nazis, chooses to destroy; Felix chooses to be a ‘mending person’.

After was short-listed for the Historical Association’s Young Quills Award, and one can understand why. I was totally gripped – when I wasn’t in tears. Morris Gleitzman has written a very special book. Highly recommended for children of 11 plus.

Elizabeth Hawksley miniature adults. They make snap judgments, they question authority, they boast, and they take risks that most adults would shy away from. Teens will find themselves drawn to the characters in this novel as they navigate questions of faith, loyalty, friendship, and love in a brave and forthright manner.

Nanette Donohue LOVE DISGUISED Lisa Klein, Bloomsbury Children’s, 2012, $16.99, hb, 310pp, 9781599909684 When his father requests a debt settled in London, a young Will Shakespeare leaves Stratford behind and begins his life in the city – unfortunately meeting with a trio of thieves on his first day. A tavern maid, called Long Meg for her generous stature, witnesses the exchange and, having been betrayed by the same boys a few years before, offers to help Will retrieve his money – albeit in disguise. Dressed as a young man, Meg becomes her twin brother, Mack, and is thus free to roam the city with Will, who is unaware of Meg’s deception.

Much hilarity ensues, with thieving scoundrels, fights and flights, and coincidental meetings – eventually providing fodder for the budding playwright. Just when events begin falling into place for Will, he receives a summons back to Stratford where he must make a crucial decision that will affect not only his career, but his growing love for Meg. With lines from Shakespeare’s plays scattered into the dialogue, this story reimagines Will’s 56 | Reviews |

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entry into his profession and some possible inspirations that could have lead to his great works.

The character backgrounds and personalities are adequate, though sometimes events fall too neatly into the storyline. The best aspect of the writing is the exchanges between the characters, most notably Will and Mack/Meg, the latter making a very inspiring protagonist.

This is a fun novel for young Shakespeare fans, but does not require prior knowledge of his plays for enjoyment of the story. Overall, it is a satisfying romp for young readers, and pleasing for adults as well.

Arleigh Johnson MY BEAUTIFUL HIPPIE Janet Nichols Lynch, Holiday House, 2013, $16.95, hb, 186pp, 9780823426034 Joanne is a sixteen-year-old girl living in San Francisco during the 1967 “Summer of Love.”

Amid preparations for her sister’s wedding, worries about the war in Vietnam, and uncertainty about her own place in the world, she meets Martin, a young, musical hippie with whom she quickly falls into a secret relationship. Joanne is still trying to figure out where she fits in between the easygoing, never-tied-down philosophy of her boyfriend and her conservative roots when her two worlds collide against the devastating background of the violent anti-war demonstrations and the draft. Faced with the choice of following her family or Martin, will she be brave enough to forge her own path and not let go of the good in either?

What I most enjoyed about My Beautiful

Hippie is that the perspective Lynch presents of the hippie movement and one teenager’s flirtation with nonconformity is so very sensible. In the wake of many other novels that choose to make one position “the enemy” and the other unquestionably right, this book is refreshingly down-to-earth and reasonable. Joanne rightly sees good and bad in both the hippie lifestyle and the traditional choices of her family, and she realizes that she doesn’t have to choose one over the other. Lynch’s attitude towards teenage relationships is also a breath of fresh air, acknowledging the fact that they are never perfect and hardly ever destined to last forever.

My one major complaint about the novel would have to be its occasionally preachy tone about how times were changing in the ´60s and all these “new” things were suddenly popping up; I just don’t think that an actual person from those times would necessarily have such a perspective. Overall, I would highly recommend this novel for those twelve and older.

Magdalen Dobson GILT Katherine Longshore, Simon & Schuster, 2013, $8.99, hb, 398pp, 9781471116940 The short and tragic life of Catherine Howard, the teenage fifth wife of Henry VIII of England, is told through the eyes of her closest friend and confidante, Kitty Tylney. The two girls are raised in the emotionally vacant household of their relative, the Duchess of Norfolk, but everything changes when Catherine is sent to represent the Howard family in the glittering but dangerous Tudor court.

Gilt excels at bringing the well-known story of Catherine Howard to younger readers. However, the language and expressions of the main characters are often too modern, and sacrifice what would otherwise be an atmospheric and truthful rendering of the times. Kitty Tylney is sensible yet awkward, though her steadiness makes her a more relatable heroine in contrast to gorgeous Catherine.

However her inner struggle between two men, one who is far superior to the other, is somewhat tired and melodramatic. Her secondary struggle to be Catherine’s conscience was a better and more interesting purpose for her character.

Even though a very unsympathetic character, Catherine steals the show with her antics. Spoilt and impetuous, cunning but not clever, she is the original “frenemy” that subjugates her closest friends into doing her bidding. She is at times vivacious to the point of mania and at other times depressed and hopeless. Longshore could have used the circumstances of the young queen’s downfall to add some interesting layers to this otherwise wholly expected characterization.

Instead Catherine is relegated to being an emptyheaded flirt at best, and, at worst, a selfish adulterer bent on biting the hand that elevated her so high.

Nonetheless, Gilt is an entertaining read that gives a broad overview of a tumultuous time period and would be best suited for older teens due to mature content.

Caroline Wilson TARNISH Katherine Longshore, Viking, 2013, $17.99, hb, 448pp, 9780670014002 Tarnish, the latest novel from Katherine Children & YA

Longshore, features a familiar historical figure as its central protagonist: Anne Boleyn. While Anne is often a principal character in works of historical fiction, Tarnish differentiates itself from the multitude of other Anne Boleyn novels by focusing on Anne’s life in the years immediately before she captured the eye of Henry VIII. Returning to the English court after spending most of her early years abroad, young Anne Boleyn has few friends and even fewer prospects.

When poet Thomas Wyatt, a member of King Henry’s inner circle, offers Anne both friendship and the opportunity to gain prominence at court, she accepts. But Anne’s unwillingness to conform keeps her on the periphery of court life. Unhappy with how her life is unfolding, Anne decides to take hold of her own destiny. Her choices are limited, however, and one wrong move may cause her to lose everything. As Anne slowly gains acceptance at court, her relationship with Wyatt grows increasingly complicated, and her feelings for him conflicted. To further confuse her situation, Anne finds herself on the receiving end of King Henry’s attentions – attentions she enjoys receiving.

Geared towards the young adult market, Tarnish features several themes to which a young adult audience can relate, such as the struggle to find one’s place in the world. Longshore’s Anne Boleyn is quick-witted and clever, but she also lacks confidence and seeks validation. As the story is told from the teenage Anne’s perspective, it allows young adult readers to easily identify not only with the novel’s themes, but also with Anne herself. While marketed to ages 12 and up, some of the language and subject matter of this novel make it better suited to older teen readers.

Melissa Morrisey

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NOBODY’S SECRET Michaela MacColl, Chronicle, 2013, $16.99/£10.99, hb, 240pp, 9781452108605 The young Emily Dickinson narrates this tale that takes place during her fifteenth year, in between her school terms. A handsome stranger, Mr. Nobody, happens upon Emily reclining in a meadow, making a bold impression on the curiously morbid young girl. However, events take a tragic turn when the young man is found dead in the Dickinsons’ pond and is presumed to have drowned. Emily makes it her private mission to find the truth behind his identity and his death.

Parts of Emily Dickinson’s poems have been cleverly worked into the story, with a snippet heading each chapter and phrases hastily scribbled by the protagonist as she is working to solve the mystery of Mr. Nobody. Lighthearted humor is placed alongside suggestively morose subjects – thus Dickinson’s known personality is alluded to but not exactly captured in this story. The town of Amherst, Massachusetts, is brought vividly to life, with several persons characterized from history and some from the author’s imagination. Emily’s sleuthing methods are practical, if somewhat improbably brave for a girl of her era. Some clues fall together too neatly, while others have the reader questioning the protagonist’s train of thought – overall, an appropriate enough mystery for young readers, its intended audience.

This novel, similarly to others which feature a historical figure at the forefront, is an excellent introduction for young readers who may not otherwise find an interest in the subject via school lessons. Nobody’s Secret allows us to view Emily Dickinson not as the morbid recluse usually represented, but as a curious young girl with strong

E D I TORS’ C H OI C E

Jewell Parker Rhodes, Little Brown, 2013, $16.99, hb, 272pp, 9780316043052 At ten years old, Sugar doesn’t know any other life but the one she’s lived on the banks of the Mississippi at River Road Plantation – but she does know she hates sugar! Slavery is over, but she’s still in the fields cutting cane, and trying to sneak in some fun with Billy, the plantation owner’s son. When a group of Chinese workers arrives to help harvest the cane, Sugar wants to learn everything about them. New friendships form, transforming Sugar’s world. She dares to begin to dream of a life beyond River Road.

Jewell Parker Rhodes has crafted a gem with this middle grade historical novel set in the Reconstruction Era, a period of American history that has rarely been written about for children. She brings the character of Sugar alive with descriptions that enchant but which never overpower Sugar’s own straightforward voice. Strong-spirited Sugar may not be very typical of that period of history, but young readers will easily connect with her. Adult readers will recognize Rhodes from her other historical novels set in Louisiana, including Voodoo Dreams and Voodoo Moon. Her first novel for young readers, Ninth Ward, received a Coretta Scott King Honor. Sugar is her second middle grade novel, and just as good if not better.

Nancy Castaldo

Children & YA

convictions and the courage to seek the truth no matter the consequences.

Arleigh Johnson THE INCREDIBLE CHARLOTTE SYCAMORE Kate Maddison, Holiday House, 2013, $17.95, hb, 282pp, 9780823427376 In this fun, quirky Victorian steampunk novel, Charlotte Sycamore’s father is the private physician to Queen Victoria – which means Charlotte is expected to act like a proper young lady. Charlotte, however, is more interested in adventures and inventions. When she and her two friends, Phillip and Jillian, spend a mischievous night practicing swordplay, they witness a robbery and are attacked by unusual mechanical dogs. This catapults them into a series of misadventures, and a complicated mystery to solve. All three children become infected by what appears to be rabies. But can mechanical dogs even get rabies? And why would someone create these machines in the first place?

Charlotte must try to save her friends, hide her injuries, and discover the secret behind the dogs, all the while dealing with events like her engagement to a stranger.

Kate Maddison, a pen name for historical romance author Katherine Haupt, has crafted a unique and charming young adult adventure story.

Charlotte is a spirited heroine who never gives up, despite the overwhelming evidence that the rabies might kill them all. The storyline, while slow at times, did give a fun twist to traditional Victorian London. Recommended for ages 10 and up.

Rebecca Cochran BIG RIVER’S DAUGHTER Bobbi Miller, Holiday House, 2013, $16.95, hb, 200pp, 9780823427529 River Fillian is the daughter of the unofficial Pirate King of the Mississippi River in 1811.

River and her father are river rats and proud of their independent and dangerous lifestyle. But when a massive earthquake devastates the river community, River’s father goes missing, presumed dead. River takes refuge with Annie Christmas, a buccaneer who has chosen a life of freedom with her many sons. However, River is pursued by buccaneers who want to use her knowledge of her father’s secrets.

Big River’s Daughter reads like a folktale, with characters larger than life – from Jean-Lafitte to Mike Fink to the tame tiger River happens to pick up along the way. Miller uses authentic dialogue throughout. Although initially a barrier to enjoying the novel, this unusual language was ultimately authentic and lent the book an air of legend. The sensory details of life on the river are convincing, and come through the narrative in a natural way.

Along River’s journey she visits a wide variety of places, ranging from deluxe houses in New Orleans to shanties in the Big Bayou. River teaches the reader that you have to notice where you are if you want to survive on the river.

Big River’s Daughter is an adventure that often feels inexorable, leaving the reader wishing there were a little time to catch one’s breath. The ending was rather rushed and abrupt, which was slightly disappointing. Nevertheless, this book comes recommended for its innovative language and use HNR Issue 65, August 2013 | Reviews | 57

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IN THE SHADOW OF BLACKBIRDS E D I TORS’ C H OI C E

Cat Winters, Amulet, 2013, $16.95/C$18.95, hb, 387pp, 9781419705304 In 1918 San Diego, the population lives in fear: fear of the deadly Spanish influenza, and fear of the brutal war that is raging overseas. As their loved ones die and despair deepens, many turn to spirit photographers and séances in search of solace. Mary Shelley Black, at sixteen, copes with a life that seems eerie and dreamlike, one where everyone wears gauze masks and searches for ghosts. She herself has never believed in the supernatural, but life is changed forever when the news comes that her first love has been killed overseas.

Then an unnerving event has her reconsidering the spirit world.

When this book first arrived, my teenage daughter picked it up because of its interesting cover art. She was immediately engrossed, devouring every word. Indeed, it has been a long time since a book has surprised and intrigued me as much as Winters’ debut novel. It is hard to put into words how extraordinary this story is.

The unique plot continually surprises and shocks, and rich, descriptive detail brings it all vividly to life. From its first pages, one is captivated and transported into a chilling, haunted, and poignant world.

Recommended with great praise.

Rebecca Cochran of folkloric elements which illuminate an unusual time and locale.

Michaela MacColl ROAD TO LONDON Barbara Mitchelhill, Andersen Press, 2012, £5.99, pb, 243pp, 9781849394079 1598. Thirteen-year-old Thomas Munmore, a cobbler’s son living in Stratford-upon-Avon, longs to be an actor and work with his idol, William Shakespeare. He even puts up with a beating when he plays truant from school to see A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

When he’s forced to flee the town after being caught poaching, he makes for London with a friend, Alice. But things do not work out as planned. Far from being a city whose streets are paved with gold, as Thomas believes, Elizabethan London is dirty and dangerous and full of cheats, liars and worse. Thomas manages to get work with the Lord Chamberlain’s Men theatre company, and re-meets Shakespeare, but then he and Alice find themselves caught up in a treasonous plot to kill the queen. Will anyone believe them? And can they unmask the villain in time?

Road to London was recommended for the Carnegie Medal and short-listed for the Young Quills Award, and one can understand why. It doesn’t pull its punches about the realities of living in Elizabethan London. It’s a filthy, smelly, and dangerous place where rotting heads of traitors are displayed on London Bridge. There are few provisions to help the poor or ill; justice is skewed in favour of the rich, and starvation is an everyday reality. Nobody cares whether Thomas or Alice live or die and the feeling of living in an anarchic society with all the uncertainty that that engenders is very real.

I enjoyed the glimpse into everyday life in the theatre. It, too, is a dangerous place, dependent on 58 | Reviews |

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the good-will of wealthy patrons – who themselves may be jockeying for position at court, or even seeking to harm the queen. Thomas gradually realizes that he’s living on a knife-edge – and he doesn’t know the rules.

Recommended for children of 11 plus.

Elizabeth Hawksley THE GREAT ESCAPE Megan Rix, Puffin, 2012, £5.99, pb, 211pp, 9780141342719 Summer 1939. Robert Edwards, aged twelve, and his nine-year-old sister, Lucy, live in London with their parents and three pets: a collie, Rose, who once worked as a sheepdog on a farm in Devon; a lively Jack Russell terrier called Buster who loves finding things; and a ginger and white cat called Tiger.

When war breaks out, the family must split up.

Robert and Lucy are evacuated to Devon to live with their grandmother, Mr Edwards rejoins his air reconnaissance job, and Mrs Edwards, a nurse, joins a hospital ship.

The three pets are taken to some neighbours, the Harrises, to be looked after. But Mr Harris resents their arrival and drags them to the local animal shelter to be put down – along with threequarters of a million other pets. Tiger smells danger and escapes and, in the ensuing fracas, Buster and Rose escape as well. But where will they be safe?

Buster and Rose are quite unused to looking after themselves.

I thoroughly enjoyed this heartwarming book.

Everyone is tested. Robert and Lucy must cope with new and difficult circumstances. Their granny is suffering from mild dementia and can’t look after them; Robert’s teacher is sadistic; and there’s a spiteful girl at Lucy’s new school.

The animals, too, have much to learn. Rose is taking them on the long journey back to the farm

in Devon, the only other home she remembers, and there’s plenty of danger along the way. They survive through loyalty and endurance and small acts of kindness. I learnt a lot about how animals were treated during WW2, and also about what they themselves contributed towards the war effort.

Children of eight plus should love The Great Escape and the book, deservedly, was short-listed for the Young Quills Award for historical novels.

Elizabeth Hawksley When I was given this book, I didn’t have many expectations, but then when I read it I saw how wrong I was, how very wrong. As soon as I read the first chapter I wanted it to go on forever. I liked the way she made the dogs and cat clever but not in a human way. In other stories based on animals finding their owners, authors make their animals talk and think as we would. But Megan Rix makes the animals as they are, very clever for animals but not as clever as a human – that’s one of the reasons I like it so much. I didn’t like the cover, it just shows two dogs and a cat in the war, not that they have exciting adventures. This is one of the best stories I’ve ever read. I deeply think this should be a series.

Louis McNulty, age 10 CANARY IN THE COAL MINE Madelyn Rosenberg, Holiday House, 2013, $16.95, hb, 140pp, 9780823426003 Working in a Virginia coal mine is a tough job at any time. But when it’s the Depression era and you’re a canary, options for a better life seem nonexistent – unless you are Bitty, the small feathered hero of this middle-grade novel. Bitty has plans – not just to escape, but to make his way to Charleston to petition the legislature for better working conditions for men and birds. Along the way he meets a bevy of birds and animals who offer him friendship and teach him the skills needed to survive in the city and complete his mission.

Of course, every hero worth his salt has to have a nemesis, and Bitty’s is Cipher, a hawk insulted by one of Bitty’s cage mates, who follows him to Charleston bent on revenge.

This is an engaging book with both an unusual topic and perspective. Through the eyes of Bitty and his caregiver, the teenage Jamie, the legal, political, and social issues surrounding the mining industry are presented in a way that makes sense to the younger reader. The narrative is also well-written; Rosenberg’s descriptions of scenes and characters are economical but vivid. I have no criticism of the book as it stands, but at only 140 pages, strong middle-grade readers will find it a swift read; both I and my ten-year-old daughter would have liked more of Bitty’s world and adventures.

Susan Cook What I liked about Canary in the Coal Mine was the constant surprises. It would keep you on the edge of your seat thinking, “What will they do now?” My favorite character was Clarence.

He was a pigeon, a little overweight, but he had a good heart. He helped Bitty out of trouble again and again, feeding him, giving him shelter, even introducing him to the government official who helped him make things better for the miners. I recommend this book for ages 8 to 12.

Beatrice Dobson, age 10 Children & YA

MIDWINTERBLOOD Marcus Sedgwick, Indigo, 2012, £6.99, pb, 263pp, 9781780620206 Marcus Sedgwick always comes up with something interesting and Midwinterblood, shortlisted for the Cilip Carnegie Medal 2013, is no exception. In this meticulously-crafted book, Eric and Merle play out variations on the themes of love, loss and sacrifice with the leitmotif of the hare – that symbol of resurrection – and the wicked man, sometimes called Tor, who symbolizes the destroyer and the triumph of the negative, weaving in and out of the seven interlinked stories.

Midwinterblood opens in 2073 and goes back through the centuries to the Bronze Age, where Eric and Merle’s story begins with a warrior king torn from his beloved queen and sacrificed to appease the gods. Their love takes many forms: brother and sister, old artist and young child, lovers torn apart by class differences. The setting is the mysterious island of Blessed and each story is distinct, of its period, and has a strange, almost mystical resonance. The strap-line says An epic tale of love, loss and sacrifice told over seven incarnations, seven interweaving stories and thousands of years, which about sums it up.

There are passages that echo Thomas Hardy, with Eric and Merle as the playthings of uncaring gods; touches of Beowulf in the 10th century story The Vampire; and something of Alan Garner’s mystical intensity. But this is really a book which defies description. I particularly liked The Painter, set in 1902, with its touching relationship between the child and the aged, once famous painter. And The Airman, set in 1944, where David parachutes out of his destroyed Spitfire and is taken in, reluctantly, by Eric, an island farmer. Eric knows that harbouring the enemy is not safe; inevitably, the Nazis will come. An outstanding young adult novel which should appeal to the thoughtful, the angst-ridden, the lovers of Gothic, and the supernatural.

Elizabeth Hawksley A SKULL IN SHADOWS LANE Robert Swindells, Corgi, 2012, £5.99. pb, 229pp, 9780552564090 1946, England. Jinty, age eleven, and her tenyear-old brother, Josh, live in the sleepy village of Coney Cley where nothing ever happens. Or so they think – until the day they decide to explore Shadows Lane and the abandoned Cornflower Cottage, which is rumoured to be haunted. But it isn’t until they see a living skull in an upstairs window that they realize that the rumours are true. Someone, or something, is hiding there. The children unearth a secret which they must keep hidden at all costs.

This is a terrific book. I read it at a sitting and couldn’t put it down. I can quite see why it was shortlisted for the Historical Association’s Young Quills Award. The period detail is one hundred percent convincing without being intrusive. And, much more difficult to achieve, the post-war mindset is just right, too. For example, the more formal relationships between pupils and teachers are nicely caught; not to mention the greater freedom for children – no health and safety concerns to stop them doing things which nowadays might be considered too dangerous. And the language is Children & YA

accurate, too; there are no anachronisms.

Swindells has judged his young readers’ psychology exactly; how much being frightened they can take (and it’s very scary in places), how to present the truth about concentration camps in an age appropriate way, and so on. I was also impressed by the relationships between the gang of boys; there’s the ‘swot’ who has to cope with being bullied; the boys egging each other on with dares to do things which they then can’t get out of without losing face.

It is an excellent book to look into the austerities of post-war Britain, as well as looking at the darker side of war. Highly recommended for children of 9+.

Elizabeth Hawksley PLAGUE: A Cross on the Door Ann Turnbull, Bloomsbury, 2013, £4.99, pb, 80pps, 9781408186879 1665, London. It’s been a long, hot summer, and plague threatens. Nine-year-old Sam works for a shoemaker in one of London’s narrow, overcrowded streets. Mr Kemp is a good master, and Alice, the servant who keeps the household, is kind, and then there’s the dog, Budge, whom Sam loves. After work, Sam plays with his friends, and their special joy is fighting some local French boys. One of them is lame, and Sam taunts him. He knows it’s wrong but the boy’s superior air irritates him.

The plague gets closer. A notice goes out ordering the mass cull of all cats and dogs. Sam hides Budge. Worse is to follow. Mr Kemp is struck down by the plague and Alice flees, leaving Sam alone with the dying man. After his master’s death, Sam is locked up inside the house for forty days by the authorities and a cross and Lord Have Mercy Upon Us are painted on the door.

Sam and Budge are trapped. Can they escape?

And, if they do, how will they manage with nowhere to go and no money?

This is a slim book, but it packs a lot into its eighty pages. It is not only about the history – and Ann Turnbull doesn’t pack her punches about the horrors of the plague – but also about how people behave under stress. Alice is upset, but she still leaves the nine-year-old Sam to cope alone. Sam, too, behaves badly towards the lame French boy, mocking him about his disability. But he meets with kindness, too. We hope that, in the sequel, Sam will learn that people may speak a different language but still have the same hopes and fears as he himself has.

The story zips along and I found it engrossing.

For children age 7 plus.

Elizabeth Hawksley ONE DAY IN ORADOUR Helen Watts, A & C Black, 2013, £6.99, pb, 254pp, 9781408182017 On 10th June 1944, the inhabitants of the French village of Oradour-sur-Glane were massacred by a company of Waffen-SS soldiers in retaliation for Resistance attacks on German troops. Out of 673 villagers, only 28 adults and one child survived.

Helen Watts recounts what happened in Oradour; how seven-year-old Roger Godfrin managed to escape the slaughter, and the story of Major Adolf Diekmann, the SS officer who led the attack. Watts changes the characters’ names,

so Roger becomes Alfred Fournier and Diekmann becomes Major Gustav Dietrich. In her Author’s Note, she explains that locations and various details have been changed, and that some events and characters are fictional.

Watts follows several families over the course of that fatal day, as they go about their lives. The villagers are preparing for the upcoming Corpus Christi festival, and children from the village and the outlying farms are gathering in the school for routine vaccinations. The Waffen-SS seal off the village and over the next few hours, the terrible events leading to the massacre unfold. Watts does not dwell on the grim details. She handles the brutal truth with sensitivity, without shying away from the facts. She also gives us an insight into what drove Major Diekmann/Dietrich to order his company of soldiers to carry out the atrocities.

One Day in Oradour is a brave book that deals with a horrific incident in an unsensational way.

We get to know some of the villagers, which makes their fate all the more tragic. The evil of one man and the courage of a young boy, shows the reader the best and worst of humanity. The lack of graphic detail makes this book suitable for younger readers of 10+.

Pat Walsh ROSE UNDER FIRE Elizabeth Wein, Electric Monkey, 2013, £7.99, pb, 9781405265119 / Hyperion, 2013, $17.99, hb, 368pp, 9781423183099 Rose Justice is an eighteen-year-old American pilot who travels to England in August 1944 and joins the Air Transport Auxiliary. Rose, a budding poet, is in love with words and exhilarated by flying, and she is thrilled when the chance comes to fly a transport plane to Paris. But on the return flight she disappears and is feared dead.

The story resumes eight months later in Paris, where Rose is writing down her traumatic experiences. Her plane went off course and was brought down by the Luftwaffe, and she was sent to Ravensbruck as a political prisoner. She struggles to survive along with other women – mainly French, Polish and Russian – whom she befriends. Some of the details of the women’s suffering are horrific, and yet this is an uplifting story of the prisoners’ determination to survive, using humour, ingenuity and courage. They have no means of writing, and Rose, as a writer, feels this keenly. The book is interspersed with poems, not only Rose’s, but Edna St Vincent Millay’s. The women learn many poems by heart and memorise the names of murdered prisoners; those who survive will tell the world.

This is a beautifully constructed novel about the resilience of the human spirit, and the poetry adds an extra dimension which lifts it out of the ordinary. It’s a worthy successor to Code Name Verity. Although this is a stand-alone novel and not a sequel to Code Name Verity, I would strongly advise reading Verity first. Recommended for age 13+, both boys and girls.

Ann Turnbull DECEIT Deborah White, Templar, 2013, £6.99, pb, 300pp, 9781848774131 This is a time-slip novel set partly in the present and partly in 1666. It’s the sequel to Wickedness, in HNR Issue 65, August 2013 | Reviews | 59

which teenager Claire inherited a casket from her grandmother and a special ring that opens it. She’d also discovered that an evil man named Robert would stop at nothing to possess the casket. He’d lived for 400 years, thanks to 20 ancient Egyptian spells, and claimed there was a 21st spell inside the casket which would make him immortal.

In the first book, Robert fell from the top of a crane and disappeared, but returns after two years.

This time he’s determined to get Claire to open the casket for him. In order to get his way, he kidnaps Claire’s baby brother. Although she manages to fool him and get her brother back, he then kidnaps her sister instead. He is determined to force Claire to do his bidding. Can she best him again?

Claire’s story is interspersed with that of Margrat, her ancestor who lived in 1666 and was the first custodian of the casket (and the love of Robert’s life). Margrat wants to escape Robert’s clutches and is determined to protect her baby daughter at all costs. She flees to France, but Robert is hot on her heels …

The two stories are exciting, but I found Claire rather naïve and foolish. Despite numerous warning signs, she carries on trusting the wrong people and just blunders unnecessarily into one scrape after another. She alienates her boyfriend and he cuts all ties with her, which I found very disappointing. The ending felt a bit flat. Margrat’s narrative, although well written with lots of historical detail, was ultimately unsatisfying too, but this was necessary for the story to work in the present.

This book would probably appeal to younger teens.

Pia Fenton

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THE CREATION OF ANNE BOLEYN: A New Look at England’s Most Notorious Queen Susan Bordo, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013, $27, hb, 343pp, 9780547328188 From authors like Jane Austen (1791) to Hilary Mantel (2009, 2012), from films like The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933) to The Other Boleyn Girl (2008), and series like The Six Wives of Henry VIII (1970) to The Tudors (2007-2010), everyone seems to have subscribed to the Anne debate: a centuries-old debate about the character of the woman behind England’s break from Rome. Is she a whore or a victim, a Machiavellian schemer, or an intelligent woman much maligned?

Susan Bordo’s entrance into this debate builds on her pedigree as an academic and author of academic books that study, for example, how the media manipulates women’s attitudes towards their own bodies. Her prose is intelligent but free of lofty jargon: compelling in its argument for a stylish (think Audrey Hepburn), intelligent woman unafraid to back down from kings or courtiers and passionate about her beliefs in the Reformation.

Two out of the many interviews completed for this book stand out: those of Genevieve Bujold, the French-Canadian actress who breathed intellectuality and feistiness into Anne in the 1969 film Anne of a Thousand Days; and Natalie Dormer, the young woman who fought to bring complexity to Anne in the first two seasons of The 60 | Reviews |

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Tudors. Fascinating, well-researched, and timely for a postmodern society suspicious of claims of truth.

Terri Baker VINTAGE TOMORROWS: A Journey through Steampunk into the Future of Technology James H. Carrott and Brian David Johnson, Maker Media Inc., 2013, $15.99, pb, 412pp, 9781449337995 When a historian and a futurist collaborate, you might expect stasis, but Carrott and Johnson postulate nothing less than a new world order in which the best of the past is retained and the worst, unnecessary. Like all revolutions, the changes in manufacturing and transportation that transformed 19th-century Britain benefited certain classes more than others. Victorians may have shared civic and religious values, but a new value, comfort, belonged only to those who could afford servants. Today, advanced technology makes comfort (and creativity and productivity) available to a larger population while traditional values suffer. In order to understand what makes technology destructive, we must understand what makes technology meaningful, which brings us to steampunk.

Forbes calls steampunk “a science fiction/ fantasy sub-genre,” but Carrott and Johnson call it an important “subculture.” In order for a subculture to grow, it needs a positive image, which is what the authors have in mind. By shifting popular attention from receiving (information) to creating (something) together, we may regain a sense of community. Written in an entertaining discursive style, scholarly but never staid, Vintage Tomorrows is highly recommended reading.

Jeanne Greene THE TWELVE CAESARS Matthew Dennison, St. Martin’s, 2013, $27.99, hb, 400pp, 9781250023537 / Atlantic, 2013, £9.99, pb, 400pp, 9781848876859 Literally thousands of books have been written about the various Caesars who reigned over the Roman Empire. From Gaius Julius to Domitian, their successes and failures, their strengths and their many flaws, all have been documented time and again. So, do we really need yet another book on the Caesars? If it’s Matthew Dennison’s The Twelve Caesars, the answer can only be “Yes!” All you need to do is read the first sentence in his profile of Gaius Julius Caesar – “Isolated by eminence, ‘the bald whoremonger’ Gaius Julius Caesar conceals from us the innermost workings of heart and mind.”

Dennison pulls absolutely no punches, and delivers a frank, unadulterated, refreshing portrait of each of the Caesars. Whether he is talking about Gaius Julius’s homosexual dalliance with old King Nicomedes of Bythnia or Caligula’s habit of bedding the wives of his dinner guests in an adjoining room and then returning to the table to give an assessment of their performance, Dennison leaves no stone unturned in presenting a clear and colorful view of the men who ruled most of the civilized world.

If you have an interest in the Caesars, and you like your history unvarnished and frank, then Dennison’s The Twelve Caesars will intrigue and enrich your knowledge of that powerful and

eccentric clan. Highly recommended.

Tony Hays

THE POPE’S LAST CRUSADE: How an American Jesuit Helped Pope Pius XI’s Campaign to Stop Hitler Peter Eisner, William Morrow, 2013, $27.99, hb, 292pp, 9780062049148 As the days passed in 1938, Pope Pius XI was becoming more and more outraged at Hitler’s persecution of European Jews. An American Jesuit, John LaFarge, is selected by the pope to write a papal encyclical condemning Hitler and Mussolini.

He drafts the document but is called home unexpectedly to attend to his family members’ ailing health. Handing over his work to the Jesuit superior general, LaFarge is assured that it will promptly be delivered to the pope. But unbeknown to LaFarge, the Vatican is divided in its views on Hitler and many disagree with the pope’s strong stance against anti-Semitism. A plan is devised to keep the encyclical out of the pope’s hands. Eisner’s book is well researched but very slowly paced. Not recommended for a casual read, The Pope’s Last Crusade will be of most interest to those wanting to learn more about church history and WWII. Janice Derr SHOT ALL TO HELL: Jesse James, the Northfield Raid, and the Wild West’s Greatest Escape Mark Lee Gardner, Harper, 2013, $27.99, hb, 352pp, 9780061989476 On Thursday, September 7, 1876, eight men, led by the infamous outlaw Jesse James, pulled off the most famous bank robbery in history. They traveled from Missouri to Northfield, Minnesota to relieve the First National Bank of its funds.

Gardner follows the steps of the James-Younger gang, from the planning of the raid to the large manhunt following the robbery.

The book contains over 45 pages of notes and an extensive list of resources, using voluminous primary source material. The narrative chronicles the exploits of the gang members before, during and after the raid, while also following the key people of Northfield who fought the bank robbers during the raid, and those individuals that formed posses that chased the outlaws during the two week-long manhunt. The author also solves the mystery of who shot and killed the bank’s acting cashier during the robbery.

As an added feature, the book explains how each of the outlaws met their demise, including the death of Jesse James at the hands of a member of his gang a few years later.

This is the method that should be used to write non-fiction books. He makes the characters come to life, writing in a narrative style similar to a novel but without the dialog. Highly recommended.

Jeff Westerhoff FRAMING A LEGEND M. Andrew Holowchak, Prometheus, 2013, $25.00, hb, 296pp, 9781616147297 Rumors that Thomas Jefferson fathered children with Sally Hemings, an enslaved black woman, began in 1802 and continued throughout Jefferson’s life. That premise has become widely accepted by scholars and by the Thomas Jefferson Foundation.

Nonfiction

Framing a Legend, a 2013 analysis by Dr. M. Andrew Holowchak, mounts a thought-provoking defense of Jefferson. His most convincing point is that a DNA study was done on descendants of only one of Sally Hemings’ children. It indicates that a close relative of Jefferson as Eston’s father, but does not prove that Jefferson was the father of Eston, or of any of Sally’s other, untested descendants.

Dr. Holowchak analyzes fact and innuendo, and Jefferson researchers will find Framing a Legend useful. What marred the book for me was Holowchak’s overt disdain for pro-paternity writers, whose work he describes as “mawkish” and “ridiculously lame.” He protests Jefferson’s innocence so fervently that I wonder if bias might have crept into his psychoanalysis of Jefferson’s writings – the same charge Holowchak makes against other researchers. A more balanced treatment would have been more convincing.

Jo Ann Butler J. M. COETZEE: A Life in Writing J. C. Kannemeyer, Scribe, 2013, £30, hb, 710pp, 9781922070081 J. M. Coetzee is a significant author (two Booker prizes and a Nobel) but even so the extent of the Coetzee ‘industry’ (writings about the writer and his work) defies belief. This long biography is only the latest of several books about him, not to mention about 500 M.A. and doctoral dissertations, and Coetzee is still alive. He has outlived his biographer, for Kannemeyer, a professor of Afrikaans, died before his work could be published or translated into English. Coetzee has had an interesting life in South Africa, England, America and Australia, but this biography is best as a critical analysis of his novels and how they were written. He was (is?) a compulsive reviser who kept all his earlier drafts, up to a dozen or more for each book, enabling Kannemeyer to follow the evolution of the text as Coetzee honed it to his liking.

Edward James SERVANTS Lucy Lethbridge, Bloomsbury, 2013, £20.00, hb, 385pp, 9780747590170 / Norton, 2013, $27.95, hb, 400pp, 9780393241099 As the popularity of Downton Abbey testifies, there is an insatiable appetite for the life of the great English country house, not just of the aristocratic residents but also of the furiously paddling ‘swans’ feet’, the hierarchy of servants, working largely out of sight, to keep everything on the surface looking serene and effortless.

This is the starting point for Servants, ‘a downstairs view of 20th-century Britain.’ While it contains many marvellous anecdotes about the tyrannical eccentricities of ‘upstairs’ (and do look out for the ceremonial – I can only call it that – attending the dowager Queen Mary’s visits to the loo as late as the 1950s), the real strength of the book is in its observations of the more equivocal relationship between middle class women and their female servants. Lethbridge uses the complex shifts brought about by war and technology to show how the domestic status of women was ambiguous and contradictory long before the feminist movement of the 1970s.

Entertaining as well as erudite, Servants is a fundamentally bleak book which asks, but cannot answer, the perennial question: how can a woman Nonfiction

develop her intellect and imagination except by relying on the domestic drudgery of another woman?

Sarah Bower THE PRINCESS ALICE DISASTER Joan Lock, Hale, 2013, £8.99, pb, 224pp, 9780709095415 The sinking of the pleasure steamer Princess Alice in the Thames in September 1878 was the worst inland water accident in British history. Over 650 people died when their boat was cut in half by an outward bound collier near Woolwich, on their way back from a day trip down the estuary.

Surprisingly little has been written about this disaster. Joan Lock not only describes it in vivid detail but follows the long, drawn-out inquest and the Board of Trade enquiry with admirable clarity.

Few lessons were learned and lesser collisions continued to be frequent until the Thames (if not the estuary) gradually ceased to be a major commercial waterway. Even this did not prevent the Marchioness disaster in 1989 – a small scale repeat of the Princess Alice collision – only after which were the Thames lifeboat stations set up.

Edward James THE NORMAN CONQUEST Marc Morris, Windmill, 2013, £8.99, pb, 440pp, 9780099537441 / Pegasus, 2013, $32.00, hb, 464pp, 9781605984513 In starting his account long before 1066 and ending it with the death of William the Conqueror, Marc Morris (author of Castle and A Great And Terrible King) gives us not only the story of the Conquest itself but also an understanding of the complex events on both sides of the Channel that brought it about, and the chaos and deep changes that resulted from it. This is popular history of the highest order: detailed, lucid and entertaining, with a dash of dry wit and a strong narrative flow that isn’t impeded at all by the author’s careful evaluation of the evidence.

Sarah Cuthbertson SPARTACUS Aldo Schiavone (trans. Jeremy Carden), Harvard Univ. Press, 2013, $19.99, hb, 176pp, 9780674057784 We’ve probably all heard of the legend of Spartacus, the courageous slave who stood up to the might of the Roman Empire and paid for his rebellion with his life. Schiavone’s book takes on that legend and instead presents us with the facts as they are known.

The meticulously researched facts are as utterly compelling as the legend. Ingenious escapes, treacherous pirates and a female priestess companion are among the highlights. The book also provides a fascinating insight into the Roman view of those who opposed their Empire. As Schiavone points out, “everything we know about Spartacus comes to us from what was remembered of him by his mortal foes”.

The book is divided into the three phases of Spartacus’s known life: The Fugitive, The Commander and The Loser. This device, reminiscent of a three-act play, works very well.

The two (differing) accounts of Spartacus’ death are very moving as is the aftermath of the failed rebellion.

This book is beautifully produced, and Jeremy Carden’s translation should be commended for English that is descriptive and evocative, and yet still manages to evoke the flow and richness of Italian. It is a little gem of non-fiction that will serve academics as well as those with a love of accessible Roman history. Highly recommended.

Elaine Powell THE GRAPHIC HISTORY OF GETTYSBURG Wayne Vansant (writer and illustrator), Zenith Press, 2013, $19.99/C$21.99/£14.99, 96pp, pb, 9780760344064 The Battle of Gettysburg is one of the most studied and storied battles in American history for good reason. This decisive engagement sealed the North’s eventual victory, while giving the South a tragic ending worthy of high Gothic romance.

Vansant tells the story clearly in both words and pictures, beginning with the strategy behind the Confederate invasion of Pennsylvania and ending with Lincoln’s famed Address. The graphic format works quite well in explaining the battle; on any given page we may find a brief dialogue between officers, an overhead block-and-arrow view of the tactical situation, and finally the bloody scene that results when one of those arrows meets a wellentrenched opponent. Equipment and uniforms in their myriad regimental variations come off quite well, with few obvious errors--most glaringly, a flintlock musket referenced in the text above a clear image of a percussion weapon. This may not be the right book for hardcore Civil War buffs, but for the rest of us it’s a fun read and a useful reference.

Recommended as a starting point for the curious, or as an interesting new format for those already familiar with the battle.

Richard Bourgeois ELIZABETH’S BEDFELLOWS (UK) / THE QUEEN’S BED (US) Anna Whitelock, Bloomsbury, 2013, £20, hb, 462pp, 9781408808801 / Sarah Crichton Books, Feb. 2014, $28.00, hb, 480pp, 9780374239787 Elizabeth Tudor faced dangers all her life.

She was frequently ill, had rival claimants to the throne, was afraid of assassination by English Catholics or foreign powers and suffered rumours of sexual intrigues, even of producing illegitimate children. Her ladies, the ‘bedfellows’ of the title, were constant companions, serving her but also protecting the queen’s reputation and being the last line of defence against a physical attack. They slept in her bedroom, even, at times, in her bed.

As well as describing these ladies and their duties, Whitelock gives a detailed survey of Elizabeth’s reign. The book is copiously researched, with the notes and bibliography occupying 82 pages. I would have liked more details of the ‘bedfellows’, but it was nevertheless an easy, fluent read. It does not, however, resolve the question of Elizabeth’s virginity. Unwise in paying attention to her favourites, she was adept at deflecting suggestions of dynastic marriages. A very useful book.

Marina Oliver

HNR Issue 65, August 2013 | Reviews | 61

© 2013, The Historical Novel Society ISSN: 1471-7492 | Issue 65, August 2013