Historical Novels Review, Issue 81 (August 2017) by The Historical Novel Society

A PUBLICATION OF THE HISTORICAL NOVEL SOCIETY

HISTORICAL NOVELS REVIEW Issue 81, August 2017

SEBASTIAN BARRY waiting & listening

coming-of-age journeys growing up in a different time golden hill francis spufford’s 18th century the whole art of detection lyndsay faye’s latest staying alive in the elizabethan age a.d. swanson’s incendium the himalayan codex science into ripping yarns the women in the castle metaphor & empathy

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE historical fiction market news | history & film | new voices

Historical Novels R eview

pub lis h er

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

edit o r ial boa r d

Managing Editor: Bethany Latham Houston Cole Library, Jacksonville State University 700 Pelham Road North Jacksonville, AL 36265-1602 USA <blatham@jsu.edu> Publisher Coverage: Simon & Schuster US (all imprints) Book Review Editor: Sarah Johnson 6868 Knollcrest Drive Charleston, IL 61920 USA <sljohnson2@eiu.edu> Publisher Coverage: Bethany House; Five Star; HarperCollins; Henry Holt; IPG; Penguin Random House (all imprints); Severn House; Trafalgar Square; university presses; and any North American presses not mentioned below Features Editor: Lucinda Byatt 13 Park Road Edinburgh, EH6 4LE UK <textline13@gmail.com> |

review s edit o r s , u k

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

Alan Fisk <alan.fisk@alanfisk.com> Publisher Coverage: Aardvark Bureau, Black and White, Bonnier Zaffre, Crooked Cat, Freight, Gallic, Honno, Impress, Karnac, Legend, Pushkin, Oldcastle, Quartet, Sandstone, Saraband, Seren, Serpent’s Tail Vacant Publisher Coverage: All UK children’s historicals Edward James <busywords_ed@yahoo.com> Publisher Coverage: Arcadia; Atlantic Books; Canongate; Head of Zeus, Glagoslav, Hodder Headline (inc. Coronet, Hodder & Stoughton, NEL, Sceptre); John Murray; Pen & Sword, Robert Hale | Alma and The History Press (interim) Doug Kemp <doug.kemp@lineone.net> Publisher Coverage: Allison & Busby; Little, Brown; Orion; Penguin Random House UK (Cornerstone, Ebury, Transworld, Vintage, and their imprints); Quercus Karen Warren <worldwidewriteruk@gmail.com> Publisher Coverage: Accent; Birlinn/Polygon; Bloomsbury; Duckworth Overlook; Faber & Faber; Granta; HarperCollins UK; Knox Robinson; Pan Macmillan; Penguin Random House UK (Michael Joseph, Penguin General, Penguin Press, and their imprints); Short Books; Simon & Schuster UK

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

Rebecca Cochran <CochranR95@gmail.com> Publisher coverage: Amazon Publishing; Hachette; Hyperion; Pegasus; and WW Norton Bryan Dumas <bryanpgdumas@gmail.com> Publisher coverage: Algonquin; Kensington; Other Press; Overlook; Sourcebooks; Tyndale; and other US/Canadian small presses Arleigh Johnson <arleigh.johnson@att.net> Publisher coverage: US/Canadian children’s publishers Ilysa Magnus <goodlaw2@optonline.net> Publisher Coverage: Bloomsbury, FSG; Grove/Atlantic; Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; Minotaur Books; Picador USA; Poisoned Pen Press; Soho Press; St Martin’s Press; and Tor/Forge |

re v i e ws e d i tor, i nd i e

Richard Lee <richard@historicalnovelsociety.org> Publisher Coverage: all self-published, subsidy, and electronically published novels |

e d i tori a l pol i cy & copy ri g h t

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. 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. |

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

THE HISTORICAL NOVEL SOCIETY was formed in 1997 to help promote historical fiction. We are an open society — if you want to get involved, get in touch. 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, please see: https:// historicalnovelsociety.org/members/join/ HNS WEBSITE: www.historicalnovelsociety.org |

confe re nce s

The Society organizes biennial conferences in the UK, the US, and Australasia. Contact Richard Lee <richard@historicalnovelsociety.org> (UK), Vanitha Sankaran <info@vanithasankaran.com> (USA), or Elisabeth Storrs <contact@hnsa.org.au> (Australasia).

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Historical Novels R eview I s s u e 8 1 , A u g us t 2017 | I SSN 1471-7492

| columns |

hi s to r ic al f ic tio n m arke t ne ws

ne w vo ic e s

s ar a h joh nson

p r of ile s of debut his torical f iction authors e lis e h oope r , lor en a hug hes , devin murp hy & k a it e we lsh | my fanw y cook

hi s to r y & f i l m

t a b oo | be th a ny latham

| features & interviews |

SE BAST I AN BAR RY

wa iting & lis ten in g | b y lucin da bya tt

co m ing-o f-age journeys

g row in g up in a d ifferent time | by elizabeth co rbett

go l den hill

a n int er v ie w with fr a n cis s puf f ord | b y my f anw y co o k

t h e w h o l e art o f detec tion

l y n d s a y f a y e on she r l ock holm es | by s us an mcdu f f ie

s t ay i n g alive in the e liz ab e than ag e

a. d . swa nson’s incendium | by g ordon o’ su l l i va n

the h im alay an codex

co m p le x sc ie nc e into rip pin g yarn s | b y g .j . berger

t h e w o m en in t he c a stle

me tap hor & emp athy | by ma r y to d

| reviews |

b o o k r e v ie ws

e d ito rs’ c h oic e & m ore

NR announcements

Elizabeth Hawksley is stepping down after five years as the UK Children’s Reviews Editor. Thanks to her efforts, UK children’s titles have had a strong presence in the HNR. Her position is vacant, so anyone in the UK interested in this role is encouraged to contact me (sljohnson2@eiu.edu). In addition, Alan Fisk has rejoined the editorial team, working with many small presses, and he’s currently building his reviewer team. His details are on the masthead. Potential new UK-based reviewers, and reviewers working with other UK editors, should contact him or me if interested in joining Alan’s team. New books by HNS members We have a bumper crop of new releases from our prolific membership. Books are in order by date, with descriptions provided by the authors. Congrats to all! If you’ve written a historical novel or nonfiction work published between June-Dec 2017, please email the following details to me at sljohnson2@eiu.edu by Oct. 7: author, title, publisher, release date, and a blurb of one sentence or less. Details will appear in November’s column. Jacqueline Reiter’s The Late Lord: The Life of John Pitt, 2nd Earl of Chatham (Pen & Sword, Jan 11) is the first ever biography of the elder brother of British prime minister Pitt the Younger, infamous for commanding the disastrous Walcheren Expedition of 1809. In Moriarty Takes His Medicine by Anna Castle (Anna Castle, Jan 15), Professor & Mrs. Moriarty tackle a case too ticklish for Sherlock Holmes to handle on his own. M. L. Greer’s first historical novel, Thrice Blest (CreateSpace, Mar 20), begins early in the 20th century, in a village near the Dniester River, where Ukrainian people have struggled against poverty, oppression, and efforts to obliterate their identity, language, culture, and religion; the story follows one family through the century. In Harper’s Rescue: Book 2 of the Shiloh Trilogy by Sean K. Gabhann (Sundown, Mar 23), Lieutenant Jamie Harper and Corporal Gustav Magnusson arrive in Paducah, Kentucky after escaping a Confederate prison and are recruited to help General Grant’s spymaster disrupt a ring of saboteurs based out of the establishment where saloon-girl Katie Malloy is indentured. Griff Hosker has three new releases, all from Sword Books. In From Arctic Snow to Desert Sand (March 30), a WWI Ace thinks his war is over in 1918, but he is sent to fight first the Bolsheviks and then the Mad Mullah. In Crusader (April 24), a Norman knight goes to the Holy Land to atone for his sins, while in Viking Weregeld (May 7), the Dragonheart is forced HNR Issue 81, August 2017 | Columns | 1

to join with Danes to fight King Egbert when his son commits murder. Jennifer Moore’s Miss Whitaker Opens Her Heart (Covenant Communications, Apr) takes place in the harsh colony of New South Wales; Sarah Whitaker lives by the motto that nobody is to be trusted, but as she develops feelings for her new neighbor, can she forgive his past? In Anna Belfrage’s Under the Approaching Dark (Troubador, Apr 10), England in the early 14th century is a messy place: a king has been deposed, the new king is a boy, and the power behind the throne is the young king’s mother, Isabella of France, and Roger Mortimer. Quite the quagmire for the honourable knight Adam de Guirande to navigate! Raven’s Feast by Eric Schumacher (Creativia, Apr 23) tells the true story of the most unlikely Norse king, Hakon Haraldsson, a Christian teenager who has wrested the High Seat of Viking Age Norway from his ruthless brother, Erik Bloodaxe, and now must fight the land-hungry Danes and the religious beliefs of his pagan countrymen to keep it. Power and passion collide in Donna Russo Morin’s The Competition: Da Vinci’s Disciples, Book Two (Diversion, Apr 25), a sumptuous Renaissance historical novel of shattering limitations, one brushstroke at a time. Alison Morton’s Retalio (Pulcheria, Apr 27) is the sixth alternative history thriller in the award-winning Roma Nova series. Can exiled Aurelia liberate Roma Nova from the brutal consulship of Caius? Volume Three in D.K.R. Boyd’s The Reflecting Man series (Wonderdog, May) continues the antic tale of unreliable narrator, Kurtis De’ath, on his discerning journey through chaotic people and events leading to WWII. Eileen Charbonneau’s I’ll Be Seeing You (Book 1 of Code Talker Chronicles; BWL, May 2017) is set as America enters WWII; a young Navaho idealist finds his innocence shattered by his initiation into the fledgling O.S.S. as it tries out the newly developed code on a secret mission in the mountains of Spain. Caro Soles’s A Friend of Mr. Nijinsky (Crossroad, May 8), follows a young American man who befriends the great ballet dancer Vaslav Nijinsky in 1916 and is drawn into his paranoid world. Traitor’s Knot by Cryssa Bazos (Endeavour, May 9) is a sweeping tale of love and conflicted loyalties set against the turmoil of the English Civil War. None of Us the Same by Jeffrey K. Walker (Ballybur, May 15) poses the following question: The Great War would change everything and everyone... then what? Inspired by real events, part unsolved murder and part epic love story, Vanessa Lafaye’s At First Light (Orion, Jun 1) is set in Key West, Florida, in 1919 and dramatises what happened to one couple when the Ku Klux Klan set up a chapter there. Rick Deragon’s Fire in the Year of Four Emperors (de Ventadorn Press, Jun 1) shows Batavian prince Julius Civilis battling Roman corruption and tribal insurrection on his homeward journey to lead his people against their oppressors. 2 | Columns |

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In Cynthia Ripley Miller’s The Quest for the Crown of Thorns (Knox Robinson, Jun 13), second in the Long-Hair Saga, a Roman senator’s daughter and her warrior husband must solve a gruesome murder, a mysterious riddle, and complete one of history’s most challenging missions. Blood Moon: A Captive’s Tale (Amika, Jun 14) by Ruth Hull Chatlien is a work of adult-level historical fiction set during the Dakota War of 1862; it is based on the true experiences of Sarah Wakefield and her two young children, held captive for the length of the deadly six-week conflict. Perilous Prophecy by Leanna Renee Hieber (Tor, June 20) is a ghost-filled Gaslamp Fantasy set in 1860s Cairo and London, where ancient myth plays out in dangerous mortal reality. Set in 10th-century England and Ireland, Caerthwaite, Book 1: Love’s Vows by Kate Grannis chronicles the love of Josselin Ironstone and Sven Augensson, two people who cannot be together yet cannot live apart (Endeavour Press, June 21). Set in 1882, River with No Bridge by Karen Wills (Five Star, Jun 21) features immigrant Nora Flanagan, who finds love, tragedy, scandal, danger, and finally romantic wilderness adventure in her journey into Montana Territory. During the French Revolution, Countess Bettina is kidnapped back to France, but will she find the lover she lost in England? Find out in Diane Scott Lewis’ Hostage to the Revolution (BooksWeLove, Jul 19), the sequel to Escape the Revolution. In The Secret of Summerhayes by Merryn Allingham (HQ/ HarperCollins, Jul 27), Bethany Merston, bombed out of London by the Blitz, takes up a post as companion to the elderly owner of Summerhayes, now a shadow of its former glory, and unravels the dark secrets of the house and its almost-forgotten scandals. Without Warning by Thomas C. Sanger (River Grove, Aug 1) tells the forgotten story of passengers’ heroism and sacrifice when their ship, the Athenia, is torpedoed and sunk by a German submarine at the start of WWII; it’s based on actual events and people, including the author’s grandmother. In Eileen Charbonneau’s Watch Over Me (Book 2 of Code Talker Chronicles; BWL, Aug), set in the crucible of a world at war, O.S.S. agents New Yorker Kitty Charante and Navaho Luke Kayenta leap hurdles of class, race and their soul-searing time. Carol McGrath’s The Woman in the Shadows (Accent, Aug 4) tells the story of Elizabeth Cromwell, wife of Henry VIII’s statesman Thomas Cromwell. In Slow Train to Sonora by Loyd Uglow (Five Star, Aug 16), two American army officers sent into revolutionary Mexico in 1911 find danger and romance—and danger in romance. In Spellhaven, a historical fantasy by Sandra Unerman (Mirror World, Aug 17), Jane, a young English musician, is kidnapped just before the outbreak of the First World War, and taken to an island ruled by magicians. Workhouse Orphans (Ebury, Aug 24), first in a projected quartet by Hilary Green, writing as Holly Green, follows the orphaned May and Gus, who endure harsh conditions

New publishing deals Sources include author and publisher submissions, Publishers Marketplace, Publishers Weekly, The Bookseller, Booktrade.info, Australia’s Books+Publishing, and more. Want to see your latest publishing deal in an upcoming column? Send them to me at sljohnson2@eiu.edu. The Fifth Knight series author E.M. Powell’s new spin-off series, starting with The King’s Justice, featuring a disgraced young messenger who accompanies a Justice through 12thcYorkshire in the service of King Henry II, helping to preside over cases of arson, robbery, and murder, sold to Jane Snelgrove at Thomas & Mercer, in a two-book deal, by Josh Getzler at Hannigan Salky Getzler. Lynna Banning’s new novel, The Hired Man, an Old West tale set on the Oregon frontier, is the story of a widowed apple farmer and the hired man who comes to help with the harvest. Published by HarperCollins/Harlequin, it will be released in England, France, and the U.S. in Nov 2017. Amanda McCabe, aka Amanda Carmack, writing as Amanda Allen’s Santa Fe Mourning, the start of a new 1920s mystery series, sold to Matt Martz at Crooked Lane Books by Gail Fortune at the Talbot/Fortune Agency, for publication in Summer 2018. Winchester Cathedral by Tracy Chevalier, about one of the husbandless “surplus women” in the post-WWI era, who volunteers to embroider cushions for the cathedral’s choir stalls and finds unexpected connections to Germany’s far-right party, sold to Andrea Schulz at Viking for 2018 publication via Deborah Schneider at Gelfman Schneider/ICM, via Jonny Geller at London’s Curtis Brown agency. Fled by Meg Keneally, based on the life of Mary Bryant, an 18th-c Cornish convict transported to the penal colony in New South Wales, was acquired by Angela Meyer, commissioning editor at Echo Publishing, in a two-book deal, for Sept. 2018 publication. Bernard Cornwell’s new Elizabethan-set novel Fools and Mortals, following William Shakespeare’s estranged younger brother, Richard, a struggling actor, and following their rivalry in the same company, sold to HarperCollins executive publisher

Kate Elton for UK publication on Oct. 19th, and US publication on Jan. 9, 2018. Kelly O’Connor McNees’ (The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott) Undiscovered Country, focusing on the complex love affair between First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and reporter Lorena “Hick” Hickok, sold to Iris Blasi at Pegasus by Kate McKean at the Howard Morhaim Literary Agency. Little by Edward Carey, about the backstory of Marie Grosholtz, who became the celebrated wax artist Madame Tussaud (the book’s title reflects her nickname), sold to Cal Morgan at Riverhead, for Fall 2018 publication, via Isobel Dixon at Blake Friedmann. Forthcoming Next Year in Havana author Chanel Cleeton’s next book, about a Cuban socialite-turned-exile in 1960s Palm Beach, sold to Kate Seaver at Berkley via Kevan Lyon at Marsal Lyon Literary Agency. Two books in Ben Kane’s forthcoming Clash of Empires series, set at the turn of the 3rd century BC and recounting Rome’s invasion of Greece, sold to Jon Wood, group publisher of Orion, via Charlie Viney of The Viney Agency, as part of a 3-book deal, which also includes a standalone historical novel. World English rights to Adrienne Celt’s untitled novel about Vladimir Nabokov’s marriage to his wife, Véra, who became his literary agent and editor, set in the 1920s and ´30s, sold to Lea Beresford at Bloomsbury via Emma Patterson at Brandt & Hochman. Moving away from the Tudor era, Philippa Gregory’s epic family saga trilogy, spanning from the mid-17th to the early 20th century in England and America, sold to Ian Chapman at Simon & Schuster UK, and to be edited by Trish Todd at Touchstone US and Suzanne Baboneau at S&S UK, via Anthony Mason (Gregory’s literary agent and husband). The first book will appear in Sept. 2019. Noel O’Reilly’s “Poldark-esque” debut Wrecker, Gothic fiction about corpses mysteriously washing up on a beach in remote Cornwall in the 1800s, sold to HQ publishing director Kate Mills via David Headley at DHH Literary Agency. Willow Hall by Hester Fox, supernatural historical fiction about a young woman facing a family scandal in 19th-century rural Massachusetts, sold to Brittany Lavery at Graydon House via Jane Dystel at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. Journalist Anna-Marie Crowhurst’s first novel The Illumination of Ursula Flight, described as a picaresque comingof-age tale set around the Restoration-era stage, sold to Allen & Unwin senior editor Sam Brown, in a 2-book deal via Hellie Ogden at Janklow & Nesbit UK. Publication will be 2018.

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in the Brownlow workhouse in mid-19th c Liverpool; May, however, has a talent for design which will lift her out of that environment, while Gus runs away to sea, determined to find his missing father. The Green Phoenix by Alice Poon (Earnshaw, Sept 1) is a novelized account of the life of Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang, born a Mongolian princess who became a consort in the Manchu court and then the Qing dynasty’s first matriarch; she succeeded against the odds in leading the early Qing Empire out of a dead end to peace and stability. Eager to shed her better-known identity as frivolous Amy March in Little Women, May Alcott pursues independence and a career as a professional painter in Elise Hooper’s debut The Other Alcott (William Morrow, Sept 5).

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

HNR Issue 81, August 2017 | Columns | 3

NEW VOICES Introducing us to their tenacious, heroic and emotive characters and intriguing settings are debut novelists Elise Hooper, Lorena Hughes, Devin Murphy, and Kaite Welsh.

evin Murphy’s The Boat Runner (HarperPerennial, 2017), he says, was inspired by “my family’s history and the exploration of my nomadic youth. My Dutch grandfather was a head electrical engineer at Phillips in the Netherlands. During WWII, he had to go into hiding to avoid conscription by the Germans. The mystery of what his life was like during that time when not even his wife, or my young mother, knew where he was always fascinated me as a kid. When I finally got to visit the Netherlands as a teenager, it awakened a love of history and travel that would guide the rest of my life.” Murphy’s novel opens in the summer of 1939 and tells the story of Jacob Koopman and his older brother, Edwin, and the Dutch boys who were “thrown into the Nazi campaign.” It also tells the tale of the brave boatmen who risked everything to help Jewish refugees find safety. The author achieves this through “one boy’s harrowing tale of personal redemption.” Having completed his studies at college, he then “spent ten years working in the travel industry in an attempt to explore the world.” He continues: “Several of those years I worked on small expedition-style cruise ships that traveled to the most exotic locations on the earth. It was at sea where I saw how connected the world is, and always has been, by ships. I saw how dangerous the ocean crossings could be but also how they lead people to new lives. “My deep love for history led me to leave a life at sea to begin a career as a writer and college professor. I was a bit saddened to find that my students paid very little, if any, attention to the world beyond their campus. Specifically, to the fact that their country had been at war for most of their lives. Many stayed in their comfort zone and ignored global events. It seemed dangerous to neglect how cultures travel and shift, how those shifts cause conflicts that define who we are and have deep roots in our past. I decided to try to reignite a past conflict using my grandfather’s life and my time at sea in such a way those connections could not be ignored.” Lorena Hughes’ interaction with real people fuelled the 4 | Columns |

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inspiration for The Sisters of Alameda Street (Skyhorse, 2017). Her novel is, as she explains, “the result of an amalgam of experiences—of stories I’ve heard, of people I’ve met, and of that intangible thing we call imagination. I’ve always had a fascination with tales of mistaken identity, forbidden loves, family secrets, and estranged mothers and daughters.” When Hughes was younger, she says, “I loved gothic and mystery novelists like Daphne du Maurier and Cornell Woolrich, but I also enjoyed reading novels of women unraveled through multiple points of view. I once watched an old film about a mother who accidentally lost her daughter on a train and found her years later, along with two other girls, but she didn’t know which one of them was her daughter. I started thinking: ‘What if instead of a mother searching for her daughter, it is the daughter who’s trying to identify her mother?’ From there, Malena’s story was born.” Since her novel took nearly 20 years to complete from “conception to finished product,” she continues, “it became more personal: I set it in my native Ecuador, in a fictitious city that is very similar to my father’s hometown. The house on Alameda Street is somewhat evocative of my grandparents’ home and their store, which was on the lower level.” Hughes points out: “In 1962, the year where the novel begins, my mother was the exact same age as Malena, and I drew inspiration from stories of her childhood and the fashion she wore in her early twenties. Music has also been a strong sensory influence. The melancholy of the tango provided the perfect backdrop for a story that is both sad and intimate. The sisters’ interactions are partially drawn by my relationship with one of my best friends, and Sebastian’s world—which revolves around a newspaper—comes from my own work experiences in newspapers.” Kaite Welsh’s determined and indefatigable main character, Sarah Gilchrist in The Wages of Sin (Tinder/UK and Pegasus/ US, 2017) started to develop, she writes, when she was “a teenager reading a biography of pioneering historical heroines, women whose struggles gave me the rights—to education, reproductive choice, the vote—I took for granted. At the same time, I was meeting Marian Halcombe from The Woman in White, Kay Scarpetta and Buffy Summers, all women with the courage of their convictions to stand against the darkness, and to drag wrongdoers—be they wicked husbands, murderers or vampires—into the light. Women saving the world—or just themselves—quickly became my favourite fictional trope.”

photo credit: Lola Smith-Welsh

However, although Sarah is the protagonist, Welsh “didn’t want her to be the sole voice of early feminism, an outlier.” She explains, “There’s a trend in neo-Victorian novels to have protagonists who reject convention, who ‘aren’t like other girls’. I wanted to see what happened when all these ‘not like other girls’ found themselves thrown together, and how hard it can be to throw off the philosophies we are raised with. The individual novels—I’m contracted for two more and have ideas for another three or four—are about the mysteries that Sarah finds herself drawn into, but the overall arc is about a found family, a group of lost girls coming together to form a tribe, a sisterhood. “Women—like the LGBT community and people of colour— are written out of history too often. I wanted to put them back where they belonged.” In The Other Alcott (William Morrow, 2017), Elise Hooper has also focused on revealing an untold story that has been overlooked by history. The story is that of May, Louisa’s Alcott’s youngest sister, who was an artist in her own right. As a young girl, she says, Hooper attended “a drama camp at Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House in Concord, Massachusetts. I had read and loved all of her books, but when I was at Orchard House, it was always Louisa’s youngest sister, May, and her little room in the back of the old house that drew me in to explore. I’d study the sketches of angels she had penciled onto the wall of her bedroom and feel affinity for this creative Alcott who never seemed to get the same type of attention as her infinitely more

famous older sister.” Several years ago Hooper “was casting about for a new writing project” and found her subject. “I landed on exploring an icon from my childhood: Louisa May Alcott. After all, she had spurred my own love of writing. Yet when I dug around the research, I was pleased to discover this quirky family had produced not only one, but two headstrong daughters, and May became my character of interest. “I had minored in art in college, and May’s painting career fascinated me. She was one of a handful of women who helped cultivate an active and prolific community of women artists in Boston during the 1870s, a time when women were discouraged from any sort of professional artistic ambitions. Eventually May left New England for Europe, where she forged a successful career as a painter in Paris and London, married, and had a daughter.” Hooper admits, “I have always enjoyed stories about tenacious women who tend to be overlooked by historians, and May is a prime example of one of these historical figures. While the basic chronology of her life is documented through the letters and journals of her sister, much of her emotional journey as an artist and a woman seeking independence must be filled in with imagination. It was this blank space that fueled my writing.” A love of characters, both female and male, with strong personalities who are determined to overcome challenges and stand up and be counted are central to the work of Hooper, Hughes, Murphy and Welsh. Although each of the authors has focused on a different historical era, they have all created feisty characters to illuminate the periods they inhabit.

MYFANWY COOK is always humbled by the work of debut novelists and their ability to bring to life those who have so often been overlooked. Email (myfanwyc@btinternet.com) or tweet (twitter.com/MyfanwyCook) about debut novelists you recommend.

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Elise Hooper, Lorena Hughes, Devin Murphy & Kaite Welsh

HNR Issue 81, August 2017 | Columns | 5

aHISTORY & FILMe AUSTEN ’S ALTERNATE UNIVERSE : TABO O

obody excels at playing ferocious psychopaths with a sensitive side quite like Tom Hardy.” 1

The Regency era is fixed in the mind of most as quintessentially Austenesque – a setting for polite, sedate romances, witty repartee bandied between well-dressed dancing partners at assemblies. Though I’ve been accused of having a dark turn of mind, personally, when I think Regency, I don’t think cannibalism and incest. But then, I’m not Tom Hardy. A few years ago, Hardy had an idea. He’d just finished playing Bill Sikes in Oliver Twist, and it occurred to him that he’d like to create a character that was equal parts Sikes, Jack the Ripper, and Marlow from Heart of Darkness. Hardy offered the idea of this character to his father who, after a year’s rumination, sketched a treatment of sorts, an outline the Hardys then gave to Steven Knight, with whom Hardy had worked on Peaky Blinders. The result is the BBC-FX-Ridley Scott series Taboo. Set in 1814, as the nascent U.S. and Great Britain are embroiled in the War of 1812, Taboo is incredibly atmospheric, though not with the ambiance one might expect. This version of Regency London is dark, decayed, horrible, and filthy, a sort of depraved Dickensian underbelly transported from the Victorian age. The cinematography consists of so much mud, various shades of grey where little color is seen, and the sun seems not to actually exist – there’s seldom enough light to effectively cast shadows. This extends even to scenes of lush interiors, such as that of the Prince Regent’s apartments or the meeting rooms of the East India Company; all are washed out and dim. Enter into this half-lit world James Keziah Delaney (Hardy), an adventurer long thought dead. Naturally, he stuns everyone when he shows up very much alive to attend his father’s funeral. It’s evident from the beginning that there is something…amiss between Delaney and his only surviving relative, a half-sister, Zilpha (Oona Chaplin, of Game of Thrones fame, and that’s not all this series has in common with Game of Thrones). Delaney intends to claim 6 | Columns |

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his inheritance, which includes a much-disputed smidgen of the globe called Nootka Sound (an inlet of current-day Vancouver Island, BC). As it turns out, almost everyone wants Nootka Sound – the Prince Regent (a fat suit-clad Mark Gatiss), the Americans, and the winner of Taboo’s villain contest, the East India Company. Since they’re usually the most fun, let’s start with the villain here. Knight has said, “With any period piece I think the thing to do is forget that it’s not contemporary when you’re writing and to have the characters feel as much as possible like characters that you would know.” 2 Hunh. This is indicative of an oft-encountered mindset with regard to historical drama that seems somewhat ironic. In order to create authentic historical characterization, one would think it imperative to always keep in mind that “it’s not contemporary.” But then, that’s only if one is interested in historicity. It’s endemic in the industry: modern audiences are assumed to be too [insert pejorative of your choice here] to understand or empathize with characters who are not like themselves (i.e., not portrayed with modern sensibilities and motivations); we must therefore relate them to/ translate them into something modern. This mindset, of course, doesn’t end with characterization. It reaches into various and sundry elements of the story, in this case the depiction of the East India Company, which is a stand-in not simply for the evils of imperialism, but for all the contemporary entities within the screenwriter’s agenda: “The East India Company…throughout the 19th century, was the equivalent of the CIA, the NSA and the biggest, baddest multi-national corporation on earth, all rolled into one self-righteous, religiously motivated monolith,” says Knight. Sure. And also: “They weren’t an evil organization that went around deliberately oppressing people, but they were driven by profit, and how familiar is that now?” 3 So which is it? Are they “religiously motivated” or are they “driven by profit”? The two don’t have to be mutually exclusive, and I’ve neither the time nor the inclination to address these particular assertions; the salient point is how they inform Knight’s portrayal of the Company. Along with the heavily Gothic atmosphere, there is now the added element of a corporate thriller in the form of the machinations of the Company. As one might imagine, the men who run it are an unpalatable bunch, headed up by the alliteratively-named Sir Stuart Strange ( Jonathan Pryce, a most

wolf would. He eats parts of his victims. These scenes, while a small part of the series, feature the type of realism that leaves one cringing and wishing the scene would end, and with it the suffering and violence. We know someone’s gonna die; just please make it stop. But these scenes, like everything Hardy does onscreen, underline the physicality of his portrayal. Much heck hath been given by reviewers over Hardy’s terse grunts, growls, and low-pitched mumbles, but dialogue is rendered secondary through the physical presence his character projects. As one reviewer stated, “I’m hooked. I could watch Hardy read the phone book. I assume he would eat it.” 4 Taboo is a predominantly male revenge and retribution story, a vehicle for Hardy, and he carries it well, stalking purposefully through an underworld the viewer is fascinated to watch, and thankful she never has to actually visit. He’s supported by a cast of convincing subsidiary characters, such as the family’s longtime and long-suffering manservant, Brace (David Hayman), and the procession of colorful thieves, ne’er-do-wells, and urchins often employed to add Dickensian flavor to any vaguely historical piece. The women of the tale bear mentioning, if only to highlight how much more could have been made of them. Zilpha is a bastion of cold composure on the outside and a seething cauldron about to fly apart underneath. Franka Potente reprises the role of whore and madam she pioneered in Copper, and Jessie Buckley is added to the ensemble to offer a foil for Delaney as well as some romantic tension, given his relationship with Zilpha (ick). Taboo is full of uncomfortable themes (you did note the title, yes?). Taboo is dark. It’s occasionally viscerally violent. It’s also imaginative and compelling, well-acted and, at only eight episodes, easily binge-able. The series left off with a satisfying conclusion, but also the trailer of more to come, and it has been green-lit for a second season. The next season promises a change of setting…though I have a feeling it’ll be no less dark.

References: 1. Gilbert, Sophie. “Taboo: A Grim, Gruesome Costume Drama Starring Tom Hardy.” The Atlantic, 10 January 2017. https://www. theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2017/01/taboo-fx-tomhardy-review/512627/ 2. Patten, Dominic. “Taboo EP Steven Knight on Working with Tom Hardy & Future of Peaky Blinders.” http://deadline.com/2017/01/ taboo-tom-hardy-steven-knight-peaky-blinders-fx-1201882741/ 3. Ibid. 4. Franich, Darren. “Taboo: EW Review.” Entertainment Weekly, 13 January 2017. http://ew.com/tv/2017/01/10/taboo-ew-review/

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felicitous casting choice). There are parts of his characterization that audibly jangle, most notably his penchant for dropping the F-bomb and filthy epithets in company, an unlikely habit for someone of his social class during the period. Yet on the whole, Pryce accomplishes some engrossing scenery chewing, in a series rife with such mastications. While others are also out to get Delaney (almost everyone, it seems), it is Strange who is truly his nemesis, and watching the two can be riveting – one the assured, amoral, and ruthless head of a “multi-national corporation,” the other an equally ruthless blunt instrument...with a side of Machiavellian brilliance. While the sympathetic character column is sparsely populated, this series has villains to spare. Solomon Coop ( Jason Watkins), Private Secretary to the corpulent and extremely unappealing regent, runs a network of spies that rivals that of the East India Company, a sometime uneasy ally but mostly competitor in the game for Nootka Sound. While primarily a competent and unassuming bureaucrat, he’s equally content torturing Delaney and drooling lasciviously over females he’s incarcerated. Then there’s Thorne Geary ( Jefferson Hall), husband of Delaney’s half-sister, a half-zealot, all-abusive drunk poised to improve his flailing financial situation through Zilpha’s inheritance – until Delaney shows up and scuppers his plans, amongst other things. And lastly, there’s Dr. Dumbarton (Michael Kelly), an American “doctor” working with cholera victims at St. Bartholomew’s Hospital…and also a spy. So what of the “hero”? As might be imagined from a combo of Jack the Ripper, Bill Sikes, and Marlow, Delaney isn’t actually hero material. He knows the evil the Company perpetrates because he was “once part of it,” and seems without pity even where it might be given with no cost. Keys to his character are few and far between, which has disappointed many reviewers who apparently prefer their enigmas to be clearly elucidated for them. For such a hulking figure, Delaney possesses quite a thinking machine encased in that dirty beaver-fur top hat. There does seem to be a bit of Marlow’s introspection, and in keeping with the themes from Heart of Darkness, Delaney’s regarded with such unease primarily because he’s suspected by the Londoners of having gone native while in darkest Africa, of encountering something malevolent and returning changed. They seem oblivious to the fact that, just as in Conrad’s original, the two settings, Africa and England, are equivalent – darkness is not limited to a geographical location, because it’s within us. Another element which has made post-colonial apologist reviewers distinctly uncomfortable: Delaney practices some vague, mumbly (most of Hardy’s dialogue is delivered in grunts and clicks) form of black magic, gleaned from his time in Africa as well as from his mother, who (spoiler alert) turns out to have been a Salish Native American from Nootka. Delaney incants while rife with pantlessness in the dim confines of his decaying family home, so consider yourself warned. Speaking of which, the scenes of Delaney physically engaging with his enemies are chillingly effective; this man is a savage, brutalizing his opponents, to the point of ripping one’s throat out as a

BETHANY LATHAM is a professor, librarian, and Managing Editor of HNR. She publishes in various scholarly and popular journals, as well as writing for EBSCO’s NoveList database.

HNR Issue 81, August 2017 | Columns | 7

the importance of waiting & listening

ebastian Barry is not easily forgotten, whether as author or Sperformer. If you ever have the opportunity to hear him read from his own works, then seize it! His books have deservedly garnered many awards, including, among others, the 2009 Costa Book Prize and James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction (both for The Secret Scripture, 2008) and the 2012 Walter Scott Historical Novel Prize for On Canaan’s Side (2011). However, it’s rare for an author to win both these prizes twice, as he has done in 2017 for his latest novel, Days Without End (2016). Reading his work and hearing the same names crop up gives a sense of familiarity, almost déjà vu. The protagonist of his latest work is Thomas McNulty; an earlier novel was titled The Whereabouts of Eneas McNulty (1998), and a Jack McNulty appears in The Temporary Gentleman (2014). Much of Barry’s writing delves into his family history and the dislocations and diasporas that weave through Ireland’s past. When I asked what drew him back to his family from Sligo, Barry replies: “Fifty years ago my grandfather – The Temporary Gentleman himself – mentioned he had a great uncle at the Indian Wars. That’s all he said. In the novel The Temporary Gentleman, an old photograph of this Trooper McNulty is mentioned, and Jack, the narrator, thinks he was killed by Comanches. Days Without End disagrees with that! Also, twenty-five years ago, I tried to make a play for him (he was still called Trooper O’Hara then, his real name) and made a first attempt at the language he might have spoken in. I suppose what drew me back was that I have never stopped thinking about this character, nesting in my own DNA, but entirely without a surviving history. Which tempted me into giving him one – into making one up.” Days Without End is dedicated to Barry’s son. McNulty and Handsome John Cole meet as boys when they cross-dress to entertain the miners in the mid-West. Their relationship becomes a steadfast anchor during what Barry describes as “a time of huge destruction, confusion, and death – but also birth

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SEBASTIAN BARRY

and possibility.” The author readily admits that their love, which underpins the entire novel and its passages of extraordinary lyricism, was inspired by his teenage son. The background for the novel is both Irish and American – the Irish potato famine and the dreaded ‘coffin’ ships that carried those, like McNulty, whose only option was to migrate, across the Atlantic. Both he and Cole are conscripted into the army to fight in the Indian Wars. It is during one of these campaigns that the massacre takes place which leaves Winona, a very young Native American girl, as a hostage to the camp commander. Winona becomes first John Cole’s servant and then his daughter, and the serenity of her character provides a beacon of light throughout the novel. I asked the author about violence and atrocities and their different effects on these young lives. “Thomas is an altered soul. He has had his future in Ireland, his family, everything, erased, and he has been reduced to nothing. He begins with nothing in a certain guise, and ends with nothing, but rather differently. ‘When you ain’t got nothing you got nothing to lose’, as Dylan sings. I feel this loss both erases him and also leaves a new page for something to be incised on, with a steel pen, as it were. Thomas is a survivor ultimately, though there is no permanent witness to his survival. I think it is this in him that does allow him to give some healing and succour to Winona, the young Indian girl that he and John ‘take’ as first a servant, and then a daughter. It is in some respects a disgraceful and doubtful thing to do – but at the end of the book I myself had, and have, high hopes for Winona, as another soul with a strange gift of survival. We only have Winona through Thomas’s eyes of course, and he does undoubtedly idealise her. Her silence to me is currently a closed book. But it leaves me wondering.” Barry immersed himself in Native American history and culture,“starting this time with my late friend Peter Matthiessen’s book The Spirit of Crazy Horse (1983). I had met him briefly

by Lucinda Byatt is an altered soul...He begins with nothing in a certain guise, and ends with nothing, but rather differently.

HNR Issue 81, August 2017

Sebastian Barry | photo credit: The Irish Times, 2016

you might say, and have no words exactly to describe how they live, beyond the one, two, three of their narrative. I think myself they are lucky in their closest confidantes, but it is also important to say that Thomas is noting things about himself that he has never heard of, beyond a brief and inspiring glimpse of the berdache way of life. In the 1850s in America, west of the Mississippi and the Missouri, the lack of women meant that men occupied not only public spaces usually occupied by women, but also private spaces. That was a thrilling thought somehow. In San Francisco for instance, in the matter of cross-dressing, there was an effort made to present this in public as ‘normal’ (and I would suggest, eternal) by incredibly brave gender pioneers. And there was a certain amount of success in that, only to founder on an 1863 law forbidding it. We can imagine that even in this time of atrocity, other beneficent things were trying to be born, and more’s the pity they were leaned on. But I believe Thomas in his true nature has the luck to be a beneficiary of this nascent time. So he told me, anyway! “There is another sense to this, in that I was wanting to make a sort of spell, drawn out of possible history, but directed at the future really. Where to be gay will be so unremarkable that no one will remark upon it. Where to be gay will be understood for what it is, radiant and important. That was the secret purpose of that ‘peaceful assurance’, in your excellent phrase. Luckily a novel is a story not a history. But I rest my faith in the possibility of Thomas’s luck, all the same.”

Sebastian Barry is published by Faber & Faber UK and Viking US.

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in Bridgehampton and was drawn and fascinated by his very current efforts to redress a tragic history.” One particular aspect that emerges in the novel is the fact that a few men, known as winkte or berdache, dressed as women when not in battle. Barry comments on this and on the strange parallels between the American and Irish native peoples. “I can’t remember where I read about the winkte – berdache is maybe a better word, twospirit also – but it was a moment that switched on a hitherto unsuspected light, and I was moved and stirred by that light. It was a small light that nevertheless shone into every corner of the novel. When you spend a year reading this history of erasure, atrocity, and injustice, I think you can be forgiven the final thought, ‘Give it back.’ That’s to say, give America back to the people who owned it. A hopeless injunction of course, but there it is. If they weren’t there for 14,000 years, they were there for 40,000. The Irish tribes were only around for about 4,000 years. Nevertheless I was perplexed, and have been for decades, ever since my grandfather first mentioned him, that a man like Thomas, an Irish person whose people had experienced hundreds of years of colonialism, could so easily become an instrument of the destruction of a native people not entirely unlike his own. Perplexed, but also moved to try and understand the dark mathematics of that. Survival, and what survival demands of us, seemed the key. Thomas is partly responsible for the murder of Winona’s family and yet ultimately he tries to be a parent to her. Perhaps in this case that is the best that history will allow him.” Barry shows all his mastery as a writer in the voice that he gives to McNulty, but it is also a skill honed and developed through research. “I’ve tried to study American English though whatever linguistics books I could actually understand, the language of commerce, but also the language both of ordinary American dreaming and the so-called American dream. The challenge with Thomas was manifold, in that he probably spoke Irish and English in Ireland, and then is very young when he gets to America, and in loving John Cole will of course pick up John Cole’s way of speaking, and everyone else around him. From a novelist’s point of view, in the end it was a question of waiting. The novel is not very interested at close of day in actual things, only imagined things. What guided me with Thomas was not so much the language as what he was saying in his heart and soul – the way he will turn and fly up when you least expect. The ornithology of his lingo. John Cole, who can neither read nor write, tries to teach Winona to read and write. And Winona turns out to be a master of both.” Lastly, I asked about the denouement of the book and its title. There is a confidence, a peaceful assurance about the lives of Thomas McNulty and John Cole, and the family they create with Winona. They really did manage to pull it off against all odds. This is how Barry replied: “It’s to do with the fact that in the writing of the book, or let’s say in my attentive listening to Thomas when he began to speak in my workroom, I didn’t want to edit him, but go with what he was saying. Not to know more than him, or think I did. They live a life of immense discretion,

LUCINDA BYATT is HNR’s Features Editor and on the organizing committee for Scotswrite, a Society of Authors conference being held in September. More info at http://www.societyofauthors/scotswrite

HNR Issue 81, August 2017 | Features | 9

growing up in a different time

coming-of-age story – or Bildungsroman – focusses on the psychological or moral growth of its protagonist from youth to adulthood. It generally involves a sensitive person suffering an emotional loss and going in search of answers to life’s questions, the ultimate goal being maturity, which the protagonist achieves gradually and with difficulty, until they eventually come to accept the values of society. Therefore, in Jane Austen’s, Sense and Sensibility, maturity – and thus the key to survival – means negotiating a sensible marriage. In George Eliot’s, Middlemarch, written during the nineteenthcentury crisis of belief, Dorothea’s maturity means abandoning Casaubon’s outdated scholasticism, in favour of a relationship that was more real.1 In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, written during the racial conflicts of the 1960s, Scout’s maturity comes through a deeper understanding of social justice. But what about in an historical coming-ofage novel? How does the protagonist mature authentically? By accepting the values of the era in which the novel is set? Or those of contemporary society? I put these questions to Kate Alcott, author of The Hollywood Daughter, a coming-of-age novel set in 1940s and 50s America. The Hollywood Daughter (Doubleday, 2017) opens in 1959 New York, where, having escaped the glittering Hollywood of her childhood, Jesse Malloy is working in an unfulfilling job and submitting stories to magazines on the side. When a mysterious invitation invites her to the 1959 Academy Award Ceremony, she journeys back to the 1940s, to a time when her father was a successful movie publicist and their lives were deeply affected by the scandals surrounding Ingrid Bergman’s career. Kate Alcott was a young girl at the time of the events she depicts in The Hollywood Daughter. “I remember vividly the shock I felt when the Ingrid Bergman scandal erupted. It seems strange to view it now as history, but – given how our

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Coming-of-Age Journeys

definition of ‘scandal’ has changed – it certainly is.” Alcott wondered what it would have been like to be torn between the glamour and excitement of Hollywood and the church’s rigid morality. By telling the story through the eyes of a budding teenager with a Catholic mother and not so devout father, Alcott gives Jesse’s story its primary conflict. She draws on a wealth of period detail about actors, movies, and magazines to embed Jesse’s journey from disillusionment to acceptance in its setting. For as Alcott points out, although our sense of what constitutes a scandal may have changed, “everyone, at some point, is faced with reconciling the way they saw the world as children with the one they face as adults.” But 1940s and 50s America is quite recent history and, as such, Jesse’s journey is not so far removed from our contemporary experience. But what about a novel set further back in the past? How, for example, does an author make a nineteenth-century journey to maturity relevant to the modern reader? I put these questions to novelist, poetry anthologist, and television producer Daisy Goodwin. Her novel, Victoria, opens with a prologue. The young heir to the throne lies awake, hoping the king will not die before she attains her majority. She is not sure exactly what being queen will involve. But she is determined to rule in her own right. Goodwin emphasises Victoria’s dilemma by showing her mother’s advisor, Sir John Conroy, trying to force Victoria to appoint him as her private secretary, the assumption being that a young woman cannot possibly rule without a male advisor. We next see Victoria, a month after her eighteenth birthday, on the morning of the king’s death, greeting the archbishop, alone, without her mother or her would-be private secretary. I asked Goodwin whether she considered Victoria a coming-of-age novel.

by Elizabeth Jane Corbett careful attention to language, a keen sense of period detail, and an ability to make old stories new to write an historical coming-of-age story.

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other civilisations and individuals. Her comfortable feeling of racial superiority undergoes a radical shift.” Like Victoria, Hester is determined to control her own destiny. However, she is also determined not to marry, a choice that was not an option for the young Victoria. I asked Treloar how she arrived at Hester’s ‘modern’ sensibilities. “We think of the Victorian era as a sort of repressive monolith, but stereotypes such as that only express a very limited truth. It’s true that there were many constraints for women, but these were not always absolute or universal. For instance, Quakers believed strongly in the intelligence of women and in the desirability of educating them, and this plays out in Hester’s family, though it also rubs uncomfortably against Victorian patriarchal attitudes.” Despite the truth of this assertion, Treloar, who “tries to write as unconsciously as possible,” does herself an injustice. It is not enough for a character to be historically possible, an author must make the reader believe in their choices. Treloar does this by having Hester closely observe her mother’s unhappiness. “With every word Mama told us she would rather she were not there in the Coorong with us, but in that lost green world where we had never been, not even in memory. It was strange to be wished out of existence. She had not often spoken of England in Adelaide, but at Salt Creek she drew her childhood around her like a cloak that might comfort and protect.” Hester’s heartfelt conclusion,“If only Papa had been less proud everything might have been different,” is but one of the many stepping stones along Hester’s path to independence. Of course, desire alone does not make Hester’s determination believable. Scene by scene, Treloar develops Hester’s singularity of character by emphasising her uncommon height, her distinctive hair colouring, her mathematical turn of mind, and by showing the influence Jane Eyre, the great proto-feminist novel, had on her views of marriage and independence. It is no surprise to find Hester’s desires matched by her actions. These are but three examples of historical coming-of-age novels. No doubt there are others. However, as the protagonist’s journey to maturity typically involves an acceptance of society’s values, the genre lends itself to the contemporary setting. It takes careful attention to language, a keen sense of period detail, and an ability to make old stories new to write an historical comingof-age story. But perhaps the same could be said of all good historical fiction?

Reference: 1. Giffin, Michael (2013). Female maturity from Jane Austen to Margaret Atwood, Amazon CreateSpace.

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“I think I would call it a coming-of-age story, although it is a royal one. My aim was to show how a very young girl, a teenager who has grown up in the most sheltered environment, develops into a queen. I suppose like a classic coming-of-age story it shows the pitfalls of growing up, magnified a hundred times because she is also a queen.” Despite being set in the nineteenth century, Goodwin’s Victoria tackles a thoroughly modern theme – that of a woman making her way in a world of “mansplainers.” Goodwin’s model for Victoria was her “own, five-foot-nothing teenage daughter,” and her memories of being a young woman in a man’s world (she went to a boy’s school). “I liked the image of this tiny girl looking up at a forest of old white-haired men. But the twist is that she was in charge. It is still a frighteningly modern concept.” Despite tackling such a modern theme, we never get a sense that Goodwin’s characterisation of Victoria is inauthentic. I asked Goodwin how she went about developing a protagonist who was not simply a modern girl growing up in a period costume. “I am as scrupulous as I can be about language,” Goodwin explained. “I think if you get the words right, the rest will follow. I am sure there are anachronisms, but I have done my best to keep them at bay. I also never forget that Victoria is wearing a corset. Anyone who has worn one will know that it gives you a very different outlook on life.” Although it is impossible to demonstrate exactly how imagining one’s self in a corset aided Goodwin’s characterisation, we can certainly observe her careful use of language. Here is an example from the crisis of the bedchamber: “‘If you say that Sir Robert is sound, then I must believe you. But I will not give up my ladies. They are not just my friends; they are my allies. She paused, looking directly at him. ‘You were a soldier, Duke. Would you want to go into battle alone?’ “‘Wellington shifted in his seat. ‘I was not aware that you were fighting a war, Ma’am.’ “Victoria did not smile back. Sitting up a little straighter, she felt the shape of the miniature in her pocket. ‘That is because you are not a young woman, Duke, and no one, I suspect, tells you what to do. But I have to prove my worth every single day, and I cannot do it alone.’” The fact that the historical Queen Victoria was forced to operate in a man’s world gives weight to Goodwin’s characterisation. But what about a novel that is not based on an historical character? How does the author develop an educated, independent female protagonist whose journey to maturity is non-anachronistic? I asked Lucy Treloar, author of Salt Creek, whose award-winning novel opens in 1874 with Hester, a mature woman, looking back on her fifteen-year-old self. Here is how Treloar describes her protagonist’s coming-of-age journey. “‘Loss of innocence’ or, to look at it from another perspective, ‘growth of awareness’ would be closer to my feelings about Hester and the book. Her feelings about her father undergo a great change, from uncritical love and regard to shame, rage and pity, as do her feelings about her own culture and its impacts on

When ELIZABETH JANE CORBETT isn’t writing, she works as a librarian, teaches Welsh at the Celtic Club, and blogs at elizabethjanecorbett.com. Her debut novel, The Tides Between – an historical coming-of-age novel about fairy tales and facing the truth –will be published by Odyssey Books in October.

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cafés, coffee & award-winning fiction

G olden Hill (Faber & Faber UK, 2016 / Scribner US, 2017)

by Francis Spufford has won the 2017 RSL Ondaatje Prize for “a distinguished work of fiction, non-fiction or poetry evoking the spirit of a place,” the 2016 Costa First Novel prize, and the 2017 Desmond Elliott award. It was also shortlisted for the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction. Spufford studied English at Cambridge before using his experience to teach creative writing. Despite his academic background, he prefers cafés, rather than libraries, as convivial places to focus when writing. “For some reason, I do find it much easier to concentrate if I have a gentle hubbub of human voices in the background, and the hiss of espresso machines, than if I’m sitting at home on my own. It makes it much easier somehow for me to pick out of the air the thread of an idea that leads elsewhere – to past times and places, to imagined characters. But there’s been an especially good fit this time, writing Golden Hill, because the 18th century was also a great age for coffee. In fact, the first great age of coffee, when people were discovering how well the lovely black liquid went with sociability and solitude, deep discussion or idle chat. My mysterious Mr Smith arrives from London at a point when it’s the biggest city in Europe and the coffee craze is pretty much at its height, so he’s used to there being hundreds of coffee-houses catering to very specialised clienteles, from poets to meat-porters, politicians to portrait painters. When he gets to New York, he’s shocked to find that there are only two, because the city is so small. But the Merchants’ Coffee House where he settles in as a breakfasttime regular, just by the foot of Wall Street, is still the new metropolis’s hub for business and gossip and political scheming. He can sit there with his copy of the New-York Post-Boy, and all the world will go by, the Dutch merchants and the English ones, the chancers and the tycoons, the guttersnipes and the slaves. My

My t he o r y . . .

Fr a nc is Sp u f ford ’s G o l d e n H il l theory is that all the coffee-houses spread across time and space are really one gigantic coffee-house. Let your eyes go out of focus and they join up. Just out of sight somewhere, round a couple of corners of the room from where I’m tapping at my laptop with an Americano at my elbow, young Mr Smith is this very moment ordering ‘A pot of the dark Mahometan, hold the cow juice.’ And if I could only find the right door, I, too, could step out onto the Manhattan quayside in 1746, where the ships’ masts sway together against the November sky, and stroll towards Golden Hill Street, and danger, and enchantment.” Settings to write in and settings to write about are important to Spufford, which is one of the reasons why he enjoyed writing Golden Hill. “I loved the oddity of the setting. The best part, though, was having such a pair of shameless liars as my hero and heroine. For completely different reasons, my protagonist Mr Smith and the merchant’s daughter he falls for, Tabitha Lovell, are both utterly unreliable. You can’t trust a word they say. So, when they are circling each other, half in a mating dance and half in a battle of wits, their dialogue is all performance and double meanings and hidden trapdoors – with, somewhere behind it all, two very young people trying to tell if they might possibly have found a kindred spirit in the world. It was probably the most fun I’ve ever had as a writer, and it filled me with admiration for all the great masters of snappy dialogue, from Austen to Joss Whedon.”

Myfanwy Cook is an Associate Fellow at two British Universities. She runs and designs writing courses for numerous organisations and writes a regular column for the HNR magazine.

by Myfanwy Cook

is that all the coffee-houses spread across time and space are really one gigantic coffeehouse...And if I could only find the right door, I, too, could step out onto the Manhattan quayside in 1746.

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HNR Issue 81, August 2017

an interview with Lyndsay Faye

fter all, despite my legendary prickliness, I am flesh and A blood in addition to smoke and mirrors. –Sherlock Holmes, The Whole Art of Detection

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The Whole Art of Detection

Doyle advocated for divorce reform, and stories such as “A Scandal in Bohemia” sympathetically portrayed women’s situations in the late Victorian era. “Women had to be strong for themselves and for each other, and nevertheless persisted,” Faye states. True today, as well. Although the Victorian era was replete with scientific advance and rapid change, Conan Doyle’s stories did not always stick to scientific fact. “The Speckled Band” depicted a snake trained to descend a bell pull and drink milk at the sound of a whistle, an unlikely scenario. Faye admits she invented certain facts in her own cases, but adamantly refuses to say which. Conversely, she noted that some seemingly unreal aspects in her stories are actually true. One story features a mendicant who exposed himself repeatedly to frostbite; this practice was documented by social historian Henry Mayhew. I asked Faye what lies behind Holmes’s continued popularity. She mentioned the sense of adventure, and the strong friendship between Holmes and Watson. Another intriguing aspect, she added, is the “meta” aspect. “Doyle is writing about Holmes and Watson in The Strand, and Watson writes of Holmes being critical that he is published in The Strand. It’s as if Cumberbatch’s Sherlock commented on his BBC1 ratings. People still address letters to 221B Baker St.” The Whole Art of Detection (Mysterious, 2017) promises readers thrilling new adventures with the Great Detective and his faithful Watson. These treats for Holmes enthusiasts, lovers of Faye’s work, and all readers who enjoy the Victorian era could lead to many more letters arriving at 221B. I might query Holmes myself, after I google the “red Siamese leeches” from Faye’s “The Adventure of the Willow Basket.”

Lyndsay Faye’s latest book springs from her lifelong fascination with Sherlock Holmes. Faye started reading Holmes at age ten and never stopped; her own decision to write Holmes came after a bad day at work and reading an uninspiring Holmes pastiche. Her theatrical training and talent for mimicry encouraged her to try writing her own Sherlock Holmes story. The happy results are brought together in this newly-released collection of sixteen cases, spanning the detective’s career. Two of her tales are told in Holmes’s voice. Although Sherlock is often perceived as aloof, these stories reveal his human side. Faye commented, “He’s reserved because he feels too much, not because he feels nothing. He has to keep it in tight control. He laughs uproariously. He wriggles in his armchair like a third grader. He’s good with children and dogs and has an almost hypnotic ability to express empathy to women in distress.” All of Faye’s published novels are set in the Victorian era, although she let slip that her current work-in-progress takes place in 1921. I asked her about her love of the 19th century and she responded, “I think it is possible to discuss modern dilemmas with more efficacy in an historical setting. When I feel passionate about politics or injustice or cruelty I can talk about it in the Victorian era without sounding like I’m on a soapbox. It’s a bit like Shakespeare setting plays out of town. In addition, the Victorian period was a time of tremendous upheaval. Poverty and illness were thought to be the afflicted person’s fault. I find it terrible and remarkable that we live in a world that’s so similar today.” Faye’s striking characters such as Jane Steele and Mercy Underhill break the mold, and her Holmes stories also sport Susan McDuffie writes medieval mysteries; The Death of a strong female characters. Faye feels these feminist themes Falcon is scheduled for 2017 release. She frequently reviews resonate with Conan Doyle’s original stories; she notes Conan books for HNS.

by Susan McDuffie

Faye admits...she invented certain facts in her own cases, but adamantly refuses to say which. Conversely, she noted that some seemingly unreal aspects in her stories are actually true.

HNR Issue 81, August 2017 | Features | 13

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A.D. Swanston’s new series

A ndrew Swanston (A.D. Swanston) has forsaken the leading

Staying Alive in the Elizabethan Age explains, “the dialogue is mostly quite modern, but with some contemporary words and expressions to create a sense of time and atmosphere.” A light touch is the way to go then since, Swanston feels, “to do more would, I think, make the story very difficult to read (and write!).” He is keen to point out though that a writer can’t make character attitudes and language overly uniform in a novel. To be interesting, characters, Swanston explains, “especially the main protagonist, have to be individuals, have to have something worth saying, have to think for themselves and live apart from the flock.” As he rightly points out, “then as now, if every man and woman believed the same things, there would be fewer good stories to tell!” The realistic settings created for London and Paris are one of the real strengths of Incendium. Swanston confesses that for Paris he had access to good maps, however, he “did walk the streets of Tudor London” to find that elusive authentic detail. He feels that a novel’s setting comes alive from that detail, so it’s vital to ask questions such as “how many days did it take for the news to travel from Paris to London?” and “how did the news sheets report the massacre?” Creating an authentic setting is simply a process, Swanston says, “research, research, read, read, find an expert and ask them.” Thankfully, “experts, bless them, like to help.” In Incendium, as the summer heat rises, the political temperature in England ascends just as quickly with paranoid fears of plots and revolution at every turn. However, when Swanston lists the contemporary fears of the populace, “plague, papists, sorcery, poverty, the French, the Spanish,” you can see both why paranoia reigned in the Elizabethan age and what fertile ground the author has for the future adventures of Christopher Radcliff as his intelligencer attempts to stay alive.

character of his previous three novels, Thomas Hill, and started an affair with a new hero, this time in Elizabethan England. The character at the centre of his new novel, Incendium (Bantam, 2017), is ex-academic and ex-lawyer Dr Christopher Radcliff. An intelligencer in the employ of the queen’s favourite, the Earl of Leicester, Radcliff is tasked with halting a plot to bring down Queen Elizabeth and replace her with her Catholic cousin, Mary, Queen of Scots. Following where the trails lead in both France and England, dodging assassins and trying desperately to avoid the febrile religious upheaval in both countries, Radcliff must uncover the plot’s conspirators or lose Leicester’s favour for good. For Swanston, this new setting is actually returning to his first love. He had considered writing a Tudor novel before, as he explains, “Thomas Hill came along and took over.” The genesis of Incendium was the St Bartholomew’s Day massacre, Swanson says, “an event of huge significance not only in France but also in England.” That political and religious tension was a great backdrop for a story; the author says he was inspired by “how frightening it must have been for the people of London to know that the bloodshed was happening just over the narrow sea and might easily cross it.” Radcliffe is a man who lives on the very edge of propriety, with a secret mistress and an alarming inclination to consort with the more dubious elements of the street. With such an engaging but complex character at the heart of Incendium, was Swanston influenced by any particular historical detectives or intelligencers? “Christopher Radcliff is not based on anyone in particular,” Swanston admits, or at least, “not so much intelligencers, but certainly courtiers such as Thomas Heneage and Christopher Hatton…and, of course, Walsingham.” Balancing contemporary language with modern expectations is always a tricky challenge for historical fiction writers; how Gordon O’Sullivan is a content writer and historical researcher. did Swanston deal with that challenge? In Incendium, Swanston

by Gordon O’Sullivan

Characters... 14 | Features |

especially the main protagonist, have to be individuals, have to have something worth saying, have to think for themselves and live apart from the flock.

HNR Issue 81, August 2017

extrapolating complex scientific ideas into ripping yarns

I n 1946, experts at New York’s Museum of Natural History

pore over two new items — present-day bones (with nasty tooth marks) from an unknown small mammoth, and writings from Roman historian and explorer Pliny the Elder. Sherpas in the Tibetan mountain wilderness found the bones. The ancient writings (Codex) came from under the ruins of Pompeii and tell of strange events and creatures also in Tibet. Army Captain and expert field zoologist J. R. MacCready, archeologist and linguist Yanni Thorne, and Special Forces Lieutenant Jerry Delarosa are sent on a mission to learn what they can before the growing tide of Chinese Communists closes off the area. Mac crash-lands his chopper on a shelf in the eastern Himalayas. Mac’s little crew hunting for Yeti or strange elephant-like creatures quickly becomes ensnared by a race of giant upright primates. The three are hauled into an ice world beyond anything previously imagined — except perhaps to Pliny and his Roman explorer army. The failing Chinese government has indeed realized something strange and powerful exists in this region and sends in a team. The Kremlin becomes curious. In The Himalayan Codex (William Morrow, 2017) authors Bill Schutt and J. R. Finch create an enthralling ice world. Innocuous-looking white grass is flesh-devouring worms. The local ape-like captors run and climb and heal from wounds faster than any human. The apes build ice structures stronger and longer-lasting than if made of the finest steel and eat strange foods that nourish and taste good. They quickly understand and sound out foreign languages. They have enslaved small mammoth-like elephants, which are themselves smart and resourceful. They exhibit human emotions. And they have figured out how to evolve very fast and to create microbes that can hunt and destroy target species, microbes that might be used in race warfare. Our US team tries to absorb it all while scrambling to stay alive and, if lucky, return home. With seeming ease, Schutt and Finch weave together the

As writers...

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THE HIMALAYAN CODEX

multiple plot lines and characters spanning two millennia. The authors admit that “We still don’t know how it happens, but ultimately we end up finishing each other’s sentences and jumping around the room like kids.” The novel contains a fair amount of science and historical detail but never overwhelms or insults the reader’s sense of what might be. Comprehensive authors’ notes lay out how actual events and real people (from Pliny to Chinese explorers and American experts) became models for much of the novel. The authors explain, “As writers both of us love the challenge of taking complex scientific ideas and translating them for a wide readership.” They add that they most love “extrapolating little-known discoveries, normally seen only in scientific and historical journals, into events that might actually happen. But if scientific reality dictates, ‘No, you cannot in any way do this,’ then we don’t let it happen in our novel.” Wonderful sketches of Himalayan animals (present and past) by Patricia J. Wynne and pertinent quotations from well-known scoundrels and luminaries grace each chapter heading and provoke the reader’s mind about what might be going on in the coming pages. The layered cover image and masthead page with a photograph of a Tibetan valley help to create a handsome paper book. After the rush of an Avatar-like world and a Michael Crichton-like story, profound questions linger. How do we relate to creatures not “like” us? Where will DNA and microbe manipulations take us? What will happen to our world, and how soon? J. R. Finch is optimistic, but only if we “manage not to keep distracting ourselves with useless wars.” Bill Schutt is not as comfortable. “At some point it’ll be up to Keith Richards and Cher to start over.”

G. J. Berger, reviewer for the HNS and award-winning author, lives in San Diego with his favorite grammarian and Argentine Tango dance partner.

by G.J. Berger both of us love the challenge of taking complex scientific ideas and translating them for a wide readership. HNR Issue 81, August 2017 | Features | 15

M any assassination attempts on Adolf Hitler’s life occurred

prior to and during World War Two. Some perpetrators were convinced of the sheer madness of Hitler and his regime. Others were revolted at the horror of Nazi war crimes. Most of the military leaders involved knew that Hitler’s plans for conquering Europe harboured the seeds of Germany’s own destruction. Most thought of themselves as German patriots. July 20, 1944 marked the last assassination attempt on Adolf Hitler’s life. This is the pivotal event behind Jessica Shattuck’s The Women in the Castle. Shattuck asks the question: What happened to the wives of those involved in the July 20th event? And she poses an answer involving three women and their children trying to survive after Germany’s defeat. Through them and those close to them, readers consider the physical, emotional, and psychological experiences of everyday Germans. The author hopes “readers will feel a connection to this chapter of history and to the experiences of ‘ordinary Germans’ who fell somewhere on the spectrum between victim and villain.” She feels that “reading about characters drawn in by the Nazi movement helps people imagine how they too could be swept up in dangerous political and cultural currents. How they too could be blind — or willfully blind — to frightening changes taking place right in front of them.” Marianne Lingenfels made a promise to her husband and the others involved in the assassination attempt to protect their wives. When the war ends she sets about finding these women and ultimately gathers Benita Fledermann and her son Martin, as well as Ania Grabarek and her two sons, at the run-down castle owned by the Lingenfels family. Each woman is flawed. Each tries to come to terms with what she did during the war and find a path into the future. As the chapters unfold, we come to understand their backgrounds, the families that shaped their lives, and the dreams they had as Germany under Hitler rose from its World War One defeat. Jessica Shattuck explores the German experience of World

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Jessica Shattuck on metaphor and empathy

The Women in the Castle

War Two and its aftermath with a clear eye. In a scene from Christmas 1945, we read of the music that “stirred the hardened sediment of their memory, chafed against layers of horror and shame, and offered a rare solace in their shared anger, grief, and guilt.” The Women in the Castle offers a glimpse of everyday Germans dealing with the successes and failures of Hitler’s strategies, the lies and tyranny of Nazi rule, and pivotal events such as Kristallnacht and the Anschluss, as well as terror-filled streets and prisoners marching to concentration camps. “It was difficult, of course, to discern truth from propaganda, and Marianne trusted nothing the Nazi press printed.” Shattuck’s writing is rich without being overdone. She picks just the right words and phrases to convey the stories of these women, their feelings and state of mind. Using an effective blend of action and description, Shattuck weaves the forward motion of the plot with backstory to create distinctive characters and circumstances. She believes in the “truth of metaphor,” notably a reader’s ability to generate empathy by comparing the feelings and experiences of characters to ones they’ve had themselves. Ultimately, the reader comes to understand the “treacherous mountains and dry valleys” of memory. In researching and writing this story, she became “fascinated by the schism within the life of any German who lived through that time — not only in terms of the physical trauma of war and its aftermath, but in terms of the psychological implications of having lived within, and in many cases supported, a system that became synonymous with evil.” Readers will come to appreciate that schism and wonder what they might have done, or might do, under similarly horrifying circumstances.

Mary Tod is author of Time and Regret (Lake Union, 2016) and can be found at www.awriterofhistory.com

by Mary Tod

Readers... 16 | Features |

will feel a connection to this chapter of history and to the experiences of “ordinary Germans” who fell somewhere on the spectrum between victim and villain

HNR Issue 81, August 2017

Reviews |

online exclusives

and I wasn’t drawn in enough to distract me from what I knew was ultimately coming. J. Lynn Else

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

Denotes an Editors’ Choice title

ancient egypt

THE DROWNING KING Emily Holleman, Little, Brown, 2017, $26.00, hb, 432pp, 9780316383035 / Sphere, 2017, £13.99, hb, 432pp, 9780751560183 Book two of Holleman’s Fall of Egypt series (after Cleopatra’s Shadows) is told from the points of view of Cleopatra’s younger siblings, Arsinoe and Ptolemy. In 51 BC, when their father passes, his will dictates that Cleopatra and Ptolemy will rule jointly. However, through the years, Cleopatra and Ptolemy plot to take the throne from each other, with Arsinoe torn between the two. While vying for Roman allies, Cleopatra beats Ptolemy to a meeting with Caesar. Intrigued, Caesar gives Rome’s support to Cleopatra and provides her the means to rule alone. But, as Cleopatra distances herself from her beloved sister, Arsinoe begins to see Cleopatra making the same mistakes as their father and seeks to free Alexandria from Rome’s influence. But what will Arsinoe’s own bid for power truly cost—her family or the entire country? This book has political intrigue, warring factions, shifting loyalties, and sibling incest— basically an ancient Egyptian Game of Thrones. Unfortunately, Holleman’s inaccurate details took me out of the narrative early on. There are two references to a “heart-shaped” face (the heart shape wasn’t established until 15th-century Europe), someone being “flagged down” (not coined until early in the 1900s), and moving at a “glacial pace” (the word glacial wasn’t coined until 1846), to name a few examples. Plus, how does an Egyptian princess know about glacial movements? There are too many anachronisms. However, Holleman has lovely prose and shares fantastic details about the Ptolemy family. The setting is well done, overall, with its mix of Greek and Egyptian styles, but the book doesn’t feel period authentic with its modern idioms and speech patterns. Cleopatra’s story has been told time and again. Despite my hope, this story isn’t stronger than its well-known outcome, Ancient Egypt — 1st Century

classical

FOR THE WINNER Emily Hauser, Doubleday, 2017, £12.99, hb, 352pp, 97800857523174 / Pegasus, 2017, $25.95, hb, 320pp, 9781681775456 Myths are stories that are told and re-told over centuries. Each generation takes the same basic tale but turns it into something relevant to them. For the Winner tells the story of one of the most famous of the Greek myths, Jason and the Argonauts, from the perspective of the only woman on the expedition, Atalanta. In Hauser’s re-telling, Atalanta is a princess whose father, disappointed at the birth of a daughter, exposes her on a mountain to die. Instead, she is found and brought up by a poor but loving family. At eighteen, she learns of her adoption and heads to the city to prove herself. When she arrives, she finds that the king is poised to give his kingdom to his sadistic nephew Jason, but only if Jason fulfils a prophecy and brings the king the Golden Fleece. Atalanta, disguised as a boy, manages to get aboard Jason’s ship, the Argo, with the intention of beating him to the Fleece so that she may claim the throne instead. In many ways, this is a classic re-imagining of the myth, complete with self-obsessed, capricious gods using humans as chess pieces. Jason is little more than a caricature of a Greek hero, blinded to normal human decency by his obsession with glory and a desire to revenge himself. It is Atalanta, determined to prove herself every bit as good as a man, who turns this into a story which speaks to us. She fights for the throne not because she wants power for its own sake, but to protect those weaker than herself. Despite the will of the gods, she is very clearly in charge of her own destiny. It is this mixture of feminism and self-determination which makes For the Winner a very modern and relevant novel. Charlotte Wightwick BRIGHT AIR BLACK David Vann, Black Cat, 2017, $16.00, pb, 252pp, 9780802125804 / Windmill, 2017, £9.99, pb, 272pp, 9780099592266 The familiar Greek myth of Jason and Medea is retold in Bright Air Black. In brilliant, evocative prose, the world of the Bronze Age becomes grittily real. Jason’s uncle Pelias seized the kingdom from Jason’s father and killed all the royal heirs but Jason, who was hidden by his mother. Now a man, Jason comes to reclaim his throne. If he brings back the fabulous Golden Fleece, Pelias promises to surrender the throne to Jason (who believes this, which tells you all you need to know about Jason).

The Golden Fleece is in Colchis, at the far eastern end of the Black Sea, and there Jason finds Medea, who falls in love with him and commits treason, fratricide, and murder to aid his cause. The novel is told from Medea’s point of view, and her fury and despair at Jason’s inevitable betrayal is vivid and believable. Beginning with Medea’s murder of her brother and the scattering of pieces of his body behind Jason’s ship to slow down her father’s pursuit, we follow her journey as King Pelias enslaves them both, and Medea uses her arcane skills to trick Pelias’s daughters into killing him. Pelias’s son drives Jason and Medea into exile, and they go to Corinth, where Jason is lauded and Medea despised. Despite all Medea does for Jason, and the two sons she has born to him, he now sees her as a dangerous burden. And when he repudiates her and marries the princess of Corinth, Medea’s story heads for its inexorable tragic ending. While the novel doesn’t give any really new angle on the story of Medea, it grounds the story firmly in archaic Greece; the detail work is fascinating and the language dazzling. Like Miranda Seymour’s Medea (1982), Bright Air Black is vivid and memorable. India Edghill

1st century

ALABASTER Chris Aslan, Lion Hudson, 2016, $14.99/£7.99, pb, 202pp, 9781782642282 Alabaster is the retelling of the biblical story of Mariam (Mary), sister to Marta (Martha) and Eleazar (Lazarus). She is the woman who anoints Jesus’s feet with spikenard from the alabaster jar. It is not clear, however—as it is not clear in the Bible, actually—that she is Mary Magdalene and/ or the woman taken in adultery. Our heroine is not first at the tomb on Easter morning, and though there is a question of lost honor touted on the book’s cover, it has more to do with the (nonBiblical) addition that the father of these siblings gets leprosy by doing a charitable act, and that our heroine, in a hushed-up business, is raped and then forced to marry her attacker. I suppose, no more than millennia of commentators, could this author, currently studying for Anglican ordination, find a way to make prostitution sympathetic for a main character. Having said this, the author’s vitae, which includes being born in Istanbul, growing up in Lebanon, and working for charitable organizations in rural Central Asia, stand him in excellent stead when it comes to creating atmosphere. I thank the author for so skillfully sharing these details with us. People slip off their sandals at the doorstep. The intricacies of recognizing a village full of veiled women as individuals are lovingly described. HNR Issue 81, August 2017 | Reviews | 17

The mud that builds up as road-weary feet are washed rings so true as only someone who has lived it can tell. The events of faith—usually told in such retellings in such a heavy-handed way that nonbelievers are in no way stirred towards belief in the “teacher”—receive such a light-handed touch, appropriate to time and character, that we rejoice. Ann Chamberlin DEPOSED David Barbaree, Twenty7, 2017, £18.99, hb, 462pp, 9781785762673 Is David Barbaree’s debut novel historical fiction, or alternate history? It’s a question Barbaree actively wants us to consider, as he sets out a Rome where Nero did not commit suicide but was deposed and blinded, only to escape from prison and return to the city a decade later as a mysterious wealthy senator (“The Count of Monte Nero” might have been a fitting subtitle). The only sources on Nero’s life are all politically influenced accounts written many years later, so they are far from reliable, and throughout Deposed Barbaree skilfully mirrors this by weaving into the narrative examples where subjective and objective truth collide, and the gap between fact and fiction becomes blurred. As Vespasian Caesar remarks in the closing pages, after a character has been condemned as a traitor on rather flimsy evidence, “Once an accusation’s made it’s as good as true… in the people’s eyes”. While sophisticated, the novel is not without irritations, such as the use of the first person present tense, which adds little but makes it harder for the many narrators to develop their own voice—even Nero, surely one of the most unique and distinctive individuals to ever draw breath. Barbaree also likes to use modern vocabulary: “political party” just about works, but “kids”, “rendezvoused”, and “OK” all interrupt the willing suspension of disbelief. But don’t be deterred: Deposed is a direct and pacey read that will delight fans of high-stakes political drama, while Barbaree’s deliberately provocative approach to history allows him to re-imagine well-known stories like Titus and Domitian, and the Year of the Four Emperors. The novel grows richer and deeper the longer it goes on, and the final scene is beautifully constructed and delivered. It deserves to do well, and the prospect of a continuing series is welcome. Tom Graham THE THIRD NERO Lindsey Davis, Hodder & Stoughton, 2017, £18.99, hb, 398pp, 9781473613423 / Minotaur, 2017, $26.99, hb, 336pp, 9781250078919 September, AD 89. Rome is in turmoil. Emperor Domitian is on the throne and becoming more and more paranoid. Rumours abound that the murdered Nero is not dead but alive and well. Two false Neros have already been discovered, but now there is a third person claiming to be the emperor, and this one is already in Rome. Flavia Alba, daughter of Marcus Didius Falco, the well-known detective now retired, is asked to take on the job of unmasking this new Nero. The plot twists and turns as one would expect with a Lindsey Davis story. I have read many of Davis’ series featuring 18 | Reviews |

HNR Issue 81, August 2017

Marcus Didius Falco and wondered whether the jump to his daughter would work. To a large extent it does. There is the same suspense, the same detailed description of the ‘goings on’ in ancient Rome, and the same false trails. The characters are well-drawn, and should you become confused as to who is whom and who are the goodies and the baddies, there is a comprehensive character list at the beginning. So will Flavia prove to be as good as her father? Will the plot to restore ‘Nero’ to the throne succeed? I leave that to the reader to find out. Marilyn Sherlock OTHO’S REGRET L.J. Trafford, Karnac, 2017, £12.99, pb, 480pp, 9781782202660 This is the third in a tetralogy set in the Year of the Four Emperors, 69 AD, and follows on from Palatine (HNR 72) and Galba’s Men (HNR 78). This series centres each volume on one of the successive Emperors, and this one stars (if that is the word) the Emperor Otho, who has recently gained the throne. Otho’s immediate problem is to prevent his own replacement by a general currently in Germany, Vitellius, who has also been proclaimed Emperor and is preparing to march on Rome to claim the Empire. In the middle of all this is the Emperor’s secretary, Epaphroditus, who is trying to prevent the junction of Vitellius’ forces with those of his ally Caecina. The narrative shifts around from one character and place to another, but the author is as deft at this as she was in the preceding novels. The centre of gravity of the whole series is Epaphroditus’ own former secretary, the Taprobanian (Sri Lankan) freedman Philo. Other characters from the previous novels are still playing prominent roles, in particular the eunuch Sporus, once Nero’s “Second Empress”, who hopes to achieve the same status with Otho. The whip-wielding Artemina is still the Empress’ bodyguard. One major character suffers personal tragedy in a violent incident at the palace caused by a foolish misunderstanding. It is impossible to summarise the plot, so rich and complex is it, and when it is finally revealed what “Otho’s regret” actually is, when it eventually comes about, it is both puzzling and moving. I reviewed Palatine, but I have not yet read Galba’s Men. Nevertheless, enough backstory was presented here to enable me to understand what was going on. Alan Fisk

7th century

THE SERPENT SWORD Matthew Harffy, Aria, 2017, £18.99, hb, 376pp, 9781786692405 AD 633, a time of upheaval and war. Beobrand, a young man with a shadowy past, travels to the kingdom of Bernicia in the north of Albion to join his brother, Octa, as a warrior in the household of King Edwin. When he arrives, he finds that his brother is dead and he soon suspects that he was murdered. Beobrand must learn to fight as a

warrior, standing strong in the shield wall. Driven by a desire for vengeance, he must choose between being a warrior or a killer. Can he satisfy his need for vengeance without sacrificing his honour? First published as an ebook in 2016, this is the first in the Bernicia Chronicles series. With strong, believable characters and plot, this is a remarkable debut novel. The fight sequences are realistic, and the story races along with the speed of a striking sword. If you are a fan of Iggulden or Cornwell you will love this. A very welcome addition to the genre. Strap on your sword, take up your shield, and join the shield wall. Highly recommended. Mike Ashworth PENANCE OF THE DAMNED Peter Tremayne, Minotaur, 2017, $27.99, hb, 352pp, 9781250119643 / Headline, 2017, £8.99, pb, 352pp, 9781472208385 In 671 AD Ireland, Fidelma and her brother, King Colgu of Cashel, are shocked to learn of the murder of their esteemed bishop, Segdae, in a room, locked on the inside, at the old enemy fortress of the Ui Fidgente. The murderer is allegedly Gorman, commander of Colgu’s bodyguard and a loyal confidant of Fidelma’s, found with a weapon in his hand and unconscious. Fidelma sets out with her husband, Eadulf, to learn the truth. Is it possible that Gorman has committed this heinous crime, and if so, what motivated him? If not, what enemies are fomenting violence and treason? Will the Celtic models of punishment prevail over the Penitentials promulgated by the Roman Catholic Church? I have been fortunate to have read all of the Fidelma books, and this is a dandy! The plot is convoluted, and often we find ourselves as confused as the dalaigh as she tries to prevent Gorman’s execution under the Penitentials. The layers of the investigation go deep, and often it is difficult to figure out who the good guys and bad guys are. As usual, Tremayne, a well-respected Celtic scholar, carefully depicts the time and place. How to keep the peace between formerly warring factions and differing positions on punishment are the underlying tensions succinctly captured through the plot. Fidelma and Eadulf have grown as characters, and there is something new we learn about each in succeeding installments. Ilysa Magnus

9th century

THE HALF-DROWNED KING Linnea Hartsuyker, Harper, 2017, $27.99, hb, 429pp, 9780062563699 / Little, Brown, 2017, £16.99, hb, 448pp, 9781408708798 It is 9th-century Norway, and the Vikings are sailing, raiding, battling, and attending the gathering of peoples known as the Thing. Ragnvald Eysteinsson, a young warrior, finds himself betrayed by the very men he fought alongside, and left to drown in the cold waves of the Viking seas. His sister, Svanhild, faces challenges of her own back home, where she must navigate the social waters of suitors. The mercurial Solvi juggles political alliances and personal attachments deftly, and 1st Century — 9th Century

the warrior Harald of Vestfold—King Harald— comes to claim the loyalty of Ragnvald in a move that will change the course of each character’s lives. A first novel, this title is also the first book of a trilogy. The author can trace her own lineage back to King Harald and, inspired by this family history, she has studied Norse history and literature for many years. Her attention to detail is the most enjoying aspect of this book, which does an excellent job of evoking a vibrant society from years past. The opening scene, which finds young Ragnvald dancing across the oars while his ship sails, is evocative, dreamlike, and overwritten. The rest of the book follows this pattern. This is the kind of book to sink into and enjoy for its beauty and atmosphere, not the kind to read for thrilling adventures or a complicated plot. The characters spend a lot of time debating things in their heads, and this trait serves to slow the narrative. However, if you are patient and in the mood for a period piece that brings to life a bygone era, you will find this volume satisfying reading. Xina Marie Uhl

10th century

DUNSTAN Conn Iggulden, Michael Joseph, 2017, £18.99, hb, 480pp, 9780718181444 Dunstan was an Abbot of Glastonbury, later Archbishop of Canterbury, and was probably born somewhere between AD 910 and AD 920 in Somerset (we don’t know exactly where but probably just outside Glastonbury). In his youth, he was sent to Glastonbury Abbey, with his younger brother Wulfric, to be educated by the monks there. He spent his life in the service of both Glastonbury and the Kings of Wessex, following the death of King Alfred. This book tells of the struggle to unite Wessex with the rest of the country and turn it all into one country—England—and is told through the eyes of Dunstan himself. This is a book based totally on fact, taken from the various records of the day that still exist. The major characters really lived and only one or two are fictitious, but they blend in perfectly. We all know the story of King Alfred, but on his death the throne passed in relatively quick succession to members of his family—little of this made known in the average school curriculum. Dunstan himself was canonised in 1029. I learned a great deal from this book. Conn Iggulden, as always, has done his research thoroughly, and the result is a book which is easy to read and very enjoyable. Marilyn Sherlock

10th Century — 13th Century

11th century

EADRIC AND THE WOLVES David Mullaly, Amazon, 2017, £9.50/$11.99, pb, 272pp, 9781544126531 One of the many reasons I love historical novels is that they can throw light on a real historical person of whom little is known. or show how to help us rethink. Fiction can study the historical record and often see another side to things. History has not favoured Eadric of Mercia (d.1017), sonin-law of Aethelred II. He has gone down in history as ‘The Grasper’ or ‘The Acquisitive.’ When England found itself in an uneasy alliance between the Danes and the English with frequent raids by the Northern Danes, the Vikings, Eadric turned traitor and supported Canute to become King. Shortly after Canute’s coronation, it is said he had Eadric murdered. In writing this novel David Mullaly’s aim is to show that Eadric was a good man and that he did not grab land and assets from the Church for his own enrichment. Mullaly likens the ‘bad press’ Eadric suffered was the same as the way Shakespeare maligned Richard III. I remain to be convinced. Unfortunately, any fiction, particularly historical fiction, needs to suspend its readers’ disbelief. Unfortunately, Mullaly’s Eadric may dress and arm himself as a man of the 11th century, but his beliefs and opinions are very much of the twenty-first. He does not believe in the Christian God, which is totally wrong for the period even though the novel explains it by an encounter with a wicked priest when he was a boy. In addition, Eadric is shocked by the cruel legal system of the 11th century, yet he accepts owning bondsmen for which he uses the Danish word thralls. I admire the author for plucking a historical figure from obscurity, but I was left unsatisfied and wishing it had been less linear in structure. Sally Zigmond

12th century

SISTER OF THE LIONHEART Hilary Benford, WordFire, 2016, $16.99, pb, 416pp, 9781614754206 Joanna is the youngest child of King Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine. We meet her at a young age in this first volume of Benford’s series and follow her adventures from the courts of England and France, to her marriage to King William the Good of Sicily, and then to her departure on Crusade with her intended future sister-in-law, Berengaria of Navarre. Joanna is a feisty girl, young woman, and queen, constantly questioning the societal precepts and sexual stereotypes of her day, much in the fashion of her inimitable and much-admired mother, Eleanor. From challenging the court at nine years of age to a discussion about courtly love, to demanding of her father that she marry a young, handsome, Frenchspeaking King, Joanna is—as she tells William—a

true descendant of the Vikings. She travels to a new and strange land and wants to learn and know as much as she can about the kingdom she will rule. When Joanna learns that her husband possesses a harem, she will have none of that, and she confronts him, winning his loyalty and admiration. After William’s death, Joanna’s refusal to capitulate to the usurper Tancred is the stuff of legend. Chock full of historical events and people about which much has already been written, what makes this particular Plantagenet novel so appealing and readable is Benford’s ability to create a believable, lovable and altogether dynamic character in Joanna. She is the glue that holds this marvelous, oft-told story together, this time from a new perspective. Joanna’s adoration of Richard and her love for her friend, Adele, and her nurse, Nounou, make her undeniably human and accessible while altogether compelling. I am waiting (impatiently) for the next Joanna book and highly recommend this installment. Ilysa Magnus LORD OF THE SEA CASTLE Ruadh Butler, Accent, 2017, £8.99, pb, 473pp, 9781910939277 Lord of the Sea Castle is the second in Ruadh Butler’s Invader series. Set in 12th-century Wales and Ireland, it is the story of Raymond de Carew’s journey to Ireland to prepare for an invasion by his master, the Norman Richard de Clere. Raymond’s men build a fortification on the coast near Waterford (the “sea castle” of the title), but find themselves under attack from different Irish factions. Much of the action of the book consists of battles, described in all their gory detail. I must confess that I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I had hoped. It was sometimes confusing, as I found it difficult to untangle the characters, their allegiances and motives (of course, this might just be a reflection of the uncertainties of the Middle Ages). More importantly, I didn’t find it particularly well written, and I was irritated by linguistic anachronisms such as referring to a young man as a “teen”. And I didn’t find the character of Alice of Abergavenny convincing: I feel that such an aggressively assertive woman would not have fared well in medieval times. However, the author has a good grasp of medieval politics and warfare, and the book is perfectly readable. Recommended for anyone who enjoys a good battle. Karen Warren

13th century

THE DEVIL’S CUP Alys Clare, Severn House, 2017, $28.99/£20.99, hb, 240pp, 9780727887108 In this seventeenth and final installment of the Hawkenlye Abbey series, it is 1216 in England. Sir Josse D’Acquin finds himself on the road with his brother, Yves, and son, Geoffroi, to join King John and his supporters in thwarting an invasion from Prince Louis of France. At the same time, his daughter, Meggie, sets out on another journey with Faruq, a foreigner, in search of an evil treasure that HNR Issue 81, August 2017 | Reviews | 19

he is forbidden to speak about, but which he needs to find to prevent some tragedy from happening. While Josse and Meggie are on their journeys, Helewise, Josse’s wife, nurses Faruq’s mother, who is delirious but also secretive about this evil treasure. Add Meggie’s lover, Jehan, who is on his own mission to assassinate the king, and you have the entire plot. The prologue of The Devil’s Cup starts with a bang—the discovery of some evil object, which leads to several murders—but then nothing else happens which focuses on the object’s evil or which builds the mystery. Instead, the novel follows everyone’s journeys, which ultimately come to a head together. I wasn’t even aware that the object had been retrieved until it was revealed in the final chapters. I have not read any of the other novels in the Hawkenlye series, but this final installment was thin in plot, thick with characters’ thoughts and fears, and lacking in any suspense. Francesca Pelaccia

14th century

THE MASTER OF MEDICINE Ellin Carsta, AmazonCrossing, 2017, $14.95/£8.99, pb, 316pp, 9781503943988 In Cologne in 1395, Madlen Goldmann is living a quiet domestic existence with her husband, Johannes, an attorney who is counsel to the Archbishop, and their two young children. When Madlen’s aunt tells the couple that Johannes’ father, Peter, is now blind, Johannes must do his duty as a good son and go to take care of his family business in Worms, despite his very responsible job. But when the murders of two of the Archbishop’s closest advisors occur in quick succession, Johannes is called back to Cologne to investigate. At that point, the story truly begins to focus on Madlen, a healer of some repute in her past, and one who had been prosecuted as a result of the death of a mother and a child in Heidelberg years before. When it becomes clear to those around her, and particularly to an attractive, brilliant young doctor, that Madlen is very skilled, Madlen begins on the path of learning more and employing her healing talents again, despite society’s unwillingness to encourage her. Meanwhile, in Cologne, Johannes unravels a complex plot, almost becomes a victim of his investigation, and succeeds in protecting the Archbishop. This is the second in the series (I have not read the first, The Secret Healer) and a fine standalone. Fascinating details about the state of medicine in medieval Europe kept me engrossed, and particularly that women could study to be doctors in Italy and practice medicine at that time. The characters are complex and fully fleshed out. Madlen, in particular, is an attractive, centered, persuasive and well-rounded character who succeeds in teaching her family that not following her dreams is a greater sin than refusing to acknowledge them. I enjoyed this book immensely. Ilysa Magnus THE SHADOW QUEEN 20 | Reviews |

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Anne O’Brien, HQ, 2017, £8.99, hb, 484pp, 9781848455078 The Shadow Queen tells the story of Joan, Fair Maid of Kent, a Plantagenet princess who shocked medieval Europe with her marital exploits and went on to become mother to King Richard II of England. As cousin to King Edward III, Joan grows up at court and falls in love with the handsome, but relatively obscure, knight Thomas Holland. She defies her family to marry him in secret but then, pressured by their expectations, she contracts a bigamous marriage with the powerful Earl of Salisbury. Thomas and Joan’s story, as they battle against the royal family to win recognition of the first, earlier marriage, is told by O’Brien with compassion and imagination. Joan’s second husband, for example, far from being a pantomime villain, is a young man she has known and liked throughout her life. This adds an extra layer of emotion to an already-fraught situation, and Joan’s torn loyalties and extreme youth are depicted sympathetically. Once her marital position is decided, the novel moves on to explore not only Joan’s personal life, but also her political ambition and sense of what is due to her as a member of the royal family. O’Brien again depicts this skilfully, showing us a woman who can be both loving and ruthlessly ambitious, compassionate and profligate, grieving and determined. It is a complex and not always flattering portrait, but it shows Joan as a fullyrounded and fascinating character from history, one who deserves to be better known. Recommended. Charlotte Wightwick CITY OF MASKS S. D. Sykes, Hodder & Stoughton, 2017, £18.99, hb, 350pp, 9781444785845 / Pegasus Crime, 2017, $25.95, hb, 368pp, 9781681773421 This is the third novel in Sykes’ Somershill Manor series, but can be read as a standalone. Set in 1358 Venice, as Oswald de Lacy is waiting for a pilgrim ship to the Holy Land, it opens well with the discovery of a dead body by the canal flowing past the house in which Oswald is lodging with his mother. Fleeing the events of his past, Oswald is reluctantly forced to investigate by the owner of the house. This brings him up against the Signori de Notte—Venice’s secret police—while taking him into the many secret worlds of Venice, where everyone watches everyone else and no one is who they seem. This leads to various false starts by Oswald in his investigation, and the death toll rises to three young men, but he eventually uncovers the murderer. Sykes has obviously done her research, and there are evocative descriptions of Venice of the period, as well as, in flashback, resonant depictions of past events in England, explaining Oswald’s depression. One thing I did find irritating was the reference to narrow streets as ‘thin’, but this did not spoil my enjoyment of the story, and I will be reading the previous books in the series. jay Dixon

15th century

THE COLOUR OF COLD BLOOD Toni Mount, MadeGlobal, 2017, $14.97/£11.99, pb, 324pp, 978849464813 Toni Mount joins the ranks of medieval mystery authors to watch for. The Colour of Cold Blood is her third Sebastian Foxley story. It is a fun read chock full of period detail—enough to please the most avid medievalist. The principal character, Sebastian Foxley, has solved mysteries in the past but is an unlikely sleuth. A talented artist, he illuminates many of 15th-century London’s finest books. His workshop employs a journeyman, Gabriel Widowson, and two apprentices: Jack and Tom. Seb’s roguish brother, Jude, is a partner in the enterprise and the nemesis of Seb’s sharp-tongued wife, Emily. It is a busy, prosperous and oftentimes tumultuous household. This period in London’s history is equally turbulent, as Church officials hunt Lollard heretics who would seduce pious Englishmen into the heresy of reading the Bible in their own tongue. No one is above suspicion. On a smaller scale of troubles, Sebastian’s parish church has acquired a nasty-tempered curate sent by his uncle, the bishop, to sniff out Lollard heretics and miscreants in general. Large and small troubles combine to create a hellish fortnight for the parish’s faithful. Being a mystery, there must also be murders to solve. In this tale, two prostitutes are hideously slashed. It’s fairly obvious from the get-go “whodunit,” but the path to discovery is nonetheless captivating. There are surprising plot twists and a great prison escape scene which I won’t spoil. The climax is made-for-movies suspenseful. All in all, The Colour of Cold Blood is a wonderful beach book for medieval mystery fans. Well done! Lucille Cormier

16th century

DARK LADY: A Novel of Emilia Bassano Lanyer Charlene Ball, She Writes, 2017, $16.95, pb, 300pp, 9781631522284 It is the height of Queen Elizabeth’s reign, a celebrated golden age. The seven-year-old Emilia Bassano is sent away from her mother to be entrusted to the care of the Countess of Kent, where she will be raised with propriety. Not long after that day, Emilia blossoms into a young woman who is a lover to two men, one of whom is William Shakespeare, the Queen’s playwright and poet. In time, Emilia becomes a poetess herself, something that is unusual in the Elizabethan era. Suffice it to say, Emilia, being of questionable birth, is an oddity in her own time. Dark Lady is a window through which readers can witness the lost wonders of the Elizabethan world. In the pages of this book, Elizabethan England comes entirely to life, from the intrigue at court to the horror of the plague. Through it all, Emilia proves to be a strong-willed woman who survives even the deception and betrayal of those closest to her. Dark Lady, albeit beautifully told and masterfully written, is also thoroughly dark in tone, and it left me with a heavy feeling at its conclusion. However, if you enjoy the Tudor era, this is most 14th Century — 16th Century

definitely a worthwhile read: engrossing and captivating from start to finish. Kendall Turchyn WOLF ON A STRING (US) / PRAGUE NIGHTS (UK) Benjamin Black, Henry Holt, 2017, $28, hb, 320pp, 9781627795173 / Viking, 2017, £14.99, hb, 336pp, 9780241297858 This historical novel takes place at the end of 1599, during the reign of Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II. Christian Stern comes to Prague with plans of making his fame and fortune at Rudolf ’s court, but upon his arrival he comes across a murder of what appears to be a noblewoman, which gets him involved in helping to solve the mystery. His investigation takes him through a maze of politics and intrigue that eventually leads to Rudolf ’s court. As is typical in mysteries of this sort, people are not who they appear to be, and Christian Stern finds himself questioning the motives of everyone he encounters. While Christian Stern himself is fictional, other characters depict real people in Prague’s history: Emperor Rudolf II (known for his eccentricities and interests in the occult), John Dee (astronomer, occult philosopher, and adviser to Queen Elizabeth I), and Edward Kelley (yet another occultist who often worked closely with John Dee). For those curious about Prague, its history, and its place and role in the world in the late 1500s and early 1600s, this book will be an interesting read. The mystery component, however, may appeal more to fans of that genre. Elicia Parkinson A DEADLY BETROTHAL Fiona Buckley, Crème de la Crime, 2017, $28.99/£20.99, hb, 224pp, 9781780290973 England, 1579. In the latest installment of the Ursula Blanchard mysteries, the surprise return of a dear friend’s wayward husband abruptly escalates when the family’s drama turns deadly. But the investigation stalls when Ursula is called to court by her half-sister, the Queen of England, who is faced with an unusual marriage proposal that could divide the country. As Ursula councils Queen Elizabeth in matters of the heart, another murder takes place and Ursula must find a way to solve them both, but the cost turns out to be quite high. Ursula is a no-nonsense sort of woman equipped with a sharp eye and quick thinking. Not precisely an agent of investigation at this time, her cases are taken on more out of duty and curiosity than for formal employment. The novel is written a spare style, with little descriptive prose to the pages, and dialogue is kept to a tidy minimum. The cast of characters is rather large, and I did have some trouble keeping some of the lesser ones straight. The murders took some time to occur, but we get a nice picture of Ursula and the politics and history surrounding England during the time of Elizabeth I and her famous rival, Mary Queen of Scots. Overall, I wished for a bit more excitement, but this is a pleasant, satisfying mystery for lovers of this time period. Holly Faur 16th Century

THE LAST TUDOR Philippa Gregory, Simon & Schuster, 2017, $27.99/C$34.99, hb, 513pp, 9781476758763 / Simon & Schuster UK, 2017, £20.00, hb, 528pp, 9781471133053 The title of Gregory’s latest novel is intriguing, given that its plot revolves around a great irony of history: Elizabeth I’s determination to subdue and destroy her rivals, her quest for absolute dominance ensuring that she will be the final member of her dynasty to rule Britain. Although she is the villain of the piece—and some readers might have a problem with her vilification—her presence is felt, rather than seen. Instead, Gregory brings three different Tudor heroines, the Grey sisters, to the center stage—Jane, Katherine, and Mary, who, together with their mother, Frances, are in line to inherit the throne. Actually, the eldest, Jane, briefly preceded Elizabeth in 1553, when Edward VI made her his successor, and she ruled for nine days, until she was deposed by Mary Tudor. Jane’s is the first story to be told in this triptych, and the most compelling, since Gregory, to create a complex characterization, superbly balances the competing historical views of Jane as either a compliant martyr or a clever Protestant intriguer. After Jane is beheaded, the narrative switches to Katherine, and finally to Mary, as they defy their queen by marrying without her consent. While Katherine is exquisitely beautiful, Mary suffers from dwarfism; however, both sisters come across as strong-willed and intelligent observers of court intrigue—which sometimes makes it hard to tell their voices apart. According to Gregory, their motivation is not ambition, but love; even so, their wish for personal happiness collides with Elizabeth’s fear of a coup. Thus, Katherine and Mary are parted from their husbands and incarcerated; while the older dies from a broken heart, her younger sibling lingers on, longing for death and a magnificent funeral. By the end, the House of Tudor seems diminished and moribund. Despite the tragic subject matter, a fascinating read. Elisabeth Lenckos

take the blame? Entertaining and enjoyable, this is the first in a new series by prolific author Cora Harrison. Ann Northfield

THE CARDINAL’S COURT Cora Harrison, The History Press, 2017, £12.99/$22.95, hb, 312pp, 9780750968393 During the Tudor era where so many novels take place, it can be difficult to find a new perspective on an old setting, yet Harrison manages it. Henry VIII is still married to Katherine of Aragon when the story begins, but Anne Boleyn is already dazzling many, including the rich, young, noble Harry Percy. The narrator is an outsider looking in, an Irish Brehon (traditional lawyer and dealmaker) charged with arranging the finances and legal matters so that the son of the family he works for, James Butler, can marry Anne. Unfortunately, the lady seems less than keen and perhaps already has her sights set on higher targets. All too soon James finds himself accused of murdering someone with an arrow in the presence of the king. The Brehon, however, is an astute lawyer who can see past appearances and realises very quickly that the fatal wound was not made by an arrow. This begins a whole chain of investigation. How was the murder really committed? Who stood to benefit? And why was James selected to

A MURDER TOO SOON Michael Jecks, Crème de la Crime, 2017, $28.99/£20.99, hb, 224pp, 9781780290980 A Murder Too Soon is the second book of the Jack Blackjack mysteries set in 1554 London. Jack, a former “cutpurse,” must become an assassin for his employer, John Blount. His intended target is one of Princess Elizabeth’s attendants who is believed to be a spy for the princess’s half-sister, Queen Mary. But, on arriving in Woodstock, where the princess is being held under guard in the likelihood that she may want to kill the queen and usurp the crown, Lady Margery is murdered by someone else. Jack, however, is the “first finder” and blamed. To clear his name, Jack stumbles his way through the palace and a host of characters, who are hiding their own secrets and may have their own reasons for wanting Lady Margery dead. A Murder Too Soon is pure entertainment. Jack is a lovable misfit who always finds himself in trouble but manages to sweet-talk or connive himself out. The various settings and the other characters, significant or not, are intricately illustrated, bringing them to vivid and humorous

THE MAPMAKER’S DAUGHTER Katherine Nouri Hughes, Delphinium, 2017, $18.00, pb, 368pp, 9781883285708 During the reign of the Ottoman emperor Suleiman the Magnificent, young Cecilia Baffo Veniero of Venice is kidnapped by Ottoman pirates and taken to Istanbul. There she catches Suleiman’s attention; he deems her intelligent and strong enough to carry out the dictate of the empire’s most horrifying law when she must. Renamed Nurbanu, she is trained to become the mother of a future sultan, and marries Suleiman’s son Selim. Before he dies, Suleiman orders Nurbanu to follow the horrifying law when her own son becomes sultan. While this is a decent read, Nurbanu never really seems to come to life. Years sometimes pass in the space of a page, and the flow of the story can be abrupt. Despite the lovely use of language, the setting is dreamlike, rather than descriptive. If the reader doesn’t already know what the locations looked like, or where the cities are in relation to Istanbul, this book won’t give you a concrete sense of the time and the place. So The Mapmaker’s Daughter is a mixed bag. The good: beautiful language and excellent history (with minor exceptions involving plants). The bad: I never felt I really knew Nurbanu; she seemed oddly aloof from the reader. So when her son Murad becomes sultan and she must order the killing of all the other male heirs, many of them small children, it’s hard to understand why she carries out this appalling law since we don’t really see her character change over the years. (By the way, the oddest incident—the rise and destruction almost immediately of the observatory—turns out to be fact, although the reason for its destruction doesn’t owe anything to Murad’s relationship with his mother.) India Edghill

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life. The climate of the time is captured concisely, depicting those who support Queen Mary, and her desire to restore Catholicism to England again, and those like Princess Elizabeth, who prefer the Church of England to continue. The novel is a fun and enjoyable romp, and I look forward to seeing what mishap next awaits the unlikely hero of Jack Blackjack. Francesca Pelaccia THE WOMAN IN THE SHADOWS Carol McGrath, Accent, 2017, £8.99, pb, 398pp, 9781786152299 This is the story of Elizabeth Cromwell, wife of Henry VIII’s minister, Thomas Cromwell, famous for dissolving the monasteries. But hasn’t Hilary Mantel already covered Thomas Cromwell, to great acclaim? Indeed, but Elizabeth died before Thomas started work for Henry, and there is little about the king, the Reformation, or Anne Boleyn in this book. This is the story of an upper middleclass lady with little interest in politics and a lot of interest in the cloth trade. In her Author Note, Carol McGrath tells us that she wanted ‘to give a sensory portrait of London during this era… a sense of birth, marriage and death rituals… inclusive of the major festivals’. This she achieves magnificently. The clothes, the jewellery, the furniture and the food are presented in all their texture, shine and taste, and we share in all the feasts, parades and celebrations. The author livens the narrative with an arson attack, a swordfight, a malevolent former suitor and a suspected infidelity, but true to the title, this remains the story of a woman in the shadows. McGrath succeeds brilliantly within her self-imposed limits, and if you are looking for a complement to the high drama of Court politics, this is it. Edward James LOVING LUTHER Allison Pittman, Tyndale, 2017, $25.99/C$35.99, hb, 432pp, 9781496426727 / also $14.99/ C$20.99, pb, 432pp, 9781414390451 Sent by her impecunious father and hostile stepmother to a convent at age six, Katharina von Bora, whose noble family has seen better days, overcomes her considerable doubts and takes her vows when she reaches the appropriate age. But Katharina’s fellow nun, Girt, has a secret suitor, Hans, who begins to slip the writings of the religious reformer Martin Luther into the convent. Slowly, Katharina is drawn to the message they represent—and, once she and eleven of her fellow nuns escape the cloister, to the reformer himself. It is the young student Jerome Baumgartner, however, who becomes Katharina’s first suitor. Although Pittman’s previous novels have been set in the United States, she feels quite at home in 16th-century Wittenberg. Her prose is engaging and her characters are well-drawn, reminding us that these towering religious figures were also human beings, with human foibles and human loves and losses. This novel should be of interest not only to readers of Christian fiction, but to readers of general historical fiction as well. Susan Higginbotham 22 | Reviews |

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BESS Arlene I. Shapiro, CreateSpace, 2016, $15.95, pb, 344pp, 9781534713512 Elizabeth Cary (née Tanfield) was a 16thcentury English writer, known for having an unusual aptitude for learning languages. While her own parents were supportive of her studies, after her marriage to Sir Henry Cary her mother-inlaw forbade Bess from reading. Bess turned then to writing her own poetry and dramas; her play, The Tragedy of Mariam, is considered to be the first drama written by a woman and published under her own name. The story is well-researched in terms of Bess’s timeline and historical context. Bess was a precocious child who grew into an intelligent woman. Her life continues to be an interesting study in regard to religion and politics, and a woman’s place in them, as Bess decided to convert from Protestantism to Catholicism, a controversial act that was considered treasonous at the time. The decision resulted in her husband’s appeal for a divorce, which led to him preventing Bess from seeing their children in fear that her unconventional beliefs would sour their children’s minds. Though the historical background and the real characters the author chooses to tell her story are accurately drawn, the manner in which the characters speak feels inaccurate for the period. This is a conscious choice for reasons of accessibility and readability, but unfortunately it results in the story reading as too modern. Additionally, a lot of the action of the story takes place peripherally through characters telling each other of events, or in Bess’s own reflections upon the circumstances that lead to each key moment in her life. Rarely do events happen directly to the character for the reader to experience alongside Bess, resulting in a feeling of disconnectedness from the story on a deeper emotional or intellectual level. Elicia Parkinson BETRAYAL AT IGA Susan Spann, Seventh Street, 2017, $15.99, pb, 250pp, 9781633882782 In 1565 Japan, different clan groups are struggling with each other, while some are trying to rule the entire country. Hiro Hattori is both a samurai and a shinobi, which are what the Japanese call ninjas. He is also a first-class criminal detective. Hiro’s sidekick is Portuguese Jesuit Father Mateo. This unlikely duo, bonded by oath and friendship, returns to Hiro’s home clan just in time to witness an ugly poisoning. This murder occurs during peace negotiations with a rival clan which also happens to be filled with samurai and shinobi assassins. To avoid a clan war, Hiro and Father Mateo agree to find the killer, but they only have three days; otherwise, war is inevitable. Everyone is a potential assassin: both men and women, and especially women, including mothers and grandmothers. More corpses turn up as the two have to deal with “unreliable witnesses and shifting evidence.” Somehow they cut through the deception and confront the killer in a suspenseful ending. If the reader is expecting a James Clavell Shōgunlike historical epic, this is not the place. It is exactly as advertised: “A Shinobi Mystery.” I’d consider it a

cozy detective story, but one lavishly overlaid with rich cultural and ethnographic insights into Japan of the 16th century, when it was still comparatively isolated. It may help to read the earlier books in the series. The author provides a helpful glossary of Japanese terms, a necessity in books of this type. Though it’s not my favorite genre within historical fiction, I did indeed like this book and can easily recommend it. Thomas J. Howley ELEVENTH HOUR M. J. Trow, Severn House, 2017, $28.99/£20.99, hb, 224pp, 9781780290935 Eleventh Hour is the 8th in the Kit Marlowe series. In this installment, Marlowe seeks to find the potential murderer of Sir Francis Walsingham, Queen Elizabeth’s spymaster. Walsingham’s death, while not completely unexpected because of his age, is suspicious because of its manner. Marlowe and his fellow spies feel the Spymaster was poisoned, leaving a huge power vacuum, and they must find the culprit before the killer sets his sights on Elizabeth herself. I had known that this book was part of a series when I volunteered to review it and decided to take a chance that it wouldn’t matter. That gamble paid off. Trow writes Eleventh Hour in a way that makes it easy to follow without having read the prior seven books. It was engaging enough that I do plan to go read them anyway, though. Marlowe is a fun character, irreverent and witty. I found Trow’s interpretation of Shakespeare (Shaxpere in the novel) to be interesting; I didn’t have as good a sense of some of the others, but they were sketched well enough that they were not flat or onedimensional. Readers also are gifted with a vibrant depiction of life in Elizabethan London. The plot is intricate, though not action-packed: the focus is more on intrigue and politics, which I enjoyed a great deal. This novel should appeal immensely to fans of Renaissance mystery and theatre. Kristen McQuinn

17th century

FREEBOOTER Tim Severin, Macmillan, 2017, £18.99, hb, 306pp, 9781447262251 Navigator Hector Lynch is keen to give up a life of piracy and settle down with his pregnant wife, Maria, in the fabled settlement of Libertalia, where all men are equal. But Libertalia is proving hard to locate, so reluctantly he agrees to join his friends Jacques and Jezreel on the freebooter the Fancy, to go in search of a place to call home and enough booty to support his family. However, Captain Henry Avery, the ship’s commander, has a very ambitious target in his sights - no less than the Grand Mogul’s treasure ship, the Ganji-Sawa’i. Getting involved in this expedition has repercussions that might jeopardise everything Hector holds dear. Set in the late 17th century, this is the fifth in Tim Severin’s Pirate series, though the backstory is easy to pick up. It’s clear the author knows a great deal about the Great Age of Sail, but is 16th Century — 17th Century

subtle enough not to overwhelm the average reader with technical jargon. Hector is an intelligent and likeable hero and the settings, whether on shipboard or on land, are vividly evoked. There are many twists to the plot to keep the reader engaged, though there is more depth to the treatment of the historical background and the underlying themes of the book than in the traditional swashbuckler. An interesting historical note at the end shows just how closely Severin has managed to stick to known historical facts while plausibly weaving in his fictitious characters. Recommended to anyone who enjoys seafaring adventures set in exotic places. Jasmina Svenne

18th century

THE DOLOCHER Caroline Barry, Black and White/Trafalgar Square, 2017, £8.99/$13.95, pb, 500pp, 9781785300110 1756, English-ruled Ireland, and its largest city, Dublin, is experiencing its own version of the murderous rampage of London’s Jack the Ripper. A convicted serial murderer mysteriously commits suicide under the watch of guards in the sordid city jail. After a brief sigh of relief, all of Dublin is horrified to suffer from an even more hideous chain of slayings by what they believe is the reincarnated spirit of Olocher, the condemned prisoner. Even worse, the resurrected killer now takes the mutated form of a Man-Pig. An unlikely team, Merriment O’Grady, apothecary and former ship’s surgeon, accompanied by Solomon Fish, a failed pamphleteer with a tortured past, must both strive to find the true murderer at the same time as they are incidentally pursued by cutthroats and a revenge- minded and crazed fundamentalist zealot. The author cleverly masters the Georgian venue, time period, and Irish vernacular in her narrative. I know how difficult this can be. To soften the increasing and graphically described horror of the tale, she introduces two immensely appealing Irish waifs, Janey Mack and Corker, who will leave the reader rolling with laughter—which seems somehow incongruous. The abject poverty of much of Dublin is tragically described, and the indifference of the occupying “Ascendancy” reveals how awful these times were. This is, in one sense, a twisting crime tale which must be followed closely to the very end. It seems to alternately sparkle, amuse and frighten. Nevertheless, it is ultimately a grand love story, notwithstanding the syphilitic English aristocrat who tries to order pistol-packing Merri to perform an abortion or he’ll close her shop. Merriment, Sol, Corker and especially Janey Mack will captivate the reader. For fans of this genre, The Dolocher is a must read. Thomas J. Howley THE WOMEN OF VERSAILLES Kate Brown, Seren, 2017, £8.99, pb, 338pp, 9781781723777 This is a fictional biography of Adélaïde, daughter of Louis XV of France, set in 1745, when Adélaïde was a teenager at Versailles, and 1789, 18th Century

when the Parisian women marched on Versailles and took King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette back to Paris. They allowed Adélaïde and her sister Victoire to go to their second home, and eventually the sisters managed to escape to Italy, avoiding the fate of their nephew and niece-in-law. How much leeway does an author have when writing a biography, albeit a fictional one? All the main characters are historical people, and many of the events depicted actually happened. But some did not, as the author says in her note. One of the themes of the novel is children and childhood. As part of this, Brown has Adélaïde befriend Madame Pompadour’s daughter, although she admits there is no evidence that Adélaïde ever met the child. She also admits that she changed the home region of a character because she wanted her to smell of lavender. Someone can smell of lavender without coming from Languedoc, and I, personally, object to changing something so fundamental for no real reason. There are other problems: the occasional use of modern phraseology, for example. Also, the 1745 sections are written in the first person and the 1789 ones in the third person, and in these Adélaïde is referred to as Madame, but it is not explained that they are one and the same. Nor is it explained, even in the author’s note, what happened to Henriette, the sister Adélaïde is close to in the 1745 sections. For interested readers: she died in 1752. All that said, this is an absorbing novel about a little-known French princess with an interesting personality, set against the background of Versailles with its formal routines and etiquette. A good read for anyone interested in the period. jay Dixon A MORE PERFECT UNION Jodi Daynard, Lake Union, 2017, $14.95, pb, 432pp, 9781477823798 Johnny Watkins and his mother arrive in America from Barbados. While they set their hopes high, there is a constant shadow casting fear on their dreams. For Johnny, although phenomenally intelligent, is a “quadroon,” the son of a mulatto and a white person. He can and does pass for a goodlooking white man, but he can never talk about his family in Barbados or talk as he would in his native language. That would normally be no problem, except that Johnny is about to enter the hallowed halls of Harvard University and aims to become a lawyer in the worlds of academia and high society. The challenge is obvious, and how it unfolds, which includes two women whom he loves in different ways, is mesmerizing. The second part of the plot involves Johnny’s connection to Vice-President and then President John Adams during the “Liberty Crisis” involving Adams, Hamilton, Jefferson, and other, nefarious persons, as the Anti-Sedition Acts and several volatile publications threaten to destroy the “United” States. Johnny becomes a great friend of John Adams and is mentored wisely while unwittingly becoming the target of Peter, a former classmate from Harvard. The reader is compelled to realize that even the noblest motivations can go sour and have disastrous consequences. Fortunately, Johnny’s path will wind up with his making a more truthful

choice in romance and in a prosperous career, assisted by a surprise character. This fascinating period of history is superbly plotted, with engaging characters, the real twists and turns of historical conflicts, and romance depicted in the proper etiquette of the late 1790s. Poems and portions of historical speeches enhance the credibility of this highly recommended historical novel. Viviane Crystal THE RETURN Suzanne Woods Fisher, Revell, 2017, $15.99, pb, 336pp, 9780800727505 Set against the backdrop of pre-colonial Pennsylvania, this story centers around an OldOrder Amish community on the outskirts of Lancaster County. The various families’ lives are intertwined with one another, and life on the edge of the frontier is fraught with hard work and potential peril. Pretty Betsy Zook becomes engaged to handsome Hans Bauer, while young Tessa Bauer (a foster cousin) yearns for Hans to notice her. Suddenly, the Zook farm is burned by a rampaging tribe, and Betsy and her younger brother are taken as captives. This pivotal event changes everyone’s lives. For Betsy, she is thrust into a world of fierce warriors and gentle women. As the weeks turn into months and season follows season, Betsy begins to rethink her previous beliefs that all Indians are “savages.” One of the members of the tribe, Caleb, becomes a trusted friend as he helps Betsy to acclimate to a strange new life. The rest of the Amish community is still hopeful that Betsy and her brother might one day return, but relationships with the local tribe begin to fray as the nearby English townspeople become overly suspicious of any Indian. The climax of the story is riveting and based on a real event that calls to question the meaning of justice and humanity. Can God be found in the midst of hatred? Fans of Suzanne Woods Fisher will enjoy this third book in her Amish saga, and readers of Pennsylvania history will find the historical details fascinating. I would have liked a bit of background information on the differences between the Amish and Mennonites, and how the three groups (including the English) learned to live side by side, but this is still a good read. Linda Harris Sittig THE PROMISE OF BREEZE HILL Pam Hillman, Tyndale, 2017, $14.99, pb, 413pp, 9781496415929 In 1791, Isabella Bartholomew’s family takes on Connor O’Shea as an indentured servant to rebuild the family home, Breeze Hill, on the Natchez Trace. The house had been damaged by fire and Isabella’s injured father can’t work. Connor agrees to the indenture so he can work towards bringing his brothers over from Ireland. He starts to have feelings for Isabella but is reluctant to act because he thinks she’s above him in station. Isabella is courted by neighbor Nolan Braxton, who, unbeknownst to the Bartholomews, has an eye to acquiring Breeze Hill for himself. The religious content is not heavy in this inspirational novel. Hillman makes a good choice of giving Connor a painful past with an aristocratic HNR Issue 81, August 2017 | Reviews | 23

woman back in Ireland as a believable reason for his reluctance to get involved with Isabella. However, the characters careen from one incident to the next, enough that I thought the story would benefit from less action and a bit more description and character development. Braxton as the villain is rather onedimensional, and a major event in the denouement teeters perilously close to being a deus ex machina ending. It has good points, but on the whole, I can’t recommend the book. B. J. Sedlock THE HIGHLAND COMMANDER Amy Jarecki, Forever, 2017, $7.99, pb, 384pp, 9781455597857 Magdalen, the illegitimate daughter of a Scottish earl, runs a hospital for women ravaged by redcoated Dragoons infesting northern Scotland in 1707. At her father’s urging, she reluctantly attends a masquerade party to greet high society officers incognito. She meets the brash navy lieutenant Aiden Murray, who seals his love for her with an unforgettable kiss. Aiden’s loyalty to Britain and his love for Magdalen, a woman beneath his status, are tested when she is accused of trying to kill the queen. The only way he can save Magdalen is to risk his own life in a heart-wrenching escape. Romance weaves with riveting adventure. The dialogue and narrative are masterfully crafted for the era of the Jacobite movement. Characters are well-developed, particularly Aiden, who transforms from a lusty young man to a gallant naval officer rediscovering his Scottish legacy. The couple’s first explicit sexual tryst sharply juxtaposes with their tender moments at the end. The Highland Commander is a memorable tale of a couple rising with dignity and honor out of fiery trials forging their true love. A must read for those who love a multi-layered romance with a brawny Highlander. Linnea Tanner CASANOVA’S SECRET WIFE Barbara Lynn-Davis, Kensington, 2017, $16.00/ C$17.95/£13.99, pb, 304pp, 97814967012318 Barbara Lynn-Davis’ debut novel is a delicious delight, a feast for the senses. Setting her work in romantic Venice, and basing it on Casanova’s actual writings, Lynn-Davis tells the story of Caterina Capreta, an innocent girl of fourteen who is swept off her feet by the charming and handsome Giacomo Casanova. She gives up her virtue rather easily, but then, it is Casanova—how could she resist? However, echoing the themes in Romeo and Juliet, Caterina’s father intervenes in the love affair and sends Caterina to a convent. It is here that Caterina is truly corrupted. The story is told through a series of flashbacks as the older, wiser Caterina reveals her story to Leda, the high-born young girl brought to her by the nun who knows all of Caterina’s darkest secrets. Slowly, Caterina shares her story, and a mother/ daughter relationship develops between the older and younger woman. Well-written and seductive, this book will draw the reader in. Some readers might even stay up until the wee hours to learn what becomes of Caterina and Casanova, surely one of the most passionate love stories of all time. An excellent romp! Anne Clinard Barnhill 24 | Reviews |

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THE BODY IN THE ICE A.J. Mackenzie, Zaffre, 2017, £18.99, hb, 340pp, 9781785761225 It is an exceptionally cold winter at St Mary in the Marsh on Romney Marsh. On Christmas Eve 1796 a body is discovered encased in the ice of a pond at New Hall House, and a hunt is on for the murderer. New Hall has lain empty for years but, soon after the body is discovered, the Rossiter family arrive suddenly from America to reclaim and resume ownership. A black man from America is a stranger in the county, and he is accused and on trial for his life. Reverend Hardcastle and his friend, the attractive and resourceful widow Chaytor, are in a race against time to unravel the twists and turns of the plotters and uncover the truth. French spies are landed by smugglers, women dress as men, an enormous hound lopes on the beach. The brother of Jane Austen is one of the cast of characters caught up in the action. Can Hardcastle and Chaytor foil a plot to launch revolution in England? What secrets does New Hall hold? Will Reverend Hardcastle fall off the wagon and resort to wallowing next to his port cabinet again? This is the second outing for the 18th-century sleuths and every bit as rewarding as the first book in the series. At times the tongue-in-cheek Gothic is a little overblown, and some aspects of the plot seem a little unlikely, but such minor gripes can easily be forgiven in this highly enjoyable read. An effective use of letters rattles the story along. The gentle comedy of Chaytor and Hardcastle’s friendship is delightful, and the storytelling hurtles the reader along at an irresistible pace. I look forward to Chaytor and Hardcastle’s next outing. Tracey Warr THE WARDROBE MISTRESS Meghan Masterson, St. Martin’s, 2017, $15.99/ C$22.99, pb, 320pp, 9781250126665 Giselle Aubry, the newest wardrobe mistress in Marie Antoinette’s household, has her uncle, Pierre de Beaumarchais, to thank for her coveted position. However, as an ex-spy for Louis XV, Pierre has planted his niece at Versailles for his own reasons. When Giselle meets Leon Gauvain, a watchmaker’s apprentice and budding revolutionary, she is torn between two worlds: the heady and luxurious rooms of the queen, and the equally exhilarating streets of Paris, which are teeming with new ideas and opportunities for the lower classes. Spying at first seems a harmless game to Giselle, but she soon begins to suspect her uncle’s motives. As her relationship with Leon develops, as does her fondness for the queen, she finds herself in an impossible triangle with events moving quickly. This story covers several major events from the French Revolution, including the storming of the Bastille, the Reveillon riot, the massacre of the Champs de Mars, and Louis XVI’s escape attempt. Madame Campan and the Marquis de Lafayette are two supporting characters that readers will identify as true figures from the era. The story is fast-paced and provides a satisfying view of the Revolution from the perspective of the Third Estate. Where this novel falls short is the characterization of the protagonist. Its intended audience is without a doubt, owing to the verbose

sex scenes, adult women. Giselle, however, is a flighty, hormone-driven teenager who makes rather questionable decisions. Without the love scenes, this novel would fall into the YA category but, as is, should be relegated to the historical romance genre. Unnecessary foreshadowing and modern terminology further mar the narrative, but those looking for a quick, light read (with romance) will enjoy its abridged account of the French Revolution. Arleigh Johnson WHERE THE LIGHT FALLS Allison Pataki and Owen Pataki, Dial, 2017, $28.00, hb, 368pp, 9780399591686 Two idealistic young men’s fates entwine during the trial of General Christophe de Kellermann, a hero of the French Revolution. Jean-Luc St. Clair is the idealistic young lawyer tasked with Kellermann’s defense, and André de Valiere is the son of a guillotined nobleman who hopes to redeem himself with a distinguished military career; they are the focal characters in this earnest but flatly executed novel of life in Paris during the Terror. Bestselling author Allison Pataki has teamed with her brother Owen, an Army veteran and filmmaker, for this project, which depends on characters too one-dimensional to support the ponderous weight of events in the story. Their mastery of the daily events of the Terror and of the military campaigns is evident, but they play fast and loose with some pretty significant events in the interest of creating “turning points” to imperil their characters. All this would be fine if the characters were compelling, but the authors rely on superficial description and stilted, “Americanized” dialogue. The two female characters are beautiful and loyal and not much else; they exist only to motivate Jean-Luc and André. The pace of the action picks up in the second half of the novel, but relies too heavily on coincidence, and the evil villains are of the cardboard variety. Kristen McDermott THE GIRL WITH THE MAKE-BELIEVE HUSBAND Julia Quinn, Avon, 2017, $7.99/C$9.99, pb, 384pp, 9780062388179 Facing the probability of marriage to an oily and grasping cousin, Cecilia Harcourt escapes by sailing to America to search for her brother Thomas, missing in the War of Independence. Unable to find Thomas, Cecilia finds instead his friend and comrade, Captain Edward Rokesby, lying injured and in need of help. To provide much needed care, she declares herself to be his wife. When Edward finally recovers consciousness— but not his memory—she continues the deception to have his help and support in searching for her brother. The romance between the English man and woman, each struggling with matters of conscience, plays out in 1779 Manhattan Island in this prequel to the author’s Bridgertons series. The novel has a well-constructed plot, welldrawn characters and vivid dialog. The reader is privy to the internal struggles of both main characters without unnecessary moralizing. This 18th Century

imaginative book places a romance among the British aristocracy into an American setting. The author maintains the tension of the undiscovered lie almost to the end, and the denouement is both amusing and satisfying. Valerie Adolph

19th century

THE STATE COUNSELLOR Boris Akunin, Mysterious Press, 2017, $25.00, hb, 304pp, 9780802126542 Moscow, 1891: On a secret train, passing through snowy wastes, an assassin claiming to be State Counsellor Erast Fandorin stabs the new Governor General of Siberia to death. The dagger has the initials “CG” carved into the ivory hilt. The real Fandorin seeks to clear his name and investigate the shadowy group responsible—the revolutionary Combat Group. This quest leads Fandorin into an underworld of squabbling revolutionaries, official corruption, femme fatales, mysterious veiled informants, and brilliant adversaries, in this actionpacked and intellectually stimulating novel. Akunin writes literate and thrilling mysteries. This latest Fandorin book, the first available to American readers in a decade, proves no exception to that rule. Fandorin’s adversary, the revolutionary Green, is a remarkable person whose synesthesia marks him as an unforgettable character. The other players are equally well drawn. A list of names would have been a help to me, as I confess that the Russian naming system, veering from surnames to patronymics to first names in a single paragraph, challenged me. I finally made my own list. Still, that proved a trifling inconvenience. This is an intelligent and stimulating mystery, filled with action, entertaining and unexpected plot twists, and peopled with fascinating characters, and I highly recommend this book. Susan McDuffie A NOTE YET UNSUNG Tamera Alexander, Bethany House, 2017, $15.99, pb, 432pp, 9780764206245. Rebekah Carrington is a highly skilled violinist trained in Vienna, but she is forced to return to her roots in Nashville upon the death of her grandmother. The year is 1871, a time when only one woman in the country has been invited to play in the New York Philharmonic. Rebekah is reduced to seeking a position as a governess, since her stepfather has stolen her rightful inheritance from her grandmother. Fate, however, conspires to arrange circumstances so that she boldly shows up to interview for a governess position with Adelicia Acklen Cheatham, mistress of Belmont Mansion. After a grueling examination by Mrs. Cheatham, Rebekah is accepted as a violin tutor for the daughter of this formidable, very rich woman. More importantly, she manages to stun her new employer with her beautiful rendition of a violin piece. Mrs. Cheatham, understanding that Rebekah needs more employment to survive, manages for her to serve as an assistant to Nathaniel Tate Whitcomb, conductor of the Nashville Orchestra, who had scornfully rejected her desire to perform with his 19th Century

orchestra because she was a woman. The story picks up dramatically at this point as their work begins on a new piece, she discovers his startling background, and other events that bring them closer, though with considerable friction in their daily contact. Two poignant crises draw them closer still. What marks this unique novel is the level of skill the characters possess in creating and performing gorgeous music, a level of appreciation the author conveys to readers over and over. Intensity, conflict, suffering, compassion, and redemption fill the pages of this historical novel. An outstanding, inspirational and highly recommended story. Viviane Crystal THE LADY TRAVELERS GUIDE TO SCOUNDRELS AND OTHER GENTLEMEN Victoria Alexander, HQN, 2017, $7.99, pb, 544pp, 9780373803989 1889. Frantic about the disappearance of her elderly cousin in Paris, bluestocking and committed non-traveler India Prendergast attends a lecture of the Lady Travelers and Assistance Agency to demand information. She suspects a Mr. Sanders, the head of the Society, is a cad out to fleece unsuspecting older women of means with dreams of seeing far-off places. Derek Sanders wants no part of the Society, but he must protect his aunt and her two dearest friends from ruin— and possible jail sentences for fraud. Just thinking of this issue makes him sweat, and now the Bluestocking-from-Hades is accusing him of being the brains behind a scam. Under duress, Derek, India, and a chaperoning married couple set out for Paris to find the missing cousin. During a series of misadventures, involving lost luggage, borrowed clothing and India’s penchant for going off to investigate on her own, a budding, if reluctant, attraction blossoms. But still India sees Derek as a scoundrel. Will she ever see him as he is, a gentleman intent on protecting his family? The Lady Travelers Guide is about personal growth, acceptance of differences and leaving preconceived notions behind. The novel is humorous and has a few more serious lessons for the reader, but best of all it has a Happily Ever After. Monica Spence A MOST UNLIKELY DUKE: Diamonds in the Rough Sophie Barnes, Avon, 2017, $7.99/C$9.99, pb, 384pp, 9780062566782 London, 1818. To survive in the slums of London and protect his two sisters, Raphe Matthews has worked on the docks and fought as a bare-knuckle boxer. Little wonder that when he learns he has inherited the dukedom of Huntley, he jumps at the opportunity to escape a life of brutal poverty, despite his scorn for the aristocracy. Gaining their acceptance is another matter, but for his sisters’ sake he tries, and the person from whom he seeks help to teach them ‘proper conduct’ is his very attractive neighbor, Lady Gabriella, daughter of the Earl of Warwick. She, fortunately, is not only kind, but finds him as fascinating as he does her

This is a variant on the story of My Fair Lady, and it offers a scathing criticism of aristocratic superficiality and snobbishness. The progress towards a happy ending, however, is hindered by a crowded series of complications that teeter on the edge of unlikely melodrama and sentimentality. Fortunately, Gabriella is a likeable heroine, who works to balance family duty with concern for those in need of help. Ray Thompson MERELY A MARRIAGE Jo Beverley, Jove, 2017, $7.99/C$10.99/£6.99, pb, 384p, 978399583537 1817: Lady Ariana Boxstall fears for her brother Norris’s legacy and her own future. If he dies unmarried and without heirs, she will be forced from the family home by their odious uncle set to inherit stately Boxstall Priory. However, Norris has the same apathy towards marriage as does Ariana. Finally they agree to a wager: if she finds a husband by the end of the year, he will immediately marry and start a family. Encountering the seemingly always-drunk Titus Delacorte, Earl of Kynaston—the man who broke her heart almost a decade prior—Ariana is simultaneously attracted and repelled. How could she fall for such a man again? In discovering his secret agony, it is revealed why he feels unable to ever marry again. Can these two damaged souls find peace and contentment with one another? Will Cupid’s arrow pierce their stubborn hearts? Check out Merely a Marriage and discover the convoluted path to love. By underpinning the history concerning the English reaction to the tragic death of Princess Charlotte in childbirth, sparking Ariana’s fears, and reinforcing Kynaston’s bad behavior, made the characters and the story to life. Jo Beverley has always been one of my favorite romance authors, and her death makes this, her last book, all the more poignant. Recommended. Monica E. Spence TOO DEEP FOR WORDS Andrea Boeshaar, Kregel, 2017, $14.99, pb, 304pp, 9780825444197 This book follows Carrie Ann Collier and her sister, Margaret, through the last days of the American Civil War. The women had endured much pain and loss in the first book of the Shenandoah Valley Saga, and both sisters have reached a point of happiness. Carrie and Peyton are newlyweds, and he uses his power as a Union officer to rescue Margaret from servitude to live with them. Just before a battle, Peyton asked his best friend, Elijah Wood, to become his legal manager in the event that he falls. This would mean that he would be paid to handle Peyton’s property and money and care for his wife. Eli is willing to do this for his friend; however, as a Confederate soldier, this may not be an easy task caring for a Yankee widow and accessing funds for her. When Peyton goes missing in action, Eli and Carrie are thrown together as she travels to Libby Prison to try to find her husband. Her strong faith in God convinces her he is not dead. The novel ends with a cliffhanger, promising the reader another installment of the series. HNR Issue 81, August 2017 | Reviews | 25

This novel shows powerful women who need to have strength as well as faith to continue on when things become overwhelming. They are trapped between two armies, and the local boys they grew up with are fighting on opposite sides. Carrie struggles with knowing that two men love her, but if the one is lost to her, is it okay to move on? The women are not always certain who to trust, but know that they can trust in the Lord. Those who like Christian historical novels combined with Civil War drama will enjoy this series. Beth Turza BEAUTY LIKE THE NIGHT Joanna Bourne, Berkley, 2017, $7.99, pb, 304pp, 9780425260838 / Headline Eternal, 2017, £8.99, pb, 304pp, 9781472222534 Though it had been years since Séverine de Cabrillac had been out of the spying game, her old instincts return when an armed man breaks into her bedroom in the night, accusing her of kidnapping a young girl and stealing an amulet. Sévie did no such thing and is prepared to dismiss it as a mistake and get on with her current mission helping the British Secret Service fend off a rumored attack on Lord Wellington. But Raoul Deverney, the mysterious Frenchman who accused her, is persistent, and Sévie soon realizes that, more than someone to blame, Raoul needs someone to trust. This is written in Bourne’s usual assured and engaging style. Her characters are deliciously complex and bring with them slowly unfolding backstories. The smolder between Séverine and Raoul is equally as unhurried, but ultimately satisfying, as it is a relationship built not only on attraction, but also on the trust and mutual respect that develops. Enjoyable and recommended. Jessica Brockmole SECRET SISTERS Joy Callaway, Harper, 2017, $15.99, pb, 352pp, 9780062391643 Illinois, 1881: Beth Carrington is studying to become a doctor, but as the sole female student in the physicians’ program, she is constantly being singled out and penalized for her ambitions by her professors. Most females at Whitsitt College are studying Divinity, so Beth finds herself alone and ostracized. Then she has an inspiration: a women’s fraternity. A society for students like herself so they can connect and support one another. Her roommate Lily, Mary, and another woman staying at the boarding house become the founding members of Beta Xi Beta, but they risk expulsion, as secret societies are forbidden. There is only one fraternity allowed on campus, and Beth seeks their help. The all-male fraternity is run by Grant Richardson, the son of a coal tycoon and nephew to a congressman. His family heavily finances the college. While Grant doesn’t see a female fraternity as beneficial, he is intrigued by Beth and agrees to help her. Soon, feelings between Beth and Grant develop, but is she putting her budding fraternity at risk by trusting him? Callaway’s historical details are fantastic. The way medical theory was used to classify women as inferior to men is absurd but also frightening in its honest portrayal. Thus, Callaway brings to life a diverse group of women to meet the stereotypes of 26 | Reviews |

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1881 head on. While there was a bit more romance than I expected, overall Secret Sisters is an intriguing story about intelligent women, perseverance, and the bonds of friendship. J. Lynn Else BOUNTY OF GREED: The Lincoln County War Paul Colt, Five Star, 2017, $25.95, hb, 326pp, 9781432834494 Paul Colt continues his Bounty series with a historical dramatization about the Lincoln County wars. James Dolan, a businessman with strong political ties, owns Lincoln County, New Mexico, until Englishman John Tunstall arrives in town with commercial ambitions of his own. When Tunstall is murdered by corrupt sheriff ’s men on Dolan’s orders, those loyal to Tunstall, including the infamous Billy the Kid, decide to take matters into their own hands and seek revenge for his death. What ensues is a battle of epic proportions. With New Mexico on the verge of achieving statehood, power, greed, and politics clash as the Wild West faces the push of civilization. The conflict comes to a bloody climax when the United States Army is sent in to settle the fight for Lincoln. For anyone not already familiar with the more minor players in this story, the sheer speed at which they are introduced is dizzying. I found myself creating a map of characters just to keep them all straight. Colt does a wonderful job, however, bringing these characters to life with realistic detail and shedding light on the complex forces behind the situation in Lincoln. Recommended. Jenna Pavleck THE UNDERGROUND RIVER (US) / THE FLOATING THEATRE (UK) Martha Conway, Touchstone, 2017, $26.99/ C$35.99, hb, 352pp, 9781501160202 / Zaffre, 2017, £12.99, hb, 352pp, 9781785762901 In her fourth novel, The Underground River, Conway tells the story of May Bedloe, the ungainly cousin of actress Comfort Vertue, who ends up being heroic in spite of herself. At the beginning of the book, May exists to sew for and serve Comfort, who is self-centered and determined to undermine any confidence May might gain. However, a boat accident changes the fortunes of both women. Comfort is rescued by Mrs. Howard, a wealthy abolitionist who enlists Comfort to travel the country stumping for the cause. May joins a riverboat acting crew, where she puts her talents to work mending and designing costumes for the troupe as well as playing the piano on stage. She gradually comes to consider the actors as family, makes her own money, and is self-sufficient for the first time. Unexpectedly, May and Comfort cross paths again. This time, Mrs. Howard recruits May, via means of blackmail, to help ferry slaves across the river to safety. Though reluctant at first, May is soon moved by the plight of the “packages” placed in her care. She finds her courage and sense of justice. She even finds love along the way. This is a well-written and nicely paced novel, and readers will enjoy the descriptions of life on the river. The plotting, however, is a little weak;

believing May would risk so much to pay back a debt that was never explained stretches the imagination. And May, while plucky, is a hard character for this reader to like. Yet, by the end of the book, May’s growth is satisfying, especially the way she stands up for her beliefs and herself. Anne Clinard Barnhill BEYOND THE RIVER OF SHAME Ken Czech, All Things That Matter Press, 2017, $16.99, pb, 217pp, 9780998071756 Closely based on the true history of S.W. Baker, the famous British explorer who was credited for mapping the Blue Nile and discovering its source in the mid-19th century, Beyond the River of Shame traces the history and journeys of Sam and his wife Florie von Sass, whom he purchased at a slave auction in 1858. The relationship cost him his first marriage and nearly ruined his reputation in Victorian English society. In his debut historical novel, academic historian Czech does an admirable job of making a murky and still socially charged history come to life in a short and readable format. He compacts a lot of narrative into its pages, from the slave auction to the long journey to Lake Victoria, and from buffalo and elephant hunting to narrow escapes from floods and hostile tribal leaders. Despite persistent clichés and some confusing shifts in setting and perspective, the style is readable, although one wonders at times how much the history, compelling in itself, benefits from Czech’s fictionalization. The reader looking for authoritative clarification of Baker’s motives and morality may also be a little disappointed, as the writer’s perspective on the questions surrounding Baker seems a bit timid. Perhaps this is Czech’s intention. As a historian, his mission is to spread interest in such questions as much as to resolve them, and in this he succeeds. The book left me googling to learn more about this famous couple, and the scandal their marriage generated in its time. Czech succeeds best in shedding more light on Florie’s courageous contribution to Sam’s accomplishments. Fans of African exploration stories and the Victorian era will find the book a gem. Jackie Drohan

THE ADVENTURES OF JOHN CARSON IN SEVERAL QUARTERS OF THE WORLD Brian Doyle, St Martin’s, 2017, $25.99/C$36.99, hb, 230pp, 9781250100528 Have you ever wondered what creates myths? I used to think they just coalesced within the mists of time. Reading this book, I discovered a more powerful and more promising answer. This layered novel is the story of Robert Louis Stevenson, who lived for a few months in a boarding house at 608 Bush Street in San Francisco during 1879-1880. While Stevenson struggles to write enough saleable material to maintain his frugal lifestyle, he listens each evening to wonderful tales told by his landlord, John Carson, whose wife, Mary, is the gifted 18th Century

provider of endless varieties of oyster stew. And what marvelous, Conrad-esque, Melvilleesque stories they are—of mountainous seas, superhuman and sub-human men, deserts, impenetrable forests and unscaleable rock faces. We are told of a hauntingly beautiful woman living in an apparently deserted stone village on the turbulent west coast of Ireland. Each tale is mythic in scale and imagination, yet each story is grounded in reality. It seems initially that each is a separate yarn, in one dimension complete in itself. Yet as the book nears its conclusion, the unity becomes apparent, and each tale is seen as part of one sweeping narrative. Layered throughout the mythic tales of the Carsons, which carry the reader through stormy oceans and across vast continents, is the dayto-day story of Stevenson as he delights in his explorations of San Francisco and longs for the day he can marry his sweetheart. I was engrossed in this multi-layered, expertly crafted book. I read it slowly, savoring every word. The writer’s vocabulary alone elicits appreciation. More importantly, the complexity of the novel and the unobtrusive research command respect. I was awed by the seeming ease of this compelling narrative. The simple happiness of the ending moved me to tears. Valerie Adolph MADAME PRESIDENTESS Nicole Evelina, Lawson Gartner, 2016, $13.99, pb, 400pp, 9780996763202 The election ballot for the 1872 Presidential election included Republican Ulysses S. Grant, Democrat Horace Greeley, and Equal Rights Party representative Victoria Woodhull, a conventiondefying feminist who fought for equality of the sexes. She was also known for her powers as a spiritualist healer and clairvoyant and regularly used her gifts to heal abused women. Growing up, Victoria and her siblings were exploited and abused by their parents. She married a charming man at 15 years old, but shortly after their wedding, she discovered her husband was a morphine addict, drunkard, abuser, and a womanizer. Despite its stigma, Victoria divorced her first husband and eventually met Colonel Blood, a war hero and fellow spiritualist. After they married, the couple moved to New York, where Victoria’s life began to turn the status quo on its ear as she became a talented financialist, a suffragette, and eventual presidential candidate--despite the fact women couldn’t vote until 48 years later. The uphill battles Victoria faced in her life will inspire and awe. She was also a target of hate and ridicule and suffered almost unbelievable injustices. I was startled that this was my first immersion into this strong, trailblazing woman’s life. Evelina does a remarkable job of using letters and articles from Victoria’s lifetime to create an engaging story. Victoria was not always easy to relate to with regard to some of her choices, but Evelina does a great job fleshing out the reasoning behind Victoria’s motivations, which made her someone easy to sympathize with. This is a well-plotted and revealing look into the life of the first woman to run for president, and a book that stays with you. J. Lynn Else 19th Century

ARROWOOD Mick Finlay, HQ, 2017, £12.99, hb, 395pp, 9780008203184 This highly readable novel plunges the reader into a mystery: what has happened to the brother of the beautiful and enigmatic Frenchwoman, Miss Caroline Cousture? Set in the late 19th century, the private detective Arrowood and his sidekick Barnett, the narrator, are in competition with Sherlock Holmes. Whilst Holmes solves crime for London’s elite, Arrowood and friend live and work in the other London, the land of the poor. London, at the turn of the century, is a place where the divisions between rich and poor are widening, with those at the bottom of the heap forced into crime of all sorts, whilst the political elite is entangled in scandals and escapades. And there’s a serial killer on the loose. Arrowood’s task here is to discover why the young Frenchman has disappeared and who has a hand in it. His task is rendered more complicated because Miss Cousture is lying to him. Arrowood’s strengths are his knowledge of people and their interlinked histories; he despises “Sherlock blooming Holmes”, as he calls him, whilst envying his publicity (in The Strand magazine, of course) and his wealth. This plot-line could have done with a little editing; overall, however, the novel is readable and pacey. The novel has a heavy dose of well-described violence, particularly at the hands of one group of gangsters, but also from coppers, coopers and Fenians. Black humour runs through the novel, lightening a story that could be at risk at times of being a detective version of Mayhew’s London. There is tenderness too, in the depiction of the lonely Arrowood’s relationship with a local scamp, Neddy. Readers of historical detective fiction will enjoy this well-set, darkly humorous addition to the canon. Katharine Quarmby CRIMSON AND BONE Marina Fiorato, Hodder & Stoughton, 2017, £16.99, hb, 314pp, 9781473610507 1853. Annie Stride, a penniless prostitute, plans to kill herself by throwing herself into the Thames from Waterloo Bridge. Her life is changed— and turned upside down—when she is saved by Francis Maybrick Hill, a talented pre-Raphaelite painter. Maybrick takes her as his muse and model, changing her life from fallen woman to a darling of society. Her dark past is left behind, or is it? Is Maybrick Hill all he seems to be—a Victorian philanthropist, rescuing a fallen woman? Whisked off to Florence, she finds that her new life is not all that it seems, and his secrets are finally revealed in a gripping climax. This is a dark, disturbing tale of love and obsession. With a strong plot and characters, this is a superb example of Victorian noir, which is combined with a historical romance to produce a well-written, gripping tale from an author at the top of her game. The plot is taut, with a series of surprises on the way, leading to a very satisfying ending. A great read. Recommended. Mike Ashworth SNAKE OIL: EASY PICKIN’S Marcus Galloway, Five Star, 2017, $25.95, hb, 268pp, 9781432832636

I thoroughly enjoyed this book from start to finish and am encouraged that it’s billed as Book One, so there will be more to come. Its protagonist is part-hero, part-scoundrel Professor Henry Whiteoak. In 1878, on the way to Barbrady, Kansas, he rescues courier Byron Keag from thieves who want his documents. Whiteoak follows Keag into Barbrady, where Keag’s sister Lyssa lives and the documents are to be delivered, and he sets up shop with his wagon of feel-good tonics. He soon discovers there’s more to this sleepy town than is apparent. Whiteoak is a major part of what makes this book so much fun. There’s more to him than meets the eye—in addition to being a smooth-talking salesman, he’s an excellent shot and has a romantic side as well. Lyssa, the object of his affections, is equally a dark horse and more than a match for him. Between the two of them, and with Byron’s reluctant participation, they fend off the outlaws who have come to town. Galloway has a way with a story as well as a way with characters. Whiteoak untangles a complicated plot, and I hope this wanderer stays put in Barbrady for Book Two. Ellen Keith THE GUARDIAN ANGEL Elizabeth Gill, Quercus, 2017, £20.99, hb, 463pp, 9781786482617 Set amidst a background of idyllic northern countryside, themes such as love, forgiveness and hatred are being explored in Elizabeth Gill’s The Guardian Angel, the first book of the Weardale saga. Miss Alice Lee, a spinster confectioner, finds herself writing letters to a man sentenced to nine years in jail due to murder and, because of his homecoming, a series of events mark out the rest of her life. Setting her book in a tiny quarry village on the outskirts of Durham, Gill blends an atmosphere of confectionary and malice, social groupings and poverty in a powerful way. It was interesting to learn about the process of sweet-making in the 1800s as well as the workings of a small village that depends on its quarry. Throughout the novel prejudice and social norms are emphasised to create an impact about Christian values such as forgiveness and loving those who have sinned. Similarly, the process of introducing a prison inmate to a normal community is compelling, as most of the village are against the man returning to his home. The Durham countryside is a perfect backdrop to those ambitious villagers who are anxious to leave and make their reputations outside a closed village where everyone and their pasts are known. Clare Lehovsky AN AFFAIR WITH A NOTORIOUS HEIRESS Lorraine Heath, Avon, 2017, $7.99/C$9.99, pb, 384pp, 9780062391100 London, 1882. The Marquess of Rexton, heir to a dukedom, is not yet interested in marriage, but when a brash American asks him to pretend to court his niece in order to attract rival suitors, he agrees, tempted by the offer of stud services of a prize stallion. What he does not anticipate is his powerful physical attraction to her protective older sister, the scandalously divorced Lady Landsdowne. Since he insists upon a wife with an HNR Issue 81, August 2017 | Reviews | 27

impeccable reputation, he desires only an affair, but how will this strong-willed woman react when she learns why he is courting her sister? A resolution looks unlikely, but as their appreciation for each other moves beyond the merely physical to embrace other qualities, such as courage and thoughtfulness, love eventually triumphs. The comments upon double standards for men and women are apt, the protagonists are sympathetic, and both experience a difficult learning process. Unfortunately, the prolonged attention to their feelings for each other does become repetitive and slow down the plot. Recommended to those who relish physical preoccupations, prolonged soul-searching, and the struggle between passion and duty. Ray Thompson THE OTHER ALCOTT Elise Hooper, William Morrow, 2017, $15.99/ C$19.99, pb, 432pp, 9780062645333 In Elise Hooper’s debut novel, she takes on the daunting task of re-imagining a woman who was fictionalized in Louisa May Alcott’s muchbeloved novel Little Women. Rather than focus on Louisa herself—the real-life model for “Jo,” almost everyone’s favorite March sister—Hooper decides to let us in on what happens to May Alcott, Louisa’s younger sister, who appeared in her novel as “Amy.” Just as Amy was depicted in Little Women, May is an artist, interested in what is stylish. She longs to live on her own terms, rather than in her big sister Louisa’s shadow. Hooper examines the sibling rivalry between Louisa and May, and the reader discovers a very new view of Louisa, a view not nearly as flattering as the one found in Little Women. Unknown to some, May did the illustrations for the original novel and, though the book itself was highly praised, the illustrations were roundly panned. In The Other Alcott, this public scolding of her talents sends May to Rome, London, and Paris in search of finding an art teacher to help her improve her abilities. Along the way, she discovers much about her own nature, friendship and, finally, love. And by the end of her journey, she has come to understand her big sister a little as well. A fascinating concept, and just the way to kick off your celebration of the 150th anniversary of the publication of Little Women. Anne Clinard Barnhill CORRIB RED Patricia Hopper, Cactus Rain, 2017, $15.95, pb, 306pp, 9780996281263 The second in a three-part series about the wealthy O’Donovan family, this novel takes place in 1880s Ireland and centers on 15-year-old Grace and her elder sister, Deirdre. The girls were always close in the past, but now Grace senses an inexplicable distance between them since her sister’s return from a year away at finishing school in Switzerland. Their father and mother seem somewhat ill at ease as well. She tries in vain to understand the new tensions within her family, unaware of the magnitude of the secrets being concealed. Deirdre stubbornly resists their parents’ efforts to have her marry into one of the prominent local 28 | Reviews |

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families. They quite reluctantly assent to allow her to marry the person she loves, who is beneath their social class. However, the plan goes awry before a wedding can occur. Grace is perplexed and worried when Deirdre then suddenly becomes resigned to marrying the son of a family from a nearby estate despite being fully aware of his vicious nature. Unfortunately, Grace’s concerns go unheeded as she tries to avert this disaster. Trapped by a social imperative to avoid scandal and preserve their good name the O’Donovan family suffers immense heartache and tragedy, yet the bittersweet ending offers a glimmer of hope for their future. Set against a climate of unrest and struggle for home rule in Ireland, romance and suspense merge in this emotionally charged story. Though the plot unfolds gradually at first, it accelerates in the second half of the book and grips the reader with several shocking turns that have life-and-death consequences. The characters and descriptions of the countryside’s beauty and charm leave a lasting impression. Cynthia Slocum ROOSEVELT’S BOYS John C. Horst, Five Star, 2017, $25.95, hb, 356pp, 9781432834203 Stepbrothers Jonathan Whelihan and Rocky Killebrew are jostling for new identities as they reach manhood on their father’s ranch. Then Theodore Roosevelt comes to Arizona’s high desert, seeking horses for his Rough Riders’ 1898 assault on Cuba, and the troopers to ride them. Young men who can already ride and shoot are perfect recruits. On the opposite side of the country, Sister Mary Bonadventure and Nurse Clara Maas sign up to tend the wounded and ill in an Army hospital. African-American Minerva Trumbull joins them, recruited because she is immune from yellow fever and typhoid which plague Cuba. Real-life American heroes, male and female, mingle with John C. Horst’s characters in Roosevelt’s Boys. Horst follows the careers of these disparate persons back home after the Spanish-American War, which makes for a slightly rambling end. Nevertheless, Roosevelt’s Boys is an entertaining read about a formative period of U.S. history. Jo Ann Butler THE GOOD PEOPLE Hannah Kent, Little, Brown, 2017, $27.00, hb, 400pp, 9780316243964 / Picador, 2017, £14.99, hb, 400pp, 9781447233350 A small village in early 19th-century Ireland is featured in this rustic tale of superstition and folklore. Nóra Leahy’s newly motherless four-yearold grandson has been delivered to her humble home a mere shadow of his former self. Unable to talk and with no use of his limbs, Micheál is believed to be a changeling—a bad omen for the village, which is experiencing a number of problems they believe to be unnaturally wrought. On one side is old Nance Roche, an herbalist who has lived in the area for 20 years, birthed their babies, and cured their ills. Opposite is the new pastor, Father Healy, who disagrees with the people’s mixture of Christianity and paganism, and is adamant that

they forget the old ways with mentions of the Good People (fairies), and fully embrace the beliefs of the church. As Nance and Nóra explore different cures for the “fairy” child, Mary, the maid-servant employed to take care of his needs, becomes increasingly resistant to their torturous remedies. Meanwhile the villagers, riled by the misfortunes heaped upon them, and by Father Healy’s Sunday pulpit speeches, are turning their backs on the two older women who were once respected fixtures of a tightknit community. Strange as this story may seem to readers not familiar with old Irish folktales, it has been thoroughly researched and is indeed based on a true story. The way these people lived seems shockingly medieval within its era, but there is plenty of accompanying information in the author’s note regarding their way of life. The writing is simple but powerful, and the dialect is appropriate to the characters. This, like the author’s debut novel, Burial Rites, is a deeply contemplative story that carries meaning into the modern world. It is recommended for readers of reflective literary fiction. Arleigh Johnson ALL THAT MAKES LIFE BRIGHT: The Life and Love of Harriet Beecher Stowe Josi S. Kilpack, Shadow Mountain, 2017, $15.99, pb, 336pp, 9781629723419 For those familiar with the 1852 anti-slavery novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin, a likely mental image of the author is that of a stodgy middle-aged woman, highly religious and staunchly abolitionist. It takes a leap of imagination to picture her young and in love. In All that Makes Life Bright, Harriet Beecher Stowe is portrayed as a 24-year-old bride, embarking on a domestic life—not what this welleducated, pampered daughter had envisioned for herself. Harriet wants to write. But although she is devoted to literary pursuits, she also loves Calvin Stowe, a widowed theology professor. Despite warnings to the contrary, Harriet believes she will be able to keep house for Calvin while still following her muse. Unfortunately, she soon learns that Calvin’s idea of a good marriage is one that ensures his own creature comforts. Harriet is unable to satisfy the demands of hearth and home, and, too soon, she is utterly overwhelmed by motherhood. Calvin, stressed by financial insecurity, feels Harriet is just not trying hard enough to keep his house clean and his belly full. After all, his first wife did just that. In this “Proper Romance,” part of a series featuring famous authors, the focus is on a young couple finding their path through the difficult first years of marriage, merging their very different expectations to build a solid partnership. Written in a simple and straightforward style, the novel also stresses Harriet’s religious conviction and anti-slavery beliefs. While modern women may find Calvin unbearable and his turnabout toosudden, too-late, this is a realistic portrayal of attitudes and expectations of the times, making it even more remarkable that Harriet Beecher Stowe accomplished all that she did. Sue Asher 19th Century

MANSFIELD PARSONAGE Kyra C. Kramer, MadeGlobal, 2017, $18.97, pb, 492pp, 9788494649820 This novel is essentially a rewrite of Jane Austen’s classic novel Mansfield Park. It opens with the arrival from London of adult siblings Mary and Henry Crawford at their half-sister and brotherin-law’s humble country home of Mansfield Parsonage. Soon they become acquainted with the residents of the neighboring estate, Mansfield Park: Lord and Lady Bertram, their daughters and sons, and niece Fanny Price. The novel’s plotline follows closely that of Mansfield Park, including most of the social activities, plays, and balls, pious Edmund Bertram’s attraction to Mary, as well as the devious Henry’s falling in love with Fanny and asking for her hand. At the behest of Lord Bertram, Fanny is sent home to Portsmouth, and the Crawfords return to London. From here, although the narratives of the two novels diverge, the basic plot remains the same. Ms. Kramer notes that since Mansfield Park is regarded by Janeites and others to be Austen’s least-loved novel, she has retold the story from the viewpoint of a supporting character, the ill-treated Mary Crawford. Ms. Kramer has succeeded somewhat in her attempt to raise Mary to the level of Austen’s other famous heroines. Mary’s kindheartedness, wit, and knowledge of domestic and international affairs are aptly demonstrated. However, because Mary returns to London, the subsequent, important events at Mansfield and Portsmouth are merely told, unsatisfyingly, via letters and narratives by Henry and Edmund, although a scene of intense dialogue between Mary and Edmund is masterfully dramatized. The research and special efforts to emulate Jane Austen’s writing style and humor do show, but it feels overdone in places. Also, the inclusion of far too many extraneous, unrelated events and lengthy discussions are distracting. It appears that a sequel that advances Mary’s story may be forthcoming. Waheed Rabbani A FINE RETRIBUTION Dewey Lambdin, St. Martin’s, 2017, $26.99/ C$37.99, hb, 368pp, 978125010328 This is the 23rd novel in the Alan Lewrie series, set during the Age of Fighting Sail, and after a slow start the pace soon picks up. It is 1809, and despite, or perhaps because of, his abilities and success, the intrepid captain finds himself without a new command. Fortunately, his time ashore is not wasted, for after seven years as a widower he woos and weds Miss Jessica Chenery, whom he commissions to paint his portrait. He is plucked from the joys of a new marriage, however, when he is unexpectedly assigned to organize battalion-size landings to raid the coast of southern Italy. Lewrie faces the usual run of obstacles that he has encountered throughout his career: difficult family members, hide-bound officers, envious rivals, and influential superiors he had offended in the past. His willingness to experiment with unconventional tactics stirs as much resentment as admiration in a patronage-ridden system. Fortunately, with his usual flair, our irreverent hero rises to meet the new set of challenges, and his relationship with his new wife is a welcome sign 19th Century

that he is at last maturing. An involving yarn, highly recommended to followers of the series. Ray Thompson SAWBONES Melissa Lenhardt, RedHook, 2017, $14.99, pb, 432pp, 9780316505390 Defiantly working in an unnatural female profession in 1871 Manhattan, Dr. Catherine Bennett has rich society women as clients and believes she’s found her niche. Then a patient’s husband is killed, and Catherine is falsely accused of adultery and murder. Along with her motherly Irish maid, she flees, hoping to make a new start out West as “Laura Elliston.” However, her past follows her to Galveston, where she joins a wagon train with settlers intending to form a new Colorado town. The government’s “peace policy” towards the Plains Indians is strongly resented, so their journey is fraught with danger. The action is constant, and Laura proves a determined survivor as she recovers from a vicious Indian attack—points to Lenhardt for her depiction of this mental trauma—and takes charge as temporary doctor at Fort Richardson. Historical events like the Salt Creek Massacre and real people, like an arrogant General Sherman on his Texas inspection tour, are deftly worked into the plotline. Laura’s flirtatious romance with a wounded army captain illustrates her vulnerable side and the author’s gift for clever dialogue. Many will praise this book for its brutal realism—there are scalpings, murders, and graphic sexual violence—and for not holding back on the era’s racist attitudes. This is a compelling read, but it’s not meant to be comfortable, and given her experiences, Laura’s terror and hatred of the Indians are understandable. Still, the onedimensional “savages” (an overused word in the book) do little except kill, rape, and grunt, and the heroine, otherwise a compassionate physician, doesn’t seem too conflicted about wanting the Indians wiped out altogether. Keeping company with Catherine/Laura is sometimes difficult. This is the first in a trilogy, so perhaps Blood Oath and Badlands will show a greater character arc for this daringly bold and challenging woman. Sarah Johnson GRACE Paul Lynch, Little, Brown, 2017, $26.00, hb, 368pp, 9780316316309 / Oneworld, 2017, £12.99, hb, 368pp, 9781786073051 This is a heartbreaking novel of strength and survival set during the potato harvest of 1845 and the beginning of the Great Famine. Grace, the novel’s primary character, is thrown alone into the world at the age of fourteen. Her mother cuts her hair and dresses her as a boy to seek work and save her from hunger and a dangerous home life. Her 12-year-old brother, Colley, soon joins her. Serving on a road crew, her sex is discovered to be female, and she is saved from probable rape by a fellow worker. Grace begins a journey of the vast, suffering regions of Ireland. The style is readable, if densely Dickensian in scope, but the story of Grace’s journey is still hard to bear for its sadness. The experience would

be pure desperation for anyone, more so for a young woman left alone to fend for herself just as she is coming of age. Despite this, there is an unquenchable hope and strength in Grace in the way she deals with her demons, both inner and worldly. The reader is kept rooting for her survival as she lives multiple lives as a boy, a petty criminal with unexpected consequences, and finally an expectant mother. Ignore the easy comparisons among Irish authors. Lynch is neither Faulkner nor McCarthy, but a voice of his own, spoken boldly and artfully, and drawn from a unique sensibility of pathos. Be ready to find poetry in tragedy, and this novel will not disappoint. Jackie Drohan THE DAY OF THE DUCHESS: Scandal & Scoundrel, Book III Sarah MacLean, Avon, 2017, $7.99/C$9.99, pb, 400pp, 9780062379436 1836. When Seraphina, Duchess of Haven, bursts into the House of Lords to demand a divorce by Act of Parliament, their lordships are shocked and outraged at the impropriety. The reaction of her husband, Malcolm Bevingstoke, Duke of Haven, is more complicated. He is angry, yes, because of the circumstances that led to this demand, three years after her mysterious disappearance, but he still loves her. As she does him, despite her determination to gain her freedom. What follows is a dance in which they try to suppress their powerful feelings for each other. He tries to win her forgiveness and woo her again, while she seeks her independence. To buy time, he offers a divorce if she will first help him find a replacement wife. Will it work? Can trust be restored? It is an intriguing, if unlikely, situation, and it introduces us to some fascinating minor characters: predictably scheming mamas, surprisingly perceptive prospective brides, and Seraphina’s delightfully unconventional sisters. Unfortunately, the passages devoted to the protagonists’ introspection, as they wrestle with their conflicting feelings, do tend to slow rather than advance the plot. Recommended, nonetheless. Ray Thompson THE ZEALOT’S BONES D. M. Mark, Mulholland, 2017, £17.99, hb, 256pp, 9781444798197 Writing under the pseudonym D. M. Mark, this is David Mark’s first historical crime novel. Set in Hull and its environs in 1849, it is the story of Mesach Stone, an ex-soldier who works as a bodyguard for wealthy travellers in Europe. His current employer is Diligence Matheson, the son of a rich Canadian, who is hunting for Simon the Zealot’s bones. Hull is in the grip of a cholera epidemic, and it is not until roughly halfway through the novel that Stone realises some of the prostitutes who have died have been killed, not by cholera, but by a man who has eviscerated them. While Stone is hunting the killer, Matheson is staying with a friend in the country in a mansion that has many secret passages, used by the friend’s bodyguard, and a rat catcher who has been called in. Throughout the novel the reader is led to suspect two people as the murderer. HNR Issue 81, August 2017 | Reviews | 29

This is well written, with some good characterisation, especially in the descriptions of past events in which he was culpable and which Stone is trying to forget. There are some inconsistencies, but no historical anomalies jumped out at me. However, it is very dark and violent, and may not be to everyone’s taste. jay Dixon DATE WITH THE EXECUTIONER Edward Marston, Allison and Busby, 2017, £19.99/$25, hb, 320pp. 9780749021108 1816. The book opens with a duel at dawn at Chalk Farm in London. At the last moment, the duel is broken up by the Bow Street Runners, and the protagonists are taken into custody. However, later, when the body of one of the potential duellists is found stabbed to death in a stranger’s garden, it plunges thief taker Paul Skillen and his identical twin brother, Peter, into a race against the Runners to see the murderer brought to justice. This is the third in the Bow Street Rivals series, which pits the two brothers in an acrimonious rivalry with the Runners in solving crime. With a taut plot, strong characters, and scheming villains with an ingenious, if deadly, plan to gain a fortune, the story gallops at a furious pace through the streets of Victorian London. There is an interesting sub-plot which provides a strong counterpoint to the main story, while the book comes to a very satisfying conclusion. Although the latest in the series, this can be read as a standalone book. Fans of the genre, will find this an enjoyable romp through Victorian crime. Recommended. Mike Ashworth SKYLARKING Kate Mildenhall, Legend, 2017, £8.99, pb, 288pp, 9781785079238 / Black, 2016, A$24.99, pb, 288pp, 9781863958301 Bookish Kate Gilbert and her slightly older, more worldly, best friend, Harriet Parker, are growing up during the last decades of the 19th century in a small and isolated lighthouse community on the coast of New South Wales, where Kate’s father is Chief Keeper. The author captures the beauty and the harshness of the landscape and the sea through Kate’s eyes. It is a close community whose inhabitants rely by necessity on each other. Kate loves the remote cape, but yearns for the sort of adventure she finds between the pages of her books. Harriet daydreams of suitors in Melbourne. The intense friendship between the girls begins to shift as they both mature, and then, the arrival of a stranger, the fisherman Daniel McPhail, brings, in time-honoured tradition, the spectre of the outside world and unspoken desires. Kate finds herself drawn between jealousy and envy, especially when Harriet playfully kisses her. No good can come of it… In an afterword, the author tells us that the true events on which the novel is based came to a violent climax in 1887, but there is very little in the text to actually ground the narrative to a particular era, until a clue to the time frame is given in the epilogue. I found that this sense of timelessness enhanced both the setting and the emotional trajectory of the characters. I would thoroughly recommend this beautifully 30 | Reviews |

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written, deeply emotional story.

Mary Fisk

CAROLINE: Little House, Revisited Sarah Miller, William Morrow, 2017, $25.99/£16.99, hb, 384pp, 9780062685346 Caroline: Little House, Revisited follows Laura Ingalls Wilder’s classic Little House on the Prairie, the third book in her bestselling series, that sees the Ingalls family set out from the Big Woods of Wisconsin in 1870 to stake a homesteading claim in the uncharted Kansas prairie. I read the former with my dog-eared copy of the latter in hand, feeling both nostalgia for a favorite childhood read and delight in having a different perspective. Indeed, I hadn’t realized until reading Caroline how much of Little House is a child’s halfoverhearing of her parents’ conversations. Through assured prose, Miller puts us in those conversations, showing us the fear and uncertainty behind Wilder’s implacable, unflappable “Ma,” but also her strength and devotion to her husband and children. Miller takes us through events familiar to any devotee of Wilder’s book—crossing the frozen Mississippi, building the log cabin, battling the prairie fire, waiting for Mr. Edwards to bring Christmas gifts across the winter-swollen creek— but she also reclaims the history altered or left out by Wilder’s editing, most notably placing Carrie’s birth in Kansas rather than in Wisconsin, giving us a pregnant Caroline to battle the hardships of travel and of establishing a claim. Another significant change, for a modern audience uneasy with the treatment of Native Americans in Wilder’s original stories, is a sensitive handling of the Osage. Nostalgia aside, this is a stunning novel. Miller’s research is impeccable and her writing exquisite. I frequently paused to savor phrases and descriptions. Though Little House, Revisited is Miller’s subtitle, this is a novel that can be enjoyed even by someone not familiar with Wilder’s book, as a beautifully written and authentic account of a pioneer woman trying to make a home out of a little house on the prairie. Jessica Brockmole GOLDEN SPIKE Robert Lee Murphy, Five Star, 2017, $25.95, hb, 292pp, 9781432834395 In May 1869, the driving of the golden spike is the commemorative event that finalizes the joining of the Union Pacific Railroad with the Central Pacific Railroad. Young Will Braddock unwittingly becomes involved in defending this memorable occasion by rescuing the golden spike from his sworn enemy, Paddy O’Hannigan. Meanwhile, Will’s girlfriend, Jenny, is kidnapped by Paddy. She endures extreme hardships as she attempts to escape from the clutches of the Irish thug. This is the third and final novel in The Iron Horse Chronicles, a fictionalized account of the memorable event combining the two

railroad tracks in 1869, thereby completing the transcontinental railroad. The author combines real characters, such as Leland Stanford, Central Pacific’s President, with fictional characters. It’s well-researched and has an exciting conclusion. I’ve read all three books in the series and recommend it primarily to young adult readers. Jeff Westerhoff ON COPPER STREET Chris Nickson, Severn House, 2017, $28.99/£20.99, hb, 224pp, 9780727886965 This fifth Tom Harper mystery sees significant changes in the life of the detective inspector. Smalltime crook Henry White is released from prison without naming his partner in crime; he’s later stabbed to death. As Harper struggles to find the murderer as well as solve a secondary mystery involving the disfigurement of two children, the deaths pile up, including some who are dear to Harper. Nickson has a penchant for killing off recurring (occasionally beloved) characters; so far readers in this series have been spared. But as Harper thinks to himself: “death wouldn’t leave him alone.” Like every Harper novel (and, incidentally, every book Nickson has penned), this is an engaging read. What’s on offer is a solid Victorian police procedural with a likeable protagonist, a strong storyline, and a vibrant cast of secondary characters who illustrate different aspects of the Leeds setting (e.g., grime and crime of the lower classes; the middle-class moving up) and the social issues it engenders (suffragism, workers’ rights). All are woven naturally into the mystery storyline. In the craft of the historical police procedural, Nickson remains one of the most adept practitioners. Read him. Bethany Latham DR. JEKYLL & MR. SEEK Anthony O’Neill, Xoum, 2017, A$29.99, pb, 220pp, 9781925143898 In order to truly appreciate this clever sequel, it would help to be familiar with the plot of the original novella, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson, as most of the characters are the same, as are references to the manner in which Dr Jekyll changed himself into the monstrous Mr Hyde. It is now seven years since Henry Jekyll went missing, and Gabriel Utterson, his closest confidant, solicitor and beneficiary, is about to claim his right to Jekyll’s estate but is shocked to discover that the doctor has resurfaced in London. Utterson knows this is impossible and sets out to prove that the man must be an imposter. But he does not expect to be thwarted at nearly every turn, with many other friends or associates convinced that it really is Jekyll returned after having suffered long-term memory loss. When several others who had known Jekyll begin to suffer mysterious deaths or disappearances, Utterson comes to the horrific realisation he may be the only one left who knows the truth. He thinks he’s going mad himself and turns to Jekyll’s deadly recipe in an effort to prove his case. Soon there’s a race against time under “squealing” gas light through the “curling streets and twisting lanes” of 19th Century

foggy London. The tension builds in a magnificent fashion, culminating in one final genius stroke by the author. Is the mystery solved? Read it for yourself and find out why this brilliant and entertaining sequel by Anthony O’Neill is a most worthy companion to sit alongside the original by Stevenson. Marina Maxwell FOOL’S GOLD Caro Peacock, Severn House, 2017, $28.99/£20.99, hb, 224pp, 9780727886910 1841. Liberty Lane, now Mrs Robert Carmichael, is honeymooning on Cephalonia, when she and her husband meet an Englishman, Mr Vickery, who invites them to dinner. Through Vickery, they meet a handful of people, including a handsome, blind, teenaged Greek boy (Georgios) who may be a son of Lord Byron. His mother is dead, and the boy had been living with his greatgrandparents, who are recently deceased. Vickery plans to take Georgios back to London and adopt him. In an early morning accident, one of Vickery’s English friends drowns, and Georgios, who was also swimming, feels responsible. The Carmichaels leave, shaken, but with no expectation of seeing any of these people again. Back in London, Robert is called away to Italy for something unrelated to the story. Liberty learns from a society friend that Mr Vickery has returned to London with Georgios (now George), and all of London is talking about this “son of Lord Byron.” Eventually, Vickery calls on Liberty, asking her to investigate a possible kidnapping attempt on George. Liberty finds a woman who claims, unconvincingly, to be George’s mother. Then a murder occurs and the boy disappears. I’ve read and enjoyed other Liberty Lane mysteries. As usual, Peacock brings the world of Victorian England to life. Liberty’s friends Amos Legge and Tabby add good color and helpful detection skills. Fool’s Gold lacks a romantic element, which I missed. The mystery is layered and engaging, although I was disappointed in places when Liberty did not see obvious clues. The ending was not exactly what I expected, but I’d figured out much of it. Still, the writing is good, and I love these characters. I’ll be reading more of this series. Elizabeth Caulfield Felt MURDER ON BLACK SWAN LANE Andrea Penrose, Kensington, 2017, $25.00/ C$27.95, hb, 340pp, 9781496710772 In Regency London, the bored Earl of Wrexford conducts scientific experiments and behaves as a debauched rake with beautiful women. The arrogant Reverend Holworthy condemns him from the pulpit, and a war of words begins. When Holworthy is found gruesomely murdered, Wrexford is the number one suspect. Meanwhile, someone named A. J. Quill draws satirical cartoons for a local newspaper. A sketch that depicts Wrexford standing over the reverend’s body sends the earl into a fury. He’s determined to clear his name and find out who the enigmatic Quill is. Charlotte Sloane is a young widow struggling to survive. Her artist husband died leaving her nothing but his persona as A. J. Quill. Also a 19th Century

talented artist, she has secretly taken over the cartoons to make ends meet. Wrexford tracks her down and is astonished a woman is the culprit who pokes lurid fun at London society. Now he insists (and he pays her) that she help him discover the true murderer. The two of them are soon mired in science, alchemy, and an evil plot that will destroy many more lives, including their own. Penrose weaves a complex story around scientific experiments, especially the ancient art of alchemy, in which men once tried to change lead into gold. People in high places at the Royal Institution are involved, with everyone a suspect. Why Wrexford’s valet has a university education is never explained, but he’s an amusing character. The novel moves at a quick pace, the science is fascinating, and Charlotte and Wrexford are well-fleshed out. The author only hints at an attraction between them as they grow to respect one another. Murder on Black Swan Lane is sure to please mystery fans. Diane Scott Lewis JUDGMENT AT APPOMATTOX Ralph Peters, Forge, 2017, $27.99/C$38.99, hb, 448pp, 9780765381705 The fifth installment of Peters’ Battle Hymn Cycle series focuses on the last combat between regular forces of the United States and the Confederate States in March and April 1865. Lee had turned out his weary veterans at Petersburg, and escaped Grant’s attempt to surround him, only to see the fall of Richmond. Grant and Lee were in communication by then, and although each knew what was coming, as late as April 9, there were still matters to settle. Peters imagines Grant’s ruminations aloud: “I wouldn’t be surprised if he comes at us one more time…if [he] does attack again, we’ll be ready…” But Lee was finished. Later the same day, he met Grant at Appomattox. Peters creates dialogue to give the characters personality and bring set pieces to life but, as his fans know, his historical framework is reliable. He follows the action from battlefield to battlefield, from one day to the next, and provides a meticulous account of the hours in between, with a command of details—the officers, weaponry, order of battle— based on years of study. Readers will not find Judgment at Appomattox a quick read. Peters’ books are known for their length, comprehensiveness, and complexity. Recommended for anyone who enjoys novels based on Civil War history. Jeanne Greene THE BEDLAM STACKS Natasha Pulley, Bloomsbury, 2017, $26.00, hb, 336pp, 978162040671 / Bloomsbury Circus, 2017, £12.99, hb, 352pp, 9781408878446 This immensely readable novel set in Victorian England provides a frolicsome yet compelling examination of history, determinism, and the borders of reality. The story centers on the East India company sponsorship of an expedition to Peru during the 1850s led by Sir Clements Markham. Clem recruits the primary character, Merrick, whose expertise with botany and knowledge of the region makes him indispensable to the venture. The goal is to bring back cuttings from the elusive chinchona woods. Merrick’s father had passed on much of his

local experience gleaned from years in an Indian mission village, mapping some but not all of the area, stating “there are things that shouldn’t go on maps.” Merrick is hesitant. The expedition leads to areas he may not be able travel through, having been partially incapacitated with an injured leg. Faced with losing his father’s estate and becoming a parson at a local village, however, he decides to risk the opportunity to preserve both his own prospects and his father’s legacy. The journey leads them to uncharted areas where magic, tradition and spirituality exist in a mysterious secret society. The jungle is a character unto itself and serves as a vivid metaphor of the boundaries between life and death, magic and reality. A new friendship is forged with the young priest Raphael, through whom Merrick is able to grasp the intensity of what he experiences and understand the need for secrecy first inspired by his father. The story’s rich detail provides the reader a clear experience of 1850s Peru while imparting believability to its magic and imaginative elements. Its exciting style, humor and uniqueness are nothing short of charming. Enthusiastically recommended. Jackie Drohan PERISH FROM THE EARTH Jonathan F. Putnam, Crooked Lane, 2017, $25.99/ C$37.50, hb, 336pp, 9781683311393 In 1837, a young Abraham Lincoln rides the circuit to dispense justice to remote areas of Illinois while his friend and roommate, Joshua Speed, rides his father’s steamboat along the Mississippi inspecting his father’s business interests. Speed is interrupted when a rigged card game turns into murder, and he enlists Lincoln to defend the artist accused of the crime. Speed and Lincoln discover a rigged card game is the least of the Speed family’s troubles. Speed fights to save his family’s name while he and Lincoln fight to save the life of an innocent man. This is the second in Jonathan Putnam’s Lincoln & Speed Mystery series. The murder at the heart of this mystery is well-plotted and compelling. But this is not a murder mystery simply plopped down in an historical period. Putnam’s research is exceptional, giving attention to historical detail and dialogue. His ability to tie a completely fictional murder together with the historical murder of abolitionist Elijah Lovejoy and the tensions existing between Free States and Slave States after the Missouri Compromise gives substantial meat to a “simple” murder mystery. Putnam’s young Lincoln gives readers a glimpse into how the young man may have developed into one of the finest presidents in U.S. history. Attention to historical detail grounds the reader firmly in 19th-century western culture, which is as raw as the wounds caused by the institution of slavery. An excellent choice for both fans of historical murder mysteries and of accurate historical fiction. Meg Wiviott MURDER IN MAYFAIR D. M. Quincy, Crooked Lane, 2017, $26.99/ C$38.95, hb, 320pp, 9781683312253 In 1814, adventurer Atlas Catesby sups at HNR Issue 81, August 2017 | Reviews | 31

a country inn when he overhears a man who is selling his wife in the inn-yard. Catesby—the younger son of a baron and a man of honor—is astounded. To save the poor woman, he purchases her; his intention is to return her to her family. After discovering Lilliana has no family, he takes her to his sister’s in London. Lilliana is devastated to be separated from her children. Her husband is a scoundrel who refuses her access. Catesby grows anxious to return to his travels, yet he’s drawn to Lilliana and ponders her mysterious past. She’d married a tradesman, though she has the bearing of an aristocrat. When her husband is found murdered, a Bow Street Runner suspects Catesby of killing him. Catesby dives into the investigation to clear himself and the woman who had the most motive, and also tugs at his heart—Lilliana. The story isn’t complex, but the characters are vivid, each one with a unique personality. Why Atlas never asks Lilliana about her background— she could have refused to answer—was another mystery. Formal address of high-born persons in this era is mostly overlooked. With wry humor and surprising twists at the end, Murder in Mayfair will please mystery fans. This book is the first in a series involving the worthy Atlas Catesby. Diane Scott Lewis THE LOST DIARIES OF SUSANNA MOODIE Cecily Ross, HarperAvenue, 2017, C$22.99/$15.99, pb, 381pp, 9781443450195 One might say Susanna Moodie is to Canada what Laura Ingalls Wilder is to the United States: both were early pioneers who gained renown for books about their experiences. Moodie’s Roughing It in the Bush (1852), recounting the first seven years she spent in Upper Canada as a young wife and mother in the 1830s, is considered a classic. With her debut, Cecily Ross imagines Susanna’s personal journal. It’s convincing as a period diary while fulfilling expectations for a satisfying, wellresearched historical novel. Notably, it goes where an account published for public consumption simply couldn’t: into the intimate reaches of a woman’s heart. The tone is warm, honest, and spiced with wit. Ross gives eloquent voice to Susanna’s frustrations with the husband she loves, John Dunbar Moodie, an Orcadian dreamer whose “unquenchable thirst for adventure” leads them into a life full of hardships. She also provides details on the help Susanna receives from indigenous women, and her close relationship with sister Kate (fellow settler Catharine Parr Traill), whose sunny optimism contrasts with Susanna’s somber disposition. We feel Susanna’s confusion and heartbreak as they grow apart. Susanna begins her diary at age twelve, growing up in Regency-era Suffolk as the non-conformist youngest daughter in the poverty-stricken Strickland family, many of whom have literary aspirations. The considerable time devoted to her English years lets us see firsthand why Susanna, raising a large family amid terrible poverty on their wilderness farm—often without John’s 32 | Reviews |

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presence—yearned so much for home. Her story also movingly speaks to the ways women reacted to gender limitations. As Ross illustrates, Canada offers scenes of breathtaking beauty, and there are moments of joy and humor, but pioneer life is consistently hard. “This land is erasing me and beginning to remake me in ways I never anticipated,” Susanna writes, and we’re with her every moment on this transformative and ultimately triumphant journey. Sarah Johnson

action sequences, Stockwin’s army of fans will devour this with relish. If, like me, your sailing experience is limited to the ferry between the UK and France, there is still a lot to enjoy in this novel. The author’s naval knowledge is extensive, and adds to the overall enjoyment, while the descriptions of life at the highest level add another dimension. Although one of a series, it can be read as a standalone. Load the cannon, splice the mainbrace—and enjoy! Recommended. Mike Ashworth

FALLING CREATURES Katherine Stansfield, Allison & Busby, 2017, £14.99, hb, 316pp, 9780749021412 When Shilly is taken to the hiring fair at All Drunkard and signed away by her father, she never expects to find love, but once she meets Charlotte Dymond she knows they have a special bond. Hired together by the gruff Mrs. Peter, they travel to Penhale Farm, where Shilly follows besotted in Charlotte’s footsteps as Charlotte teaches her about magic and superstition. Charlotte seems to attract attention wherever she goes and has a number of admirers in the locality, so Shilly can’t be sure who is the lucky recipient of Charlotte’s affection, but when Charlotte is found dead in suspicious circumstances, the locals have only one suspect in mind: Matthew Weeks, another hired hand on the farm. Shilly, however is not convinced and along with a newspaperman from London, a Mr. Williams, she is determined to find answers. It seems that at every turn they are met by lies and deception in this windswept lonely corner of Cornwall, and everyone has secrets including Mr. Williams and Shilly herself. This is a masterful, mesmerising and haunting mystery full of gothic atmosphere and hints of the strange and supernatural. Based on a real murder mystery from the mid-19th century, Falling Creatures is a clever, heartfelt and very well-written story with a powerful narrative voice ideal for anyone who enjoyed Sophia Tobin’s The Vanishing, Andrew Hughes The Coroner’s Daughter and Anna Mazzola’s The Unseeing. Lisa Redmond

A TRUE AND FAITHFUL BROTHER Linda Stratmann, The Mystery Press, 2017, £9.99/$17, pb, 314pp, 9780750969949 The Frances Doughty Mysteries are now well established, and although this is volume seven in the series, it is easily accessible as a standalone novel. The young lady detective Frances Doughty has decided not to investigate any more criminal mysteries because of the violent events recounted in an earlier novel; instead, she is mostly limiting herself to enquiries into long-lost family members and family trees. However, she takes on an intriguing case at the request of her old acquaintance Mr. Fiske, who is baffled by the disappearance of his friend Lancelot Dobree from a locked room during a meeting of the Bayswater Literati Freemasons’ Lodge. Unknown to Mr. Fiske, Frances has a family connection to Mr. Dobree, and so she begins her investigation and soon makes a grisly discovery. As it becomes clear that Mr. Dobree has been making some enquiries of his own and that he had been viciously attacked, Frances is at first reluctant to involve herself in another criminal case, but her curiosity gets the better of her and, reunited with family members she believed were lost to her forever, she becomes increasingly entangled in a web of jewel thievery, murder and intrigue and in increasing danger herself. This is a page-turning tale full of glorious detail of Victorian life at all levels of society. The plot is complex and intelligent and will leave even the aficionado of murder mysteries guessing. A perfect choice for fans of Alex Grecian, Kate Griffin and Oscar de Muriel. Lisa Redmond

PERSEPHONE Julian Stockwin, Hodder & Stoughton, 2018, £18.99, hb, 395pp, 9781473640900 / McBooks, 2017, $26.99, hb, 416pp, 9781473640900 1807: Napoleon has turned his attention to Portugal. Sir Thomas Kydd is ordered to Lisbon to assist in the evacuation of the Portuguese royal family. There, in the chaos of the evacuation, he meets Persephone Lockwood, daughter of an Admiral and a ghost from his past. On his return to England, he takes advantage of his reputation and uses the opportunity to move into the highest echelons of society. The Prince of Wales asks him to take temporary command of the royal yacht. While sailing to Yarmouth Kydd realises they are being stalked by French privateers. Can he avoid the disgrace that capture of the Prince would bring? With a tight plot, strong characters, and exciting

A CONSPIRACY IN BELGRAVIA Sherry Thomas, Berkley, 2017, $15.00, pb, 336pp, 9780425281413 This second installment in the enjoyable Lady Sherlock Series has the intrepid Charlotte Holmes meeting new cases with a fresh confidence after her successes in the Sackville case. After a newspaper article invites even the most domestic of concerns to Baker Street, Holmes is awash in petty little cases. To keep boredom at bay, she plays with ciphers, maintains her Maximum Tolerable Chins, and contemplates an unexpected marriage proposal. Her interest is piqued by a missing persons case, one unexpectedly connected to other minor cases, which brings to light family and friends’ secrets and revelations. Although the central mysteries allow this 19th Century

second book to stand on its own, there are a few continuing storylines from the first. Still Thomas does a good job of orienting the new reader in her already-established world. The mystery is smart, the plot is the right amount of complex, and the characters are fascinating. There are, indeed, a great many of the aforementioned fascinating characters, at times feeling like too many for the reader to follow, but they are well-drawn, and Thomas keeps a hold of her story. Despite the series title, these are not strictly gender-flipped versions of Conan Doyle’s stories, but reimaginings. Thomas’ “Sherlock Holmes” is not a character stalking the pages, as he is in either the original stories or modern pastiche, but a literary creation inspired by Thomas’ clever and self-assured Charlotte Holmes. Though we don’t yet know how it will ultimately play out, Charlotte’s older sister Livia has begun writing dramatically fictionalized stories of her sister’s detective work. The conceit is that it is she, not Thomas, who flips the genders in her fiction. I look forward to Charlotte Holmes and her next adventure. Jessica Brockmole THE WAGES OF SIN Kaite Welsh, Tinder, 2017, £16.99, hb, 308pp, 9781472239815 / Pegasus, 2017, $25.95, hb, 400pp, 9781681773322 1892. Sarah Gilchrist is forced by her family to move from London to live with relatives in Edinburgh to avoid a scandal. Determined to become a doctor, she enrols in the first intake of female medical students at Edinburgh University, despite the misgivings of her family who are determined to see her married, and respectable. When Sarah discovers the battered corpse of one of her own patients—a prostitute—in the university dissecting room, she suspects murder. When no one will listen, she finds herself drawn into the murky Edinburgh underworld. With a strong plot and sharply drawn characters, the author effectively portrays the attitudes and prejudices of Victorians towards women and their role in society along with a dark tale of murder. Sarah Gilchrist is a strong, determined and yet vulnerable woman, with a weakness for laudanum. With a nod to Conan Doyle, and a satisfying and surprising conclusion, this is a readable and welcome addition to the genre. Mike Ashworth RIVER WITH NO BRIDGE Karen Wills, Five Star, 2017, $25.95, hb, 304pp, 9781432834012 Ireland’s Great Famine still reverberates in Boston in 1882 as teenaged Nora Flanagan struggles to survive. Anti-Irish prejudice bars her from all but the most menial work. Then she literally bumps into her future. Tade Larkin’s accent makes Nora homesick, but his blue eyes beckon her forward as he assures her that Butte, Montana has jobs for all, no matter where they hail from. She follows him westward, and they marry. Though she 19th Century — 20th Century

finds that Irish, Chinese, and other “foreigners” aren’t welcome everywhere in the West, the Larkins’ future seems assured. Not so, for coal mining is dangerous work. A brief dalliance with a charming gambler leaves her in even more desperate straits, but as Tade’s widow, Nora finds strength to carry on, assisted by Jim Li, a half-Chinese man whose life is increasingly entwined with Nora’s. Karen Wills’ historical novel, River with No Bridge, reminds readers that prejudice takes many forms, but it can be overcome by persistence and kindness. Nora learns to trust Jim, and they turn to the mountains to create a future together. I love pioneering stories and gritty women, and Ms. Wills’ engrossing tale provides both. Jo Ann Butler

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SISTERS AT WAR Milly Adams, Arrow, 2016, £5.99, pb, 436pp, 9781784751050 Bryony ‘Bee’ Miller runs her deceased father’s light aircraft business jointly with Eddie, who was her father’s best friend. She shares her home at Combe Lodge in England with Olive, the housekeeper, and her son Adam. Bryony worries constantly about her mother and headstrong younger sister Hannah, both living in Jersey with family, as their Mum struggles to overcome tuberculosis. Hannah exhibits behaviour associated with a spoilt rotten child and expects to be waited on, despite being almost an adult. With the outbreak of WWII, anticipating that her mother and sister will want to return home to England, Bryony and Adam make the flight to Jersey to bring them home, but the climate on Jersey appears to favour her mother’s recovery, and Hannah has no intention of leaving her latest “beau”. As the war progresses there are further opportunities for the family to be reunited, but once the Germans take occupation of the Channel Islands, these avenues are removed. During the process of evacuation of allied troops from France, Adam and Bee work tirelessly together, saving many lives as they endanger their own. Bryony, subsequently accepted into the ATA alongside Eddie, deliver aircraft around the UK, while Adam has joined the Royal Navy to assist in protecting the merchant ships from U-boat attack. In the occupied territories, there is much hardship and some resort to fraternising with the German troops, including Hannah. She becomes ostracised from her family in Jersey and communications are no longer possible with the mainland. When her German lover is posted elsewhere, Hannah finally has to grow up and take responsibility. Millie Adams writes an engaging story, offering insight into Jersey’s occupation by the Germans, the workings of the Black Market and those who associated with the enemy earning the ignominious title of “Jerry bags”, and the plight of evacuees. Cathy Kemp

FORTUNE’S DAUGHTERS Consuelo Saah Baehr, Lake Union, 2017, $14.95, pb, 319pp, 9781477848364 Turn-of-the-century New York: Faith Simpson is born on Seawatch Estate to one of New York’s wealthiest families, while Hope Lee is born in lower Manhattan to a Chinese street vendor and his Irish wife. Their lives merge when Hope’s father flees the country and her mother dies in a sweatshop fire. Hope is taken in at Seawatch, and Hope and Faith come to complement each other: Hope’s grief subsides in Faith’s newfound compassion, and Faith’s self-doubt transforms into confidence through exposure to Hope’s outspokenness and spunk. But their alliance is tested when the handsome Robert Trent summers at Seawatch and both young women become smitten. This rags-to-riches meets poor-little-rich-girl story comprises familiar characters, settings, and plot lines. Eschewing active scenes, the omniscient narrator delivers the story primarily in summary narrative peppered with un-nuanced dialogue, and then further dilutes the narrative by using “would” to indicate habitual behavior. Finally, the narrator spells out the emotional response. A typical exchange opens with: “‘I hate her,’ she would say to Tommy. ‘I hate, hate, hate her’” and concludes with “Although he would never say it aloud, Tommy had a little crush on Hope. It was a complicated crush because sometimes, like Emily, he hated her, too.” Complex emotional reactions can be difficult to deliver through action alone. But had readers witnessed Tommy’s warring emotions as they arose, in active scenes rather than in voiceover, they might have known what he was feeling before he did and then shared his angst. The narrative style of Fortune’s Daughters—simply relating what happened, where, to whom, and how everyone felt about it—demands nothing of the reader. Though it imparts a story, it robs us of one of the great pleasures of reading: to have gleaned that which has not been said. Rebecca Kightlinger THE ROAD TO PARADISE: A Vintage National Parks Novel Karen Barnett, WaterBrook, 2017, $9.99, pb, 352pp, 9780735289543 Margaret Lane might be a senator’s daughter, but she’s always dreamed of working at Mount Rainier National Park, a park her father had campaigned to create. A keen scholar of botany, she’s thrilled when an opportunity presents itself to teach and research in the park’s naturalist program for the summer of 1927. Not even the taciturn chief ranger, Ford Braydon, can dampen her enthusiasm, despite not sharing her reverence for God’s hand in the nature around them. Add a ruthless developer, resolved to ruin the unspoiled wilderness that they both love, to the mix, and you have a novel rich with conflict, both personal and public. Margie and Ford’s relationship develops easily, allowing them to spend the book working together and supporting one another’s own goals. Barnett worked as a ranger and naturalist at Mount HNR Issue 81, August 2017 | Reviews | 33

Rainier National Park, experience that heightens her storytelling. Her love of both Mount Rainier and of the nature within comes through beautifully in this novel. The scenic descriptions bring the reader right into the wilderness that awes Margie and Ford. I look forward to the next in this new National Parks series. Jessica Brockmole

THE STRAYS Emily Bitto, Twelve, 2017, $26.00, hb, 240pp, 9781455537723 / Legend, 2016, £8.99, pb, 256pp, 9781785079511 Lily is eight in 1930s Australia when she is befriended by Eva Trentham. The Trenthams (avant-garde artist and father Evan, mother Helena, older sister Bea, younger sister Heloise, and best friend Eva) own a large rambling house where modernist artists gather, work, pose nude, debate, drink and live. Helena affectionately calls them her strays. Lily is awestruck by the Bohemian lifestyle of the adults, and excited/unsettled by the way the children are allowed to run free. As teenagers, the girls imitate the adults: smoking, drinking and thinking themselves more mature than they are. Evan believes he and Helena have created an artists’ paradise, but their world is imperfect. Artists disagree, sisters fight, friends hide secrets, and then… Reminiscent of the The Great Gatsby’s Nick Carraway, Lily is the outsider-narrator, yearning to belong to this family she is always a part of and yet always apart from. The prologue and other bits of narration are told from the present day, when a middle-aged Lily has not spoken to Eva in decades because of some unnamed catastrophe. Lily shares the memories of her childhood, “like showing the slides from a life-changing journey.” The artists in The Strays are fictional. At one point, Lily explains that the people near famous artists are not treated with full respect by history, used only “as an interpretive lens through which to analyze [their] work.” Here, Bitto reverses the lens, showing the effect of the artist on others’ lives. Bitto’s prose is poetry, and she paints her characters in bold, colorful strokes. You want to meet and be included in their lives, and yet at the same time, you are grateful it is only a story and you are allowed your distance. The Strays is sweet-nostalgia and bitter-tragedy. Highly recommended. Elizabeth Caulfield Felt WOMAN ENTERS LEFT Jessica Brockmole, Ballantine, 2017, $16.00/ C$22.00, pb, 323pp, 9780399178511 / Allison & Busby, 2017, £12.99, hb, 350pp, 9780749021580 Fans of “on the road” stories will love this dualperiod novel, which follows two friends, aspiring 34 | Reviews |

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writer Florrie Daniels and abandoned housewife Ethel Wild, on a cross-country odyssey in a Model T to reunite Ethel with her husband and child. That action takes place in 1926 and is told in notes, letters, journals, and fragments of Florrie’s screenplay; the other plot takes place in 1952 as Ethel’s daughter Louise, a discontented film star, traces her mother’s path from California back to New Jersey and discovers the truth behind her early death and her parents’ estrangement. Brockmole brilliantly captures the romance of early 20th-century car travel; this novel is a love letter to the American system of highways and national parks (the Grand Canyon plays a starring role). The characters are also fully realized, complex and loving. The novel’s structure is less successful in the narrative sections that deal with Louise’s own marital woes, relying too heavily on flashbacks. As the secrets and revelations pile up, the novel’s framework and short length begin to creak under the complex historical and cultural contexts, from same-sex love to the threat of the HUAC to the sad fate of the Radium Girls. But Brockmole’s voice is clear, confident, and compulsively readable. This is a summer read as tasty as the endless slices of pie the characters enjoy on their travels. Kristen McDermott DEATH AT THE SEASIDE Frances Brody, Minotaur, 2017, $25.99/C$36.99, hb, 400pp, 9781250098856 / Piatkus, 2016, £6.99, pb, 400pp, 9780349406589 Private investigator Kate Shackleton is in dire need of a holiday, and heads from London to the seaside town of Whitby to rest and visit her old school friend Alma Turner. Any thoughts of relaxation are put aside, however, when Kate wanders into the town jewelry store to find the proprietor, Jack Phillips, dead from a blow to the head. At the same time, Alma’s daughter, Felicity, goes missing, after pawning her mother’s one valuable item at Phillips’ store. Suspects abound— from the fortune-telling Alma to Felicity to Kate herself—in this fast-moving tale. Readers familiar with Shackleton will enjoy seeing Kate’s sidekicks, Mrs. Sugden and Jim Sykes, in vacation-turned-work mode; those new to the series will be immediately immersed in its post-Great War flavor. Whitby itself is a colorful character with its beachfront hotels, charming shops, and hillside abbey ruins. Subplots about Felicity’s estranged father, and the artistic and secretive Percival Cricklethorpe, add depth and drama to the already-busy scene. Add in a few Scotland Yard investigators and you’ve got the makings of an intricate, deftly-woven story with terrific period details and memorable characters. After solving this case, Kate Shackleton has certainly earned a holiday! Helene Williams THE GOOD EARTH Pearl S. Buck and Nick Bertozzi (adaptor and illus.), Simon & Schuster, 2017, $26.99/C$35.99, hb, 144pp, 9781501132766

The life of Wang Lung, as told by Pearl S. Buck in her Pulitzer Prize-winning historical novel of 1931, continues to stir up controversy, dividing opinion as to whether the author achieved an honest portrayal of early 20th-century Chinese agrarian society, or promoted Asian cultural stereotypes. It takes courage and talent to tackle such a complex work of fiction, but as this graphic adaptation of The Good Earth attests, Nick Bertozzi has both in spades. In four to six panels to a page, he traces the progress of poor tenant farmer Wang Lung and his spouse, former slave O-Lan. After joining the landowning elite, Wang Lung breaks his wife’s heart when he brings a mistress into the house, and the family the couple worked for years to sustain begins to fall apart. After Wang Lung’s death, will his sons care for their father’s land, or will they go the way of the degenerate aristocracy and destroy his legacy? Bertozzi’s art beautifully conveys the ambiguity of the ending, and his style, a mixture of ancient Chinese woodblock and modern expressionism, reminiscent of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, serves the story well. As Wang Lung moves from youthful blindness to mature insight, the backdrop changes from dark to light, and the brushstroke expresses a tenderness missing in the initial narrative. This is a fine addition to the growing canon of graphic novels paying tribute to classical fiction. Elisabeth Lenckos TO THE FARTHEST SHORES Elizabeth Camden, Bethany House, 2017, $15.99, pb, 326pp, 9780764218804 During the Spanish-American War, nurse Jenny Bennett had her heart broken by Lieutenant Ryan Gallagher, who had promised her marriage only to leave on a mission and, later, break up with her via an airmail letter. Now, six years later in 1904, still with no answers about why Ryan left her, Jenny continues to work at the Presidio Army Base in San Francisco. When, amidst rumors that he was a deserter, Ryan returns, Jenny is determined to find out what happened. Her investigation leads her to discover that Ryan has a daughter, dangerous secrets, and plans to make it all right. But, he needs Jenny’s help. A reluctant Jenny agrees, if only to keep an eye on her benefactor, Simon, who shares a passion for pearls with Ryan, and decides to go into business with him. Like Camden’s previous novels, this is lovely romantic suspense with a fine historical backdrop and characters that are well-drawn, realistic, and engaging. Jenny is not without secrets of her own, making both main characters intriguing. The reader learns quite a lot about the pearl growing industry, as Ryan and Simon spend considerable time discussing the business. The romance is subtle, and I would have appreciated more about their initial romance. Camden spends most of the story detailing Ryan’s current mission and the unraveling of both his and Jenny’s past. Overall, though, this is a fine story with much to commend it. Rebecca Cochran 20th Century

THE LOST LETTER Jillian Cantor, Riverhead, 2017, $26.00, hb, 322pp, 9780399185670 Kristoff, an orphan, finds apprentice engraver work in the home of a Jewish master stamp engraver (Frederick) outside a village deep in the woods of preWWII Austria. Frederick disappears after the 1938 Nazi Kristallnacht horror, leaving behind his wife, Kristoff, and two young daughters. Katie Nelson, a journalist in Los Angeles, juggles a failed marriage and taking care of her father (Ted), who’s suffering from slow-burning dementia. Throughout his life, Ted collected stamps, talked of finding gems, and hunted them at estate sales and stamp shows. Katie takes his many boxes of stamps and old letters to a stamp dealer. She wants to sell any of value to help pay for Ted’s care and get rid of the rest. The stamp dealer finds one unusual Austrian stamp on an unopened, notyet-sent envelope with what feels like a letter inside. Both the stamp dealer and Katie try to learn more about the stamp, its history, its value, its engraver, its addressee. The more they each learn, the more questions arise, driving them to uncover even more. Cantor deftly intertwines the two story lines. She takes readers deep into the Austrian resistance movement and Nazi brutality, into the little-known work of stamp engraving, and into a powerful love story that crosses ages and oceans. Cantor’s prose, often poetic and always easy to read, fits the story. Her interesting historical details and turns of phrase never get in the way of the characters, their fears and yearnings. The true-to-life ending is enthralling. For WWII history buffs, sometime stamp collectors, and any readers looking for a wonderful story superbly told, The Lost Letter is a must. G. J. Berger THE GOLD David Carpenter, Coteau, 2017, C$21.95, pb, 356pp, 9781550509090 / $10.95, ebook, 412pp, B01N3T2TG7 The life story of Joseph Burbidge, later known as Joseph Eggers, starts in a grimy Yorkshire coal town early in the 20th century. It takes the reader prospecting for gold in the far north of Canada and ends in Alberta some years after World War II. The novel is part fictional biography, part adventure tale, part morality story. And the book falls into three parts also—Joe’s childhood, his prospecting for gold in the far north, his life as a rich man (and his death). The writer addresses the theme of man’s lust for gold but its essential lack of value within a human life. Joe’s adventures in northern Canada make the most interesting chapters. The writer’s eye for detail, his swift and accurate characterization, his 20th Century

understanding of crucial survival moments—life stripped to its barest essentials—make compelling reading. This part of the book takes on an almost mythic quality, where realism and the grand sweep of myth intersect. The description of Joe’s childhood and his life after returning from the north and his death lacks the acute observation and drama of his life in the north. While the need to bring the story full circle and incorporate a theme with meaning and even morality may be understandable, it can also slow the pace. This book is worth reading, if only for the accurate and definitive description of the largerthan-life characters, critters, and critical immediacy of daily survival in the north. Valerie Adolph

WE WERE STRANGERS ONCE Betsy Carter, Grand Central, 2017, $26.00/ C$34.00, hb, 324pp, 9781455571437 This is a gorgeous, heartbreaking book. In the current political climate, I’ve had a difficult time reading WWII-era fiction, as there are so many parallels to the present-day intolerance of the “other,” let alone the recurrence of fascism. This book, however tough a read, is beautiful in its characters’ resilience and reminders of the contributions immigrants have made to this country. Carter starts her narrative in pre-war Germany, with the love story of naturalist Rudolph Schneider and his wife, illustrator Elisabeth. Their son, Egon, inherited their attention to detail and became an ophthalmologist, fascinated with the workings of the eye. He had a successful practice in Berlin, following his parents’ deaths, but growing antiSemitism in 1938 drove him out of Germany to New York, where he becomes a grocery store clerk in Washington Heights. At least he has his group of fellow immigrants for companionship, although feathers are ruffled when he falls in love with Irish Catholic Catrina. Catrina has had hardships of her own, but she and Egon are drawn together, sharing a mutual love of animals. Egon puts his medical knowledge to use by operating a makeshift veterinary service out of his apartment. His college roommate, Meyer, who writes for the German language paper Aufbau, persuades his friend to be the subject of a feature and from there he draws the attention of the Immigration and Naturalization Service. He also finds that antiSemitism isn’t limited to Germany. There is not a false note in this book. Carter has created a vivid world, from Egon’s parents to his friends, lovers, and adversaries. Their stories are unique and distinctive, and yet their struggles feel familiar. Could this be required reading for anyone

who seeks to keep refugees out of this country? Ellen Keith THE HUNGER SAINT Olivia Kate Cerrone, Bordighera, 2017, $12.00, pb, 120pp, 9781599541068 As late as the 1940s, some desperately poor Sicilian families were consigning their sons to indentured servitude in the sulfur mines. The boys were squeezed into narrow passages, setting dynamite and testing for poisonous gas. Loaded like mules, they hauled ore up to furnaces, their skin and lungs caked with sulfur dust. The work was backbreaking, dangerous, deforming, often fatal. In The Hunger Saint, Olivia Kate Cerrone builds the character of Ntoni (Antonio) from years of meticulous research. There is no romance of poverty here, and no idealism. Cerrone shows how systemic oppression can coarsen the soul; oppressed miners were often brutally cruel to those younger and even more powerless than they were. Nor does grinding poverty necessarily enhance “family values.” Where survival is a daily struggle, not everyone is “nice.” Cerrone is lucid, precise, often lyrical in describing Ntoni’s world. We see the unique, sometimes savage beauty of the land and feel the relief of cooling breezes and brief pleasures of a late afternoon swim that gave exhausted boys a glimpse of normal childhood. We know the suffocation and terror of the mines, the sink of sulfur and sweat. When Ntoni survives by grit and wiles, keeping his integrity, we rejoice in the resilience and strength of the human spirit. There is a sometimes gratuitous sprinkling of Italian and Sicilian, and passages can be overwritten, but in this slim novella, Cerrone creates a searing portrait of child labor that still entraps millions worldwide. For this reason, as well as its vivid prose and memorable characters, The Hunger Saint is a valuable read. Pamela Schoenewaldt LOVE AND FAMINE Han-Ping Chin, Harvard Square, 2017, $22.95, pb, 538pp, 9781941861455 In this coming-of-age story, Dapeng Liu seeks to find his place within the burgeoning class struggle of Mao’s communist and cultural revolutions. As a 9th grade student in 1949, Dapeng welcomes the new communist regime with pride, and he is eager to volunteer wherever he can to further the revolution’s agenda. However, as he moves on to university, he quickly learns that being an intellectual in Mao’s China has serious repercussions. Eventually, Dapeng finds work in a national lab in Beijing working on electric power. His role is as an engineer assigned to various dam projects around the country. But it is in this maelstrom of intellectuals and party cadres where Dapeng faces his greatest challenges. Amid programs to out anti-communists and shifting political alliances and ideals, Dapeng attempts to eke out a life for himself and his young bride. But purges, famine, and party demands all HNR Issue 81, August 2017 | Reviews | 35

conspire against his good fortunes. Set during the turbulent years of Mao Zedong’s rise and into the Great Leap Forward, Love and Famine is a rich and detailed look at the lives of both Chinese intellectuals and peasants alike. Han-Ping Chin’s autobiographical novel offers a glimpse into the way the Chinese lived during the formative years of China’s communist regime. At times, the story gets bogged down in tangents, and the myriad of characters and names can get overwhelming. However, Dapeng’s struggles and slow rise to triumph pull the reader along hoping for a semblance of a happy ending in the face of the near-insurmountable hardships surrounding him. A fascinating look at life during the Great Leap Forward, and a fine addition to the study and literature of the period. Bryan Dumas

LARCHFIELD Polly Clark, Riverrun, 2017, £12.99, pb, 364pp, 9781784681931 It is 1930, and the young poet W. H. Auden takes a train to Helensburgh, a genteel resort in west Scotland, to become a teacher in small struggling private prep school, Larchfield. In a parallel narrative, Dora Fielding, newly married to the architect Kit, and close to the birth of her first child, moves into a large property in Helensburgh. She had been an Oxford academic, and a minor published poet, and is intrigued to learn that Auden taught at Larchfield school. Both Auden and Dora have trouble in settling into their environment. For W. H. Auden it is the incongruity of being a schoolmaster and unsuited to the profession, as well as the pressure of having to repress his homosexuality and find acceptance amongst his Scottish peers and pupils. Along with his frustrations, there is a nasty case of child sexual abuse. For Dora, struggling alone in the house with Beatrice, their new baby, she has to deal with religious hypocrisy and intolerance from neighbours and others in the town—subjects that are often conveniently skated over in relation to sectarian Scottish religious pressures and nationalism. An unlikely coincidence brings both Auden and Dora together over the intervening years, though it is clear that Dora’s increasingly severe post-natal psychological struggles account for this seemingly absurd situation. This is a beautifully told story. Both W. H. Auden and Dora Fielding are captured with elegance and aplomb, and their dilemmas and struggles are movingly portrayed as they try to find a way of living within the constraints and pressures of society. It is simply a delight to read. Douglas Kemp

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THE SIXTH MAN Rupert Colley, CreateSpace, 2017, $8.99, pb, 214pp, 971545190647 The Sixth Man is the story of six imprisoned Frenchmen during WWII. Initially believing they will be released the next day, they find out that all but one of them will be shot the next morning. The catch? It is up to them to decide who will live, and they only have six hours to do it. One by one, each man confesses his most abhorrent crimes, seeking the solace of forgiveness and, perhaps, a second chance at life. As I read this book, I was reminded of the stories I had to read in school as an English major—and I mean that as a compliment. Having since rejected most literature in favor of popular fictional entertainment, it has been years since I read a story that not only kept my interest and moved me, but forced me to think about life on a deeper level like this one. The Sixth Man has a strong moral to teach, but does it in such a subtle way that it is almost imperceptible. The writing is spare, but powerful; the story simple, but profound. The only thing that gave me pause was that one of the prisoners knew something secret/shameful about each man that he could use to force that person to confess what they hoped to hide; it came across as slightly too convenient, even in a small town. Nevertheless, I recommend this book. Nicole Evelina MARRIED QUARTERS Shane Connaughton, Doubleday Ireland, 2017, £13.99, hb, 323pp, 9780857524676 This novel is set in 1959 on the Irish border, where Danny, the sharp-eyed, sharp-eared, sharpwitted and articulate son of the Guards’ Sergeant, is well placed to know what is going on amongst the Guards. But he is only sixteen, hasn’t even kissed a girl, and sometimes misinterprets the activities of these men who are both soldiers and policemen. Danny is cockily confident but vulnerable, and Officer O’Keefe, with his attractive ‘wild streak’, is just the man to lead him into—and out of—trouble. But women are so mysterious. How did Officer Fleming, sickly and unappealing, win the love and fidelity of a stunningly lovely wife? It is like a fairy tale of beauty and the beast. Danny generously describes everything he witnesses and experiences and has no hesitation in being diverted from the main thread of his narrative to describe whatever has taken his fancy. I fell straightway in love with this book and everything in it, whether deserving or not—such as farmer Chisholm, whose notion of a friendly greeting is, ‘I’ll f...ing shoot yah.’ It is a treasury of traditional storytelling and modern subtleties. Its fluency and use of high-wrought language emphasise the tragedy and even horror threatening the vitality and humour. For a reader there is the sensation, so hard to put into words, of some things that everyone knows but are never said. This richly compelling book deserves re-reading. Which I intend to do very soon, always hoping that those ‘some things’ inviting but elusive, will be revealed.

Does Danny give and receive a kiss? Yes, but he is flummoxed by the outcome. Nancy Henshaw THE MARRIED GIRLS Diney Costeloe, Head of Zeus, 2017, £18.99/$27.95, hb, 472pp, 9781784976125 The 2nd World War has ended with great celebrations and a yearning for a new, predictable world. This is the England in which The Married Girls is set. The conflict may be over, but the consequences continue to permeate daily life. This volume is the sequel to The Girl with No Name and takes forward the lives of two children who came to Britain on the Kindertransporten, one of whom was evacuated from London at the start of the war. The backdrop for everyone is austerity and restriction, with rationing and petrol coupons and a lingering suspicion of foreigners. The central character, German-born Charlotte, is now married to a local Somerset man and has two children. She has settled down happily to become part of an English village. However, there are challenges to come. The story is set predominantly in rural Somerset, but there are forays into the East End of London. The country life is largely confined to the village, its variety of characters, their activities and preoccupations. The London scenes follow characters with a far tougher agenda of competing protection rackets and profiteering. The contrast between these worlds could not be starker, but there is a surprising link between the two. The author is an acute observer of family life. She records the promises people make to those near them, promises they don’t fully intend to keep, the unspoken competition within extended families and the misunderstandings that arise when people choose not to say what they mean to each other, or hide their motivations. The consequent crises are not easily solved, despite the immediate response of putting the kettle on for a comforting cup of tea. Recent experience still has a hold over the participants trying to settle back to ordinary lives. Imogen Varney THE LONGEST NIGHT Otto de Kat, MacLehose Press, 2017, £14.99/$22.99, hb, 208pp, 9780857056085 This is a continuation of the loose series that features Carl and Emma Regendorf, a married couple living in Berlin during the Second World War. Carl is German and works in the Foreign Office under Adam von Trott, while Emma is a Dutch national. Carl is part of the resistance movement against Hitler and the Nazi regime that is driving Germany to complete destruction. It is the summer of 1944, and von Stauffenberg’s assassination attempt on Hitler has just failed. In the crackdown following this, both men are arrested and Emma has to hurriedly leave their relatively peaceful home in the Berlin suburb of Dahlem. Carl is executed by a vengeful regime, while Emma survives the war and makes a slow and painful return to the Netherlands, to Gouda and 20th Century

then to Rotterdam, where she makes her home. The story is narrated through Emma’s memories as a dying woman in her mid-nineties, looking to make a dignified exit from her long life. She looks back on her life with both her husbands and, as always, the shadow of the war looms large and menacing over all who lived through it. Emma is unable to obliterate the war and her memories— instead learning to make them part of her life so that she can find some way to exist with a degree of meaning. This is a moving and engaging novel, intelligent and poignant: a pleasure to read. Douglas Kemp YOUR FATHER’S ROOM Michel Déon (trans. Julian Evans), Gallic, 2017, $14.95/£8.99, pb, 112pp, 9781910477342 Michel Déon is a French author well-respected in France for his long literary career of over 50 works, but little-known in the English-speaking world. He was born Éduardo Michel in 1919 and died in 2016 at the age of 97. This recent English translation is a fictionalized memoir of the author’s early life until age 13 while living with his wealthy parents first in Paris, then in Monte Carlo. Éduardo’s (Teddy’s) story begins in 1920 with memories of being cared for by others while his parents were absent much of the time, detached from him and each other while busy with their own lives. As Teddy grows and enters school, he can never live up to his parents’ expectations. He repeatedly disappoints and embarrasses them. He is witness to his mother’s infidelities and keeps her secret from the father whose love and attention he craves. Déon depicts the interwar period through Teddy’s eyes. He is an observer of the adult world around him and the rich and famous who frequent Monte Carlo. At around 100 pages, Déon’s writing is spare but impactful as he writes of a young boy’s struggle growing up and trying to make sense of the adult world he lives in. With one brief, powerful phrase Déon conveys the emotional damage done to Teddy when his father belittles him. “Words that stick,” Déon writes—and we know exactly how those words cut into Teddy. Déon has three other novels recently translated, two of which I have read: The Foundling and its sequel, The Foundling’s War. These are both wonderful, immersive novels which take place before, during, and after WWII. He deserves to have a wider English audience, and I will watch for more English translations of his work. Janice Ottersberg LENIN’S ROLLER COASTER David Downing, Soho, 2017, $27.95/£16.99, hb, 336pp, 9781616956042 The title of this third Jack McColl spy thriller is an apt metaphor for what is to come: a dizzying ride through the Russian Revolution and its loops and curves into WWI politics. The central character, Jack McColl, is a British spy whose assignments take him through Egypt, Persia, Ukraine, and ultimately to Moscow. His primary task is to derail 20th Century

the German advance into Russia. Caitlin Hanley is an American journalist and McColl’s love interest. Her itinerary includes a voyage to Petrograd via Finland, time at home in New York City, and a return trip to Moscow via China and the transSiberian railway. She is a devout feminist and champion of the Revolution. Her personal mission is to make the English-speaking world aware of its goals and progress. Chapters alternate between McColl and Caitlin as they make their way to Moscow. Each is a little short story with a plot of its own. Most chapters capture the confusion, brutality, despair, and deceit that accompany wartime. Others, though, manage to convey the sense of hope and optimism in revolutionary Russia that American readers rarely hear about. This novel has a lot to be said in its favor. It is literally packed with historical information and detailed place descriptions. Characters who were real people, e.g., Alexandra Kolontai and Maria Spiridonova, may be new to readers and interesting to learn about. On the downside, the book is terribly disjointed. There really is no plot to it. Perhaps McColl’s & Caitlin’s “romance” (they meet twice in the whole story) was meant to pull it together, but it serves more as a non-toocredible frame for the historical data. I would not recommend the book as a memorable spy thriller, but it’s well worth reading for a fresh look at the Russian Revolution. Lucille Cormier THE SWORN VIRGIN Kristopher Dukes, Morrow, 2017, $15.99/£9.99, pb, 352pp, 9780062660749 Eleanora is a precocious 18-year-old woman who lives with her father and stepmother in Albania in 1910. Her dream, to study art in Italy, is one not commonly held by young women in her mountain village. Her stepmother has very specific wishes for Eleanora, which involve getting married as a good young woman ought to do, but her father encourages her to pursue her dreams. When Eleanora’s father is murdered, her life turns upside down, and she and her stepmother must find a way to survive in a world that doesn’t encourage women to live alone. Her stepmother takes steps to marry Eleanora off, but Eleanora takes matters in her own hands by taking an oath to be a sworn virgin. This would allow her to live life as a man, making household decisions, having a job, participating in any activity allowed to a man—though she must remain a virgin and, luckily, cannot be killed the same way a man could be killed. The story takes an additional turn when Eleanora meets a man who changes her life in an unexpected way, challenging her beliefs on love and marriage. While this will be a disappointment for some readers who will find Eleanora’s initial drive for an unconventional life refreshing, Dukes is a compelling enough writer that it’s difficult to put the book down until one knows how it will end. This debut novel has solid writing. Dukes

has done her research, bringing the mountain village lifestyle of Albania in 1910 alive for the modern reader. Recommended for readers who can appreciate a strong-willed and non-traditional female character; highly recommended for readers who aren’t turned off by a bit of romance. Elicia Parkinson SHADOWS OF THE DEAD Jim Eldridge, Severn House, 2017, $28.99/£20.00, hb, 224pp, 9781780290959 Set in London, England, in 1921, this is the second mystery in the DCI Paul Stark series. Stark is a widower, the father of a young son. He is a decorated World War I veteran who sustained serious wounds. Stark has already been successful in his police work, according to hints about the backstory. Now he has found a new love, crossing lines of rank and privilege to embrace Lady Amelia Fairfax. When her ex-husband and his American businessman visitor are found murdered, Stark must conceal his relationship with Amelia to investigate the case. A complex plot seems to suggest that a tie-in with the American movie industry is just a cover up for something far more dangerous. Stark is forced to seek help from Winston Churchill, Secretary of State for the Colonies, whom he met in the previous book. With backing from Churchill, Stark and his team try to rescue Amelia, unmask the real killers, and help ward off a danger to England far worse than he could have imagined. This is a thriller, not a cozy. Those wanting thatched cottages and doilies must look elsewhere. Characters are well-drawn and fully-realized, particularly Stark’s family and his Detective Sergeant, Bobby Danvers. Meeting Winston Churchill in fiction is great fun. Readers do not need to read the first book in the series to enjoy this one, but they will probably find themselves looking for Assassins, which introduces Inspector Stark. Elizabeth Knowles KINGS OF AMERICA R. J. Ellory, Orion, 2017, £19.99, hb, 424pp, 9781409168621 Nicky Mariani and his sister are from Corsica, and both are ambitious, full of dreams and determined to become the Kings of America of the title. Lucia has dreams of becoming a famous actress and attaining the Hollywood dream, Hollywood style. Nicky’s plans are more dangerous as he decides the only way for him to triumph is through success in the underworld, and thus he becomes a gangster. They hook up with talented boxer Frankie Madden, who has his own problems and secrets. Madden isn’t even his real name. He has arrived in the U.S. following problems in Ireland and faces the usual issues faced by immigrants at that time: how to make money and how to escape the demons of the past. The era is the 1930s, and both the gangster and film world are growing immensely. Opportunities abound, and the three characters make the most of them. The novel deals with key themes such HNR Issue 81, August 2017 | Reviews | 37

as questioning what people are prepared to do to attain their dreams, the consequences of those decisions, being the outsider and how far family loyalty will go. The book is an interesting blend of action and characterisation; the time period comes across well, although the middle could have been more fast-moving at times. Ann Northfield A TRAIL OF CRUMBS Susie Finkbeiner, Kregel, 2017, $14.99, pb, 310pp, 9780825444463 A Trail of Crumbs takes place where A Cup of Dust left off. Young Pearl Spence is recovering from a traumatic incident in the dusty plains of Oklahoma during the Depression era. When a wicked dust storm comes out of nowhere, tragic consequences ensue, and Pearl contracts a serious case of dust pneumonia. The events propel the family to leave the area behind for a new start in Michigan, where they have extended family. Despite fiercely missing some folks who were left behind, Pearl is entranced by her new green and dust-free surroundings. As a newcomer from the “foreign” lands of Oklahoma, she has trouble fitting in with her new schoolmates. Pearl soon learns that love, family and faith are the cornerstones of adapting to change. The book is written in the first person from Pearl’s point of view; she is an introspective narrator, and one who is wise beyond her years. Pearl’s mother is a complex character; after the tragedy in Oklahoma, she withdraws even more, leaving Pearl confused and sad. Fortunately, a female family member steps in to provide the love and comfort that Pearl’s mother withholds. The writing is solid and as compelling as the first novel, and Pearl is as charming a narrator as ever. Though in retrospect there were clues leading up to it, the ending caught me off guard and felt a bit unresolved. If readers are lucky, perhaps a third book is on the horizon. Though the author does allude to events and circumstances that occurred in the previous book, it would be wise to read A Cup of Dust first to maximize the reading experience and to track the growth of Pearl as she comes of age in an uncertain world. Hilary Daninhirsch EDITH & OLIVER Michèle Forbes, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2017, £14.99, hb, 402pp, 9781474604673 This is the story of a romance and marriage between the Irish man and woman in the title of this highly readable, intelligent novel. In the first decade of the 20th century, Oliver is an illusionist performing in variety and music halls and Edith is an accompanying pianist. They meet in their home town of Belfast in 1906, fall in love, and marry, and Edith has twins. All this happens in the first few pages of the plot, and the subsequent narrative unfolds their relationship and the growth of their children Agna and Archie, and also reveals Oliver’s difficult childhood with his broken family, which 38 | Reviews |

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gave him the motivation to make his career as an illusionist. The tale demonstrates the contingency and uncertainty of the harsh entertainment industry when providing for a young family before the days of state social support, and Oliver has to spend long frustrating times on the road to make any sort of living. As he gets older, his appeal to the changing variety hall declines, and he becomes vexed and exasperated by his inability to become the success he is convinced he deserves to be. The family become impoverished with the associating strains this invariably causes, and matters do not end terribly well, which is giving little away, as the very first chapter flags up that the relationship ends in tears. We hear little of Edith’s background, making the novel a little unbalanced—as if the writer found Oliver’s story to be much more absorbing and thus rather neglected Edith’s—though Oliver’s background shows how difficult it can be to evade the effects of a traumatic childhood as an adult. This is a poetic, thoughtful novel. Douglas Kemp

LOVE AND OTHER CONSOLATION PRIZES Jamie Ford, Ballantine, 2017, $28.00/C$37.00, hb, 320pp, 9780804176750 / Allison & Busby, 2017, £14.99, hb, 352pp, 9780749022754 A few years after being transported to Seattle, Ernest Young, a mixedrace orphan from China, finds the course of his future altered dramatically when he is given away as a prize at the 1909 World’s Fair. The raffle winner turns out to be Madam Flora, w e l l - k n o w n proprietress of the city’s poshest, most exclusive and refined house of ill repute. Despite protests from upstanding civic leaders who offered the boy to strangers for the price of a ticket, she takes him to his new home at the Tenderloin, and Ernest joins her serving staff as a houseboy. At first, he adapts well to this peculiar environment, glad to escape the school where he never fit in and the meddlesome plans of a condescending scholarship sponsor. He becomes friends with the kitchen maid and with Madam Flora’s daughter, soon falling in love with each in a different way. However, as his innocence erodes, Ernest begins to perceive the harsh, unsavory realities beneath the illusion of elegance at the Tenderloin, as well as the equally unpalatable hypocrisy and callousness of the society outside. Alternating between the early 1900s and 1962, when a second World’s Fair takes place in Seattle, this story interlaces the two fairs as turning points in Ernest’s life. His daughter, an investigative reporter, prods him into wading through memories and past events that still impact his family more

than 50 years later. Abundant historical and sensory details vividly recreate both eras. Combining rich narrative and literary qualities, the book achieves a multi-faceted emotional resonance. It is by turns heart-rending, tragic, disturbing, sanguine, warm, and lifeaffirming. Perceptive themes that run throughout culminate at the end. A true story from the 1909 Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition inspired this very absorbing and moving novel. Highly recommended. Cynthia Slocum PORTRAIT OF A FAMILY WITH A FAT DAUGHTER Margherita Giacobino (trans. Judith Landry), Dedalus, 2017, £12.99, pb, 304pp, 9781910213483 This is the story of a matriarchal Italian family (or arguably two such families that merge into one), from the late 19th century through to the 1950s and ´60s. Ninin (Caterina) is born near Turin into an impoverished peasant family in which sons are prized far above daughters, and domineering grandparents keep both younger generations firmly under their thumb. But Ninin is determined to make something of herself through education and work at a local textile factory. She not only helps raise her younger sisters, but becomes a mainstay to her niece and great-niece through times of war and economic crisis, illness, bereavement, broken marriages and financial burdens. I’m not entirely sure why this book is being marketed as fiction, since it doesn’t read like a novel, or even as an interconnecting sequence of short stories. By the author’s own admission, it is a lightly fictionalised family history/memoir, bringing back to life much-repeated family stories and reconstructing episodes about which little is known, like the author’s feckless father’s life in a series of German labour camps during the latter part of WWII. But the narrator’s voice is ever-present and the book as a whole has the formlessness and episodic feel of real life. That is not to say the book isn’t well written and a fascinating read. I learned a great deal about aspects of Italian social history through the eyes of this one family. The translation is clever too, trying to keep a flavour of Piedmontese dialect while making sure English-speaking readers are not alienated by the use of too many foreign words. The characters are all vividly portrayed, from Ninin’s drunken and predatory grandfather, to the various aunts, and down to happy-go-lucky dog Pucci. Recommended for anyone interested in an unusual view of 20th century history. Jasmina Svenne BOURBON CREAMS AND TATTERED DREAMS Mary Gibson, Head of Zeus, 2017, £7.99, pb, 427pp, 9781784973353 Basically, this is the story of an actress/singer who is down on her luck and struggles to survive in a working-class area of south London in the 1930s. This is close to my mother’s experience in about the same time and place, and she told me enough about 20th Century

it for this part of the story to ring true. However, unlike Matty, the book’s heroine, my mother was never involved with violent gangsters or had to dive into the Thames to escape a riverside shoot-out— or not that she told me. The title of the book and the cover image (a group of factory girls) refer to Matty’s brief career on the production line at the Peek Frean biscuit factory in Bermondsey. This is misleading, since she spends only two chapters there. For most of the book she works for a film unit making healtheducation films for the Borough Council. This gives the author broad scope for social commentary, which she does very well. The descriptions of working-class life and leisure take up most of the book, but then it suddenly lurches into a crime thriller. Social realism and violent fantasy do not mix easily. I found the gangsters and their doings quite implausible, compared to the ‘ordinary’ people who had gone before. A good setting, good main characters; pity about the plot. Edward James THE DAUGHTER OF SHERLOCK HOLMES Leonard Goldberg, Minotaur, 2017, $25.99/ C$36.99, hb, 320pp, 9781250101044 This captivating mystery novel set in London in 1910 tells the story of Joanna Blalock, the daughter of Sherlock Holmes and Irene Adler, who has inherited her parents’ deductive genius. While out for a walk, Joanna’s precocious ten-year-old son, Johnnie, sees a man fall to his death. Inspector Lestrade of Scotland Yard is convinced that the death is a suicide, but Joanna realizes the evidence points to murder. She joins forces with John Watson Jr. and his father, who is now retired and living at 221b Baker Street after Holmes’ death. The three detectives discover that the dead man, Charles Harrelston, served in the Second Afghan War of 1878-1880, along with Christopher Moran (the man whose window he fell from), and two other officers. When another member of this quartet dies suspiciously, Joanna and the two Watsons race against time to stop a clever killer before another death can occur. A coded message found among Harrelston’s possessions may hold the key to the murder, but will Joanna and her colleagues be able to decipher it in time? The trail stretches back to a stolen treasure from India, and to one of Holmes’ past cases. This clever book will keep you on the edge of your seat with its many thrilling twists and turns. The plot is worthy of Conan Doyle’s originals, and I hope to see many more adventures of Joanna Blalock and John Watson, Jr. Goldberg is especially strong while writing about the medical procedures of the time. Joanna is a trained nurse, and Watson Jr. is a pathologist. Many of the clues they uncover depend on their medical training. Goldberg also writes a series of contemporary medical mysteries featuring a character named Joanna Blalock. I do not know exactly how the two characters are related. Vicki Kondelik 20th Century

THE DRESS IN THE WINDOW Sofia Grant, William Morrow, 2017, $15.99/ C$19.99/£9.99, pb, 358pp, 9780062499721 In the aftermath of WWII, two artistic sisters seek to capitalize on the new fashions popularized after wartime austerities. Having suffered greatly from the war, they finally see a way out of their dying industrial town by combining Peggy’s talent for sketching with Jeanne’s uncanny dressmaking abilities. Poised to take on the fashion world, they must come to grips with their own ambitions and desires, otherwise their sororal jealousy could tear them—and their dreams—apart irrevocably. The opening line to the back cover copy of this book boasts, “A perfect debut novel is like a perfect dress—it’s a ‘must have’ and when you ‘try it on’ it fits perfectly.” That may be true, but not for this book. It is weighed down by lengthy info dumps and way too much detail about fabrics and dressmaking, at the cost of plot. On top of that, the characters are not likeable. On the whole, they are miserable people in a broken-down town in a book that only provides one tragedy after another. Our heroines, Jeanne and Peggy, are mean, and their motivations are not well explained, which makes them appear small-minded and immature when the reader should be rooting for them. This makes getting through the story a struggle. Unless you want to walk away depressed, skip this book. Nicole Evelina

THE SABOTEUR Andrew Gross, Minotaur, 2017, $26.99/$37.99, hb, 416pp, 9781250079510 / Macmillan, 2017, £20, hb, 448pp, 9781509831579 Andrew Gross has written a thrilling spy adventure story based on the true events of the most daring sabotage mission of WWII carried out by the Allies. The Norsk Hydro plant in German-occupied Norway, apparently impenetrable, was being used by Germany to produce D2O, known as heavy water, a critical component used in making nuclear weapons. Not only was it surrounded by high security, but it was built in a narrow gorge on a rock ledge with 3,000 feet of near-vertical mountain above it and a steep drop to the river far below. The narrow space between the plant and the opposite mountain face prevented direct attack by any bombers. Three missions and one Allied bombing took place in attempts to destroy the plant and eliminate the heavy water already produced. A few brave men are called upon to carry out this mission so critical to turning the war in favor of the Allies and saving hundreds of thousands of lives. Kurt Nordstrum is one of these men, native to the Norwegian vidda (plateau) and the Rjukan area, and playing a significant role in two of the missions. But the story is really about all the men

involved and their mission. This special group of men undergoes rigorous training to increase the odds of surviving Norway’s harsh environment and navigating its brutal terrain to reach the plant. The courage and endurance of these men are unequaled as they push themselves beyond human limits. This book reads like narrative non-fiction in the details of planning and execution, but it is never boring. With each critical turning point in the book, my heart raced while I became completely immersed in the tension and danger the men faced. They had everything to lose with one small slipup. Only my life rudely interfering forced me to put the book down. This is a terrific book about an important WWII event. Janice Ottersberg COVER UP Patricia Hall, Severn House, 2017, $28.99/£20.99, hb, 208pp, 9780727886958 It’s 1964, and London Detective Sargent Harry Barnard is assigned to investigate the murder of an alleged prostitute, whose appearance and circumstance are at odds with the shoddiness of the typical Soho “tart.” Her identity remains a puzzling mystery that Barnard relentlessly pursues. Kate O’Donnell, Harry’s Catholic photojournalist girlfriend, lands a magazine assignment covering the regeneration of her hometown, Liverpool, from the effects of the war and to cursorily report on the premiere of the Beatles’ A Hard Day’s Night movie. With their relationship in choppy waters, Harry and Kate meet up in Liverpool, where the chaos that is Kate’s family uncovers some unexpected connections to Harry’s investigation. Hall’s writing clearly echoes the truth of the era, the assumptions related to appearance, the overbearing presence of religion, and the rule of the parish priest over his community and the stigmas of sex and sin. While the mystery is layered in a predictable yet satisfying fashion, the tone and gradation of the atmosphere of the Sixties is the shining star of Cover Up. The realism of the obvious contradictions between faith and actions makes for a compelling read, as does the edgy, somewhat troubled and very appealing relationship of Harry and Kate. A good read and a recommended one. Wendy Zollo BEYOND ABSOLUTION Cora Harrison, Severn House, 2017, $28.99/£20.99, hb, 256pp, 9780727887139 In the politically roiled Irish city of Cork in 1923, Reverend Mother Aquinas’s latest investigation is tragically personal. An old childhood friend, the elderly Father Dominic of the Capuchin Brothers, has been found murdered in his confessional stall at Holy Trinity Church, pierced through the ear with a sharp, narrow blade. In many historical mysteries, the victims have numerous enemies, but this case is more puzzling: nobody can imagine who’d want to kill such a gentle man. For the sake of Dominic’s grieving brother, Prior HNR Issue 81, August 2017 | Reviews | 39

Lawrence, the Reverend Mother wants to discover the truth. She contributes information based on her personal connections and extensive knowledge of Cork’s citizenry while her former pupil, Inspector Patrick Cashman of the Civic Guards, examines the crime from an official standpoint. Strangely, on the day before his death, the unworldly priest had been seen visiting an antique shop on Morrison’s Island, upset about a damaged ceramic hawk for sale there. Every volume in this exceptional series (Beyond Absolution is the third) adds to readers’ understanding about the geography and political history of Cork, and Ireland itself, during the 1920s. Although the IRA is blamed for most killings, Dominic’s murder doesn’t bear their signature, especially since his kindness extended even to Republican sympathizers. The mystery about the hawk is revealed midway through, but the killer’s identity remains unknown until the end. Looking back afterward, however, it’s clear Harrison had been dropping periodic clues to lead to the correct conclusion. With their shared childhood and contrasting life experiences, the heroine and her elegant cousin Lucy make a wonderful team. Understandably, the Reverend Mother appears noticeably aged and tired in this entry, which shows how anguish can take a heavy physical toll. Let’s hope she and her partners can rally sufficiently to play roles in future books. Sarah Johnson THE WIDOW NASH Jamie Harrison, Counterpoint, 2017, $26.00/ C$37.50, hb, 352pp, 9781619029286 Dulcy Remfrey’s father, Walton, has started to lose his mind and, in addition, a large fortune he should have brought home from his African expedition. His business partner (who is also Dulcy’s brutal ex-fiancé) requests Dulcy come to Seattle to see if she can make sense of what he has done with his money by reading through the twelve eccentric notebooks her father has kept over the years. When Walton dies and Dulcy’s ex, Victor, grows suspicious that she may not be sharing all of the information with him, he becomes aggressive in his attempts to enforce his will upon her. While bringing her father’s body home by train, Dulcy reflects upon the path being laid before her. Deciding it’s not a path she wishes to travel, she disappears, telling no one of her plans to run away, hoping to start a new life somewhere else to avoid having to marry Victor. This is a rich and interesting story about a young woman in America in the early 20th century who takes her life in her own hands and makes the decision to choose herself rather than succumbing to what is expected of her. The reader may not always agree with Dulcy’s actions, but I cannot imagine a reader who wouldn’t be entranced by her story. Jamie Harrison (daughter of the late author Jim Harrison) has written a solid novel that covers a great deal of ground. This historical novel offers a little bit of romance, a nice dose of mystery, and 40 | Reviews |

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a subtle nod at early 20th-century writers whose female characters weren’t always refined and weak, as was dictated by society. Elicia Parkinson THE ENGLISH AGENT Clare Harvey, Simon & Schuster, 2017, £7.99, pb, 385pp, 9781471150579 It is World War II, and the struggle continues across Europe. Edie has suffered along with countless others in the Blitz; however, her experiences inspire her to accept the chance to work for the Special Operations Executive and to be parachuted behind enemy lines into Occupied France. It is not a huge surprise when she is captured, as she makes elementary errors such as grammatical mistakes with French and she also speaks English inadvertently in a public place. This suspension of disbelief is also required when Edie does not include her security code when she transmits to HQ while a prisoner, but no one in authority seems to feel that this might be a problem. The narrative focus changes from Edie to Vera Atkins, the officer responsible for sending the women out to France. She has her own problems and many secrets to keep hidden. She desperately needs to become a naturalised British citizen for her own security and for the marriage she desires. The story moves along quickly and the characters are well-drawn and interesting. The romance element is again perhaps unlikely, but the reader by this point cares enough about the characters to want them to be happy in the end. A solid holiday read with a perennially fascinating and dramatic setting. Fans of Dilly Court and Nora Roberts will be very happy. Ann Northfield ACROSS THE CHINA SEA Gaute Heivoll (trans. Nadia Christensen), Graywolf, 2017, $16.00, pb, 232pp, 9781555977849 “This is what the new world was like: Our own asylum, in the midst of a forest, in the midst of the parish, forty kilometers from the coast.” Norway, 1945. “Is this the end of the world?” Stepping off the bus and standing at the edge of the road in the rural parish where she is about to begin a new life with her husband, her son (the story’s narrator), and the daughter she is carrying, Karin is dismayed by the silence. Karin and her husband, nurses specially trained in caring for the “mentally disabled,” have built a many-roomed house in the south of Norway, where they will raise their family while caring for clients. The first three are adult men who have suffered physical or emotional trauma that has rendered them incapable of living on their own. Soon, the family is joined by five young siblings whose ability to function has been impaired through poverty, malnutrition, and social deprivation. As a boy, the narrator initially sees the men as “crazy,” but as he comes to know them, he accepts them as individuals, just as he does the siblings: Ingrid, who howls; Nils, Erling, and Sverre, boys

who speak but do not fully engage; and Lilly, who cares for her siblings as if she were their mother. Told without sentiment, this compelling tale is neither a tell-all nor a potboiler. It is the intimate account of a family’s life told with dignity, the chapters often ending on a note that invites the reader to linger for a moment rather than plunge ahead. The story may pick up in another time or place, but the skillfully crafted nonlinear narrative never confuses; and the thoughtful delivery of each character’s journey always calls the reader back. Recommended. Rebecca Kightlinger DEVASTATION ROAD Jason Hewitt, Little, Brown, 2017, $26.00/ C$34.00, hb, 384pp, 97880316316378 / Scribner, 2016, £8.99, pb, 384pp, 9781471127465 As the title suggests, Devastation Road is an intense, often surreal account of a man’s wartime journey and its aftereffects. Owen is likely English and may be a RAF pilot but, when his plane is downed in 1945, he doesn’t remember any of this. He stumbles past wartime detritus, recognizing nothing but a jacket that could be his, to a road traveled by marauding soldiers. To provide some protection, Owen joins up with a teenage boy and a young woman with a baby whose presence triggers memories of before. Vague recollections and confusing emotions follow Owen—but the war is over now. Owen heads to Allied-occupied Leipzig, so the British can tell him who he is, but by the time he finds someone to listen, Owen can explain himself well enough to convince an American to get him back home. Devastation Road starts out slowly, but the pace increases as Owen’s memory slowly returns, revealing his personality, his integrity, and his capacity for love, as well as his regrets. The author’s anti-war message is clearest at the end of Owen’s journey, when he realizes how much his future has changed. Although he is unprepared for the startling revelations when he arrives, he has only to close his eyes to remember everything. Highly recommended for all readers. Jeanne Greene SHOT IN SOUTHWOLD Suzette A. Hill, Allison & Busby, 2017, £7.99/$12.95, pb, 287pp, 9780749021313 It’s 1960, and Lady Fawcett accepts an invitation to the set of a film being shot in Suffolk by her daughter Amy’s current boyfriend, Bartho. She sees this as an opportunity to vet Bartho but, as Amy has a previous engagement involving her stud whippet, Lady Fawcett asks old friend and amateur sleuth Rosy Gilchrist to accompany her. Also arriving in Southwold are prissy professor Cedric and his friend, fashionable florist Felix, who has a minor role in the film. Already there are Bartho, stars Robert and Alicia, and Tippy, a flibbertigibbet starlet. Following a party at the house of flamboyant Vincent Ramsgate, a body is found on the beach. The latest in a series featuring Rosy Gilchrist, 20th Century

this is as light-hearted as a murder mystery can be, with puns, farce, frothy characters and a not particularly challenging mystery. Period feel is supplied by dialogue and contemporary cultural references. An entertaining read for a wet day in Walberswick. Sarah Cuthbertson MIKHAIL AND MARGARITA Julie Lekstrom Hines, Europa, 2017, $18.00/ C$24.00/£11.99, pb, 375pp, 9781609453756 When Margarita steps from the pages of Bulgakov’s satirical masterpiece and into the author’s life, the result is pure cold war noir, reminiscent of Donnersmarck’s The Lives of Others, whose anti-hero becomes obsessed with the artist couple he is meant to observe. In Hines’ novel, a similar story is told from the perspective of Bulgakov and his mistress, as their love dies a thousand deaths when Stalin’s secret police turns its attention on the writer. To Bulgakov’s chagrin— or relief, it is not clear—the spy charged with his surveillance falls in love with Margarita and determines to save her life when she is arrested and deported. But Bulgakov, too, loves Margarita and pursues her to Siberia, from where an escape seems nigh impossible. Part paean to Bulgakov’s genius, part essay on the issue of censorship, Mikhail and Margarita is strongest when it examines classical fiction’s central themes, deception and betrayal. The real Bulgakov was clear about his belief that evil exists in the world, and he borrowed from the Faust legend in order to tell the story of Marguerite’s fall from grace. Hines’ objectives and characters are more conflicted, but the torments inflicted upon Margarita by the men she loves—writers and spies—appear timeless. Does Margarita’s suffering elevate her above those who sacrifice her on the altars of their twin ambition, art and politics? Human duplicity is another theme in the novel, and the reason why this question is left hanging. A great read, although the decision to pair the real Bulgakov with a product of the author’s imagination might confuse some more persnickety readers. Elisabeth Lenckos THE GOOD THIEF Preston Holtry, Moonshine Cove, 2016, $13.99, pb, 242pp, 9781937327989 Early on an April morning in 1917, the tortured body of Franciscan postulate Thomas Whelan lies in the vegetable garden behind his mission. The mission sits on an Indian Reservation in the harsh land north of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Private investigator and former lawman, Morgan Westphal, is visiting his lady love, Arianna Beltrane, at her family ranch near the reservation. He is asked to help the undermanned and inexperienced reservation police. Westphal soon discovers Thomas Whelan was not who he appeared. Whelan, really jockey Tommy Corcoran, had scrounged for rides on racetracks back east. Corcoran’s last ride was at 20th Century

the great Saratoga raceway on a horse owned by notorious gangster and gambler Arnold Rothstein. That race ended badly. Corcoran fled west, took on a new identity, and hid in the monastery. Arianne has her own tumultuous past. She shot to death her wealthy philandering husband. Now her ex-mother-in-law in New York wants to meet about an intriguing proposition. Arianne must go, or else her ex-mother-in-law might talk to prosecutors. Arianne insists Westphal come with her to the “family” meeting. Holtry relies heavily on dialogue and could have fleshed out the somewhat spare historical details. For example, car engines of the time start effortlessly and without cranking, and telephone calls connect without a hitch. But Corcoran and Arianne’s two adventures evolve at a good pace, their hot and complicated romance adding zest. They cross paths with treacherous and interesting characters, from Indian scouts to errand runners for Rothstein. Other bodies pile up on the way to sensible resolutions. Fans of hero Morgan Westphal will enjoy this fourth novel in the series. G. J. Berger

THE VELVETEEN DAUGHTER Laurel Davis Huber, She Writes, 2017, $16.95, pb, 371pp, 9781631521928 This carefully woven story is the fictionalised biography of Pamela Bianco, the daughter of Margery Williams Bianco, author of the children’s classic The Velveteen Rabbit. In her youth, Pamela was a world-famous child prodigy artist, feted by the likes of Picasso. Philanthropist Gertrude Vanderbilt became her self-appointed patron, gifting her a New York studio in her teens, and Pamela and her family were courted by many glittering stars in their contemporary society. Throughout her life, Pamela’s less famous mother is her touchstone and saviour, as far as anyone could be in this extraordinary set-up. But enviable patronage, undoubted talent and devoted mother could not protect Pamela from personal disasters, including depression and nervous breakdowns that contributed to her disappearance from the public eye. Very little attention has been paid to either mother or daughter since their heyday, and much research was required before Huber could assemble the facts, faithfully adhered to in her telling of their story, with very little actual fiction added. What would have made a remarkable straight biography set in a golden but doomed age has been elevated by Huber’s ambitious approach into a poignant, thoughtprovoking and memorable historical novel. Parts of the story are told in Margery’s voice, others in Pamela’s, with small sections in the third person, across a non-linear structure hopping between

three time-frames. Quotes are also woven in from Margery’s fiction. I hope this beautifully written novel will trigger a revival of interest in Pamela Bianco’s art. The story also adds an almost unbearable poignancy to rereading Margery’s The Velveteen Rabbit and The Skin Horse. But even if you neither know nor care about the work of Margery or Pamela, this book is still an insightful moving story on the themes of love and parenthood, genius and art. Debbie Young THE SISTERS OF ALAMEDA STREET Lorena Hughes, Skyhorse, 2017, $24.99, hb, 368pp, 9781510716001 Which of the four Platas sisters of Alameda Street is Malena’s mother? Lorena Hughes’ debut novel is nonstop entertainment with a warmhearted touch, and the plot moves fast as secrets upon secrets come to light. In 1962 Ecuador, just after her father’s suicide, Malena Sevilla discovers a shocking note among his things. Malena’s mother had supposedly died in childbirth, but the letter, addressed to Malena’s late grandmother, was written by a woman heartbroken about having given Malena up as a baby—and it’s signed only “A.” Seeing this, Malena abandons her nursing coursework and boards a bus from Guayaquil to the small Andes community of San Isidro, the place of the note’s origin, to find answers. Arriving at the Platas home on Calle Alameda, she finds her task simultaneously easier (the family affectionately welcomes her, mistaking her for the daughter of a family friend) and more difficult (the sisters’ names all start with A). Trapped into an unintentional impersonation, Malena gets pulled into numerous dramas and spats as she searches for clues. All four women—motherly Ana, quiet and artistic Alejandra, glamorous widow Amanda, and fragile Abigail, who had died young—had hidden romances in their past, which are movingly revealed in flashbacks. Amanda’s plans to open a nightclub scandalize her conservative community and, seeing this, Malena worries how the revelation of an illegitimate child would affect the family. She also feels attracted to a darkly handsome man who’s already taken, and no good can come from that. This book is great fun. Scenes involving clandestine late-night excursions, visits to a seedy motel, and Malena’s unexpected tango performances demonstrate the author’s skills in writing comedy—such a rare treat in historical fiction. The many threads are carefully untangled, and the strength of family wins the day. Heartily recommended to saga readers. Sarah Johnson SEVEN DAYS IN MAY Kim Izzo, HarperCollins, 2017, $16.99, pb, 320pp, 9781443422499 The sinking of the Lusitania in 1915, however important it was historically, has taken a back seat in fictional treatments to the more glamorous Titanic. Kim Izzo’s novel tries to rectify this by using parallel narratives to explore the ship’s HNR Issue 81, August 2017 | Reviews | 41

political as well as social significance. Sydney and Brooke Sinclair, sisters, are passengers on the doomed cruise from New York to Liverpool in May 1915, accompanied by Brooke’s charming English fiancé and a cast of movie-ready characters. The focus is on Sydney, a passionate crusader for women’s rights, who impulsively (and conveniently) decides to reject her socialite sister’s first-class suite in favor of a berth in steerage. On the English side, Isabel Nelson is an ambitious young woman with a shameful past who finds personal redemption working with the cryptographers who deciphered German coded transmissions. She discovers in the process some disturbing facts about the War Office’s willingness to endanger passenger liners as an inducement to bring the U.S. into the war. This is a well-designed approach to the subject, and Izzo has researched carefully (in fact, we learn in her afterword that one of the shipboard characters was her great-grandfather). Unfortunately, her stylistic skills fall short, resulting in stereotypical characters, melodramatic interactions, and flat description. There is some Downton Abbey-style mixing of a wide range of classes and nationalities, but all the characters think and speak in nearly identical voices, and their reactions, romantic and otherwise, are predictable. This novel will appeal to readers who enjoy shipboard romance tales or disaster narratives (and Titanic fans who like both), but readers who expect complex characters and social insight may be disappointed. Kristen McDermott

THE FRENCH ART OF WAR Alexis Jenni (trans. Frank Wynne), Atlantic, 2017, £16.99, pb, 612pp, 9780857897534 This is a long book translated from the French, with a forbidding title by an author who is prodigal with words. Don’t let this put you off! This is a marvellous book, which conveys the experience of war as most of the world has known it over the past seventy years better than any book I have read. This is not the clash of mighty armies, but ‘low intensity’, ‘asymmetrical’ warfare in which modern armies with helicopters and armoured vehicles grapple with ‘insurgents’ moving by bicycle and donkey. Specifically, the book deals with the French colonial campaigns in IndoChina and Algeria in the 1950s and the maquisard uprising against the Germans in southern France in 1944. However, the experience holds true for most post-war campaigns fought by the French, British, Americans and others against local forces in distant countries. Jenni shows it all: sweat and fatigue, boredom and excitement, terror and triumph, camaraderie and horror. By the time readers finish the book, they will feel they have fought in these wars themselves. 42 | Reviews |

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The story is structured as a reminiscence by an elderly veteran telling his story to a younger man, who turns it into a novel in return for art lessons (the veteran is a talented artist). The chapters of the novel are interleaved with ‘commentaries’ by the narrator, describing his own life in the 1990s and the environment in which the veteran lives his final years, a world of run-down social housing, racial tension and right-wing extremism. The section on the maquisard uprising is told from the viewpoint of the insurgents; the IndoChinese and Algerian sections are from the viewpoint of the occupying army. The veteran’s sympathies are with the ‘natives’, and the narrator sees the current ills of France as the inhumanities of colonialism imported into the homeland of the ex-colonials’ power. Edward James

convinced, Alice grasps at the smallest clues to prove a conspiracy. She tracks down and confronts other known anarchists, Bowery bums, high-rolling Chinese gangsters, and even fellow members of her social circle at the new males-only University Club. Drawn in by Alice’s fine features and intrigued by her feistiness and sheer brilliance, St. Clair tries his best to keep his charge safe and remain in control of the pell-mell investigation that points to a shadowy figure known as the Archangel. Koreto does a terrific job of bringing early 20thcentury New York City to life as he introduces a new heroine in this new series. Modern readers may find Alice’s excessive use of cigarettes and liquor incongruous for a 17-year-old, but they will enjoy the interplay between the agent and the ingénue. Tom Vallar

FRONTLINE ANGEL Genevieve Jordayne, Black Rose Writing, 2016, $16.95, pb, 212pp, 9781612967691 As WWII begins, Eliza O’Grady is a newly trained nurse living on a Wisconsin farm, wondering how she can ever see the rest of the world and find adventure. Joining the US Army Nurse Corps, despite the reluctance of her family, seems the perfect answer. After two years of training in Kansas she arrives in the Philippines and is amazed by the beauty of Manila, the modern hospital, swimming in the warm bay, and dances at the Officers’ club. Finding the love of her life, Reese Moretti, makes everything perfect. But the Japanese are advancing. Routine nursing turns into battlefield nursing of gravely wounded soldiers. The nurses retreat to jungle outposts, to a huge cave, then are captured and interned in desperate and deteriorating conditions until the war ends. This is a well-researched book about the role of nurses in the Pacific sector during WWII. The descriptions of characters and of the danger and privations they endured—suffering severe malnutrition, and a host of tropical diseases—is dramatic and emotionally powerful. However, the book suffers from a lack of professional editing— both substantive and copy editing—which I found very distracting Valerie Adolph

AT FIRST LIGHT Vanessa Lafaye, Orion, 2017, £14.99, hb, 368pp, 9781409155423 At First Light spans two different but interconnected periods in the history of Florida’s Key West. It opens in 1993 with the killing of a Ku Klux Klan official by 96-year-old Alicia Cortez, who arrived in Key West in 1919 (the novel’s primary and strongest setting) having been sent away from Cuba. She is drawn into a relationship with WWI battle-hardened returnee, John Morales, a relationship outside acceptable degrees of racial segregation but tolerated until the arrival of the Ku Klux Klan. Cortez and Morales’ story is based on a real incident, and the novel tackles the themes of racism and prejudice based on religion and race with a strong eye to the period’s dreadful intolerance. Lafaye has a visceral way with description: Key West with its sewage and insects and vibrant life is evocatively imagined and Alicia’s shock at the world she is pitched into beautifully drawn. Alicia’s resilient character is the story’s lynchpin. Morales becomes a kinder man for his association with her, and the young and deeply confused Dwayne, torn between wanting to become a man as his father defines it and the warnings of his troubled conscience, also finds a form of redemption and hope through her. The novel explores the nature of justice, who defines this and who deserves it, in an extremely readable way. The story can feel a little imbalanced—the Ku Klux Klan is the force which horribly changes Key West and Alicia’s life, and I would have preferred more focus on this than some of the earlier sections, which set up character relationships, to create a greater sense of menace before the pivotal event itself, which unfolds very quickly. Despite this, At First Light is a highly accomplished and recommended read and a novel that is not easily forgotten. Catherine Hokin

ALICE AND THE ASSASSIN R. J. Koreto, Crooked Lane, 2017, $25.99/ C$38.95, hb, 288pp, 9781683311126 Seventeen-year-old Alice Roosevelt is a handful—for her father, the new President; for her Aunt Anna, who raised her in New York City; and for her minder, former Rough Rider and now Secret Service Agent Joseph St. Clair. Alice is inquisitive by nature, so the death of William McKinley at the hands of anarchist Leon Czolgosz fascinates her. In February 1902, the official investigation concludes that Czolgosz acted alone, meaning there is no apparent danger to her family. Far from

WIVES OF WAR Soraya Lane, Lake Union, 2017, $14.95, pb, 336pp, 9781503942769 In the heat of WWII, Scarlett is determined to 20th Century

find her missing fiancé, Thomas, and to do her bit for the war effort. Along the way, she encounters Ellie, an Irish girl with optimism and pluck. Ellie is looking for a man, and the European battlefront is just the place for her to find one. Ellie is also looking to help the Allies finally end the war. These two become inseparable, helping each other through various adventures throughout the novel. Partway through, a third heroine is introduced, Lucy, who is brave, determined, and ambitious. Lucy has grander plans for her life than a husband and family; she wants to become a doctor. Gradually, for Scarlett, her grand adventure becomes more and more about helping people in need, and less and less about finding Thomas. This is especially clear to the reader when a soldier named James joins the fray. Lucy has lessons to learn about herself and life in general. As for Ellie, her story encompasses twists that give the story just a little more depth. Watching each of these nurse’s love story is a pleasure, especially with Lane’s depiction of each woman’s downfalls and hopes. The character description and development is especially memorable; each heroine has relatable desires and dreams. With more substance than just a love story, Wives of War is hard to put down, and an excellent addition to one’s library. Alice Cochran THE PARIS SPY Susan Elia MacNeal, Bantam, 2017, $26.00/ C$35.00, hb, 297pp, 9780399593802 In the latest entry in Susan Elia MacNeal’s WWII mystery series featuring codebreaker and secret agent Maggie Hope, Maggie goes to occupied Paris in the spring of 1942 to discover what happened to another agent, Erica Calvert, who had been sent to collect sand samples from the beaches of Normandy to test the beaches’ suitability as an Allied invasion site. Calvert’s latest messages to England have arrived without her security check, and Maggie is afraid she might have been compromised. It turns out, as the reader discovers in the first few pages, that Calvert had been captured by the Nazis but committed suicide rather than reveal her secret. Her samples fall into the hands of Maggie’s friends and fellow agents, Sarah Sanderson and Hugh Thompson, who are in Paris on a mission of their own. But Maggie soon discovers that there may be a double agent within her organization, the Special Operations Executive (SOE), who could imperil the lives of Maggie and all her colleagues. Will Maggie discover the traitor before the Nazis learn the site of the planned invasion? Maggie has another mission in Paris besides her official one: to find her half-sister, Elise, a German Resistance worker, and bring her safely to London. But, as readers of earlier novels in the series will know, Maggie and Elise did not part on good terms, and Maggie wonders if her sister will accept her help. MacNeal conveys the atmosphere of occupied Paris in vivid detail, as Maggie encounters both collaborators, including Coco Chanel, and members of the French Resistance. The series is 20th Century

especially strong on the role of women in wartime, with Maggie and Sarah putting their lives in danger just as their male colleagues did. The intrepid Maggie is, as always, an engaging heroine. Vicki Kondelik WHERE THE WILD CHERRIES GROW Laura Madeleine, Black Swan, 2017, £7.99, pb, 330pp, 9781784160379 / Thomas Dunne, 2018, $26.95, 320pp, 9781250100580 Prologue: there is a cliff to be climbed. Below there are sea-washed rocks, and above there are sounds of merrymaking from a town. In between, a wild cherry tree has found a space where it has taken root. Readers must remember this lovely image as they read this novel. Is Emeline Vane alive, or did she die on the night in 1919 when, aged nineteen, bereaved, wretched and unstable, she vanished from Hallerton? Fifty years later, a youthful solicitor, Bill Perch, is looking for clues in this lonely house on the windswept Norfolk coast. The house is a ruin, but the land is valuable, and the property cannot be sold while Emeline—the owner—may still live. Emeline and Bill tell their stories turn by turn, and the drudgery Bill expected, of dust-filled rooms and crumbling files, becomes a thrilling quest as the conventional young man retraces Emeline’s journey from Paris. His own journey is one of setbacks and apparent dead ends. In a desperate escape from lifelong incarceration in a mental institution, Emeline had fled south to the coast, where she entered into the life of the hardworking fisher folk. There she was eventually accepted and rewarded with passion and joy. But at what cost? That is Bill’s final discovery at the end of his own journey and the end of Emeline’s story, in which there is some unrestrained sensuality, especially when succulent meals can be involved. Railway travel gives this novel extra conviction, pace and tension. The author must surely have taken the same route even if, unlike her desperate young protagonists, she paid for a ticket. Nancy Henshaw MOVING THE PALACE Charif Majdalani (trans. Edward Gauvin), New Vessel Press, 2017, $16.95/C$24.50, pb, 198pp, 9781939931467 The first thing you need to know about this novel is that it’s pretty much an exotic mood piece and travelogue. It’s delightful, but don’t look for a normal straight-line plot. It’s more like reading a beautiful dream. In 1908—or maybe in 1909—Samuel Ayyad leaves Lebanon for the Sudan, where he works for the British as a sort of agent-of-all-trades. None of this matters much, and elsewhere Shafik Abyad, a merchant-of-alltrades, has fallen in love with a deserted palace in Tripoli, and bought it. But the palace is unsellable, so Shafik decides to find a buyer somewhere else, and dismantles the palace, packs it up, and loads it on camels. And so, the palace’s journey begins. Time unfurls along with miles, and while no one ever buys the

palace, everyone along its path is dazzled by the very concept of a moving palace. (As is the reader— at least this reader was dazzled!) Eventually Samuel’s path crosses that of the moving palace and he travels with Shafik as he attempts to sell the gorgeous “white elephant” he’s stuck with. Finally, Shafik abandons the palace, and Samuel takes it on, leading to a charming happy ending. The plot is so ridiculous it sounds like real life, and the language is playfully enchanting—the translator did a marvelous job. The landscape is almost visible, and the sense of heat and sand and the effort of traveling the desert nearly tangible. Moving the Palace provides a delightful armchair ramble through a long-gone time and place. India Edghill

THE ADA DECADES Paula Martinac, Bywater, 2017, $15.95/C$22.95, pb, 165pp, 9781612940854 The “interconnected stories” on the book’s cover blurb made me a bit dismayed, because I prefer the novel format to short stories. But I quickly got caught up in the decades-long story arc of the romance of Ada Shook (school librarian) and Cam Lively (teacher), who meet during the turbulent beginnings of school integration in 1957 Charlotte, North Carolina. They become more than friends once Cam introduces Ada to her gay circle, and Ada realizes the repressed schoolgirl crushes in her past have developed into something more. The stories depict different aspects of historical LGBTQ life. Ada and Cam become roommates by 1960, when Ada accompanies Cam home for Christmas. They are assigned separate bedrooms, and Cam’s father talks of plans to send her to a doctor to “cure” her. Gay friends who are outed against their will have their lives ruined. The women deal with book censorship and bomb threats during school busing conflicts in the 1970s. They attend a gay pride parade in New York in 1982 and enjoy the freedom of not having to hide their relationship. Yet even in the 1990s, when Ada’s father has a heart attack, Ada feels she must keep Cam away from the hospital to protect themselves. There are no sex scenes beyond an interrupted clinch or two. Some important events take place offstage and are not revealed till later. Yet Martinac’s style made me feel that less is more, that leaving some parts out made the story more powerful. Cam and Ada are well-drawn characters, easy to identify with. This novel will make readers appreciate the difficulties today’s gay and lesbian senior citizens had to go through when they were young. Strongly recommended. B.J. Sedlock HNR Issue 81, August 2017 | Reviews | 43

THE WORLD OF TOMORROW Brendan Mathews, Little, Brown, 2017, $28.00/ C$36.50/£21.99, hb, 560pp, 9780316382199 This ambitious, sprawling adventure imagines New York City and the 1939 World’s Fair in all its jazzy glory. Mathews, a professor of creative writing, uses every fictional trick he can think of to steer the three main characters—the passionate but hapless Dempsey brothers, Martin, Francis, and Michael—in and around the streets, hotels, dance clubs, and back alleys of the metropolis. The beating heart of the narrative is Irish, and savvy readers will spot many allusions to Samuel Beckett and James Joyce, whose Ulysses is Mathews’ narrative model. As in Joyce’s masterpiece, we follow each brother in turn, up and down the city, and listen to his internal monologues. Beckett’s sense of loss and suspended identity is present in the central character of Michael, brain-damaged and aphasic after a brush with an IRA bomb, but acutely sensitive to the sights and sensibilities of the city in which he wanders, accompanied by the ghost of William Butler Yeats. After a brief prologue on a luxury ship en route from Ireland to New York, where we meet Michael and his brother Francis, a scrappy escaped con with a stolen IRA bankroll, who has donned the persona of a louche Scottish lord, the rest of the story takes place during a single tumultuous week. The third brother, the emigré Martin, is an up-and-coming big band leader who finds himself and his young family endangered by Francis’ underworld pursuers. But, there are many more characters, and whether readers will find this novel joyously overstuffed or annoyingly cluttered is a matter of taste. The multiple points of view—expressed in lovingly detailed musings and flashbacks—slow the action to a crawl at times; there’s a lot of telling rather than showing, and the author’s style can be a bit ponderous. Still, it’s an impressive evocation of the time and place, and the action becomes satisfyingly suspenseful in the last quarter of this long read. Kristen McDermott WHITE WITH FISH, RED WITH MURDER Harley Mazuk, Driven, 2017, $15.99, pb, 372pp, 97819252963 Down-and-out private eye Frank Swiver needs one more case to keep his agency going. Out of the blue comes an offer to discuss a job on a private railcar, with the promise of the taste of a rare California wine to further entice him. His secretary, Vera, also loves wine and can complete his cover. His assignment is to find the killer of Frank’s first love’s husband, and the widow is along for the ride. In the two hours preceding dinner and the tasting, the client is shot in his locked compartment, the smoking gun ends up in Vera’s room, and Frank and the widow remind themselves of what their love life could have been. When Vera is arrested at the end of the line, Frank must now solve two murders to keep his business afloat and rekindle 44 | Reviews |

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his romance. Set in San Francisco in 1948 and featuring the prime Napa growing region known as the Russian River Valley, Mazuk spins his tale in the gritty noir style reminiscent of Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler. His fondness for wine is evident in his descriptions; even the cat is named “Chardonnay.” Sexual innuendo, allusions to Maltese falcons, and stereotypes of the period abound, but Frank’s crime-solving skills are up to every challenge. As a fellow wine-lover I enjoyed the romp, but even teetotalers can appreciate the mystery and its solution. Tom Vallar DANDY GILVER AND A SPOT OF TOIL AND TROUBLE Catriona McPherson, Hodder & Stoughton, 2017, £19.99, hb, 9781473633445 I enjoy the Dandy Gilver crime series, and this latest offering from McPherson is, as ever, a pleasure to read. Set in Scotland in 1934, it features a missing ruby necklace and the mysterious death of a man 30 years earlier. Dandy and her colleague Alec Osborne set out to unravel the mysteries against the backdrop of a castle in Dumfriesshire, where a production of Macbeth is being rehearsed, leading to lots of Shakespeare quotes! The large cast of characters individually and inadvertently drop clues to the solution, and Dandy and Alec keep getting ‘wisps’ they cannot quite grasp, until the final denouement when everything is tied up satisfactorily. The Scottish background is authentic, the historical detail accurate and there are some delightfully eccentric character portraits, as well as some fine comic moments. Dandy and Alec’s relationship seems to have settled into a firm friendship, with Dandy being more maternal towards Alec than lover-like. jay Dixon

THE LONG DROP Denise Mina, Little, Brown, 2017, $26.00, hb, 240pp, 9780316380577 In the mid-1950s, Glasgow police discover a horrid triple murder: three women, brutally slain. The women, the wife, daughter, and sister-in-law of William Watts, were gunned down at home, in bed. Authorities suspect Watts and arrest him for the crime, but release him after a couple of months. His alibi holds up. In an effort to clear his name, Watts contacts career criminal Peter Manuel, who claims to know something about the slayings. The two men spend the night drinking together. Six months later, Peter Manuel is tried for murder. In this riveting novel, Mina fictionalizes the crime and trial that hypnotized mid-20th century

Glasgow. Serial killer Peter Manuel was executed in May of 1958, one of the last people to be killed by hanging in Scotland. Denise Mina’s taut and atmospheric prose brings Manuel’s criminal psyche back to life, and her novel sheds new light on possible ties between Watts and Manuel. The vanished Glasgow of that era is vividly portrayed—a tough city of courts and criminals, slums and suburbs, bakeries and bars. As we read of the lives and deaths of Manuel’s victims, they also breathe and live again. Highly recommended, especially for fans of thrillers and true crime. Susan McDuffie

THE BOAT RUNNER Devin Murphy, Harper Perennial, 2017, $15.00, pb, 384pp, 9780062658012 In this debut novel, Devin Murphy has crafted an unforgettable story of a young Dutch teen who comes of age during the horrific years of WWII. The protagonist, Jacob Koopman, has led a life of prosperity and security with his family in Holland, where his father owns the local lightbulb factory. But in 1939, Jacob and his brother Edwin are sent by their father to a summer German Youth Camp, which Mr. Koopman naively believes will help solidify his business relations with the Germans. In the camp, Jacob and Edwin engage in “games” that only later will be recognized as teaching the boys military tactics. The ensuing story follows Jacob for the next four years, in which he faces the reality of losing all that is important in life in exchange for his survival. Each act to ensure his safety is pitted against the moral dilemma of helping others. Gripping in its portrayal of the little-known history of young Dutch men conscripted by the German Navy, this riveting story unfolds with the consequences of resistance versus personal redemption. At first, I thought the ending arrived too abruptly until I realized that Jacob’s journey had been leading to this ultimate conclusion since the beginning of the book. A thoroughly great read. Linda Harris Sittig THE HEIRS OF OWAIN GLENDWR Peter Murphy, No Exit Press, 2016, $15.95/£8.99, pb, 415pp, 9781843447863 The year is 1969. A small group of Welsh nationalists have built a bomb planned to explode in Carnarvon castle just as Queen Elizabeth presents Prince Charles to the Welsh people as Prince of Wales. However, as one conspirator arrives at the castle with the bomb the police surround the car and arrest him. The plan has gone awry. Worse, one of the conspirators, Trevor, is missing, and Trevor’s small son is in the car. Trevor’s wife, Arianwen, who is driving the car, insists she knows nothing about 20th Century

the conspiracy or Trevor’s whereabouts. The first part of the book introduces the reader to the conspirators and their conspiracy and induces a sense of empathy with their cause. The rest of the book covers the preparations for the trial of Arianwen and two of the conspirators, along with the trial itself. Permeating the judicial wrangling are the questions: Where is Trevor? Did Arianwen know about the conspiracy or is she as innocent as she claims? Is her agony at being separated from her small son genuine or just a play to elicit sympathy? This is the fourth book in the Ben Schroeder series by Peter Murphy. It explores the deeply held feelings of the Cymru (Welsh) people and their desire to be free of oppressive British rule. It also captures the vast chasm between a deeplyheld desire for independence and an abhorrence of violence. Mainly, however, it is a courtroom drama, full of nuances between colleagues and opponents and subtly presented, legally correct innuendo. The basic premise of the book is profound and carried to a strong and satisfying conclusion with masterful characterization and dialog. I found this book engrossing. Not only was it a pleasure to read, it presented a relevant and timely theme within an absorbing tale. Valerie Adolph PENHALIGON’S ATTIC Terri Nixon, Piatkus, 2016, £8.99, pb, 394pp, 9780349412658 This novel is an historical romance set in the fishing village of Caernoweth in Cornwall. The main Cornish characters are fisherman Matthew Penhaligon, his father Joseph, a bookseller, and his daughter, Freya. Into the small village from Ireland come Anna Garvey and her daughter, Mairead, bringing with them a terrible secret which they must conceal. Anna is descended from a local Cornish family, the Penworthys, and lays claim to her birthright, a grimy, unsuccessful pub called The Tinner’s Arms. With a lot of hard work, Anna begins to turn the business around and win over the locals. Matthew has his own problems but his daughter Freya is determined to get the bookshop, Penhaligon’s Attic, back on its feet, with the help of Mairead, after Joseph has a stroke. The action takes place in 1910, with a few introductory chapters set in 1899, before the main action begins. The story involves a series of strong female characters but has a love story at its heart. The ending is slightly implausible, but the journey there is quite enjoyable. Julie Parker SURVIVING THE FATHERLAND Annette Oppenlander, Oppenlander Enterprises, 2017, $14.99, pb, 370pp, 9780997780048 WWII fiction continues to be a popular genre, and as such it can be daunting for readers to make a selection that is both engaging and unique. This story is set apart from the usual fare in that it’s not about occupied France or the bombing of Britain, but focuses on another set of innocent lives torn 20th Century

apart by Hitler’s war machine: German women, children and elderly. Günter is in his early teens when both his father and older brother are sent off to war. In his care are his mother and younger brother, and as the rations dry up and the bombing begins, he finds it more and more difficult to keep them afloat. Soon enough he is also called to fight, and he must make a decision that is best for his family. Meanwhile, a parallel story is told about a young girl named Lilly, who is in a similar home situation. Eventually the two meet and become inseparable—until the emotional baggage they each carry threatens to unravel their newly constructed lives. Based on a true story, this novel offers an eyeopening view of the sufferings of the women, children, and elderly left behind once Hitler had taken away all able-bodied men for his war efforts. The landscape was desolate, worsening even after the war was over. The children who survived the war years carried scars that would affect their handling of the Wirtschaftswunder (reconstruction)—a particularly interesting period in German history. This novel is fast-paced and emotively worded and features a great selection of characters, flawed and poignantly three-dimensional. Arleigh Johnson THE AMBER SHADOWS Lucy Ribchester, Pegasus Crime, 2017, $25.95, hb, 464pp, 9781681774480 / Simon & Schuster, 2016, £7.99, pb, 464pp, 9781471139284 During WWII, Honey Deschamps diligently works at an office in Bletchley Circle, transcribing decrypted signals from the German army. The work can be tedious at times, but Honey enjoys solving puzzles. When rumors of loot being stolen from the Amber Room in Leningrad begin circulating the office, Honey doesn’t really pay attention at first. But then she begins receiving mysterious packages in the mail with small pieces of amber tucked inside. As more packages arrive, Honey is reminded of her brother and the stories he would tell to explain the disappearance of their father. She also realizes that the pieces form code. She sets her mind to solving the code and discovering the reason why these pieces are being sent to her. Could the sender be her brother, or her long-lost father? Or the strange man with the dog who hand-delivered the first package? Or is it a test from the Home Office to test her loyalty? The further Honey digs, the more confused she gets, and the more dangerous it becomes. Suspense, mystery, and intrigue are high in this novel. Ribchester easily transports readers to the past, cleverly hiding clues throughout bits of the story, and creating quite a number of twists and turns throughout. Bletchley Circle comes alive, as do the feelings of fear, distrust, and paranoia of the times. Readers will be kept guessing, and the ending is a surprise. Recommended. Rebecca Cochran THE WAY TO LONDON Alix Rickloff, William Morrow, 2017, $15.99, pb,

384pp, 9780062433206 September 1941: 21-year-old Lucy Stanhope is living in luxury with her English parents in Singapore. After breaking a social norm, she is sent to stay with an aunt in Cornwall and, while on the ship home, Lucy meets the cavalier Corporal McKeegan. In Cornwall, she continues to lead an active social life and befriends Bill, a 12-yearold evacuee from London. Lucy’s aspirations of living in Paris are shattered when she learns of the presumed death of her parents following the Japanese invasion. A family friend, a Hollywood movie producer, then arrives in London. Dreaming of stardom, Lucy plans to meet him, so she and Bill, who badly wants to find his lost mother in the city, steal away on a secret train journey. While walking around bombed railway lines, the weary fugitives, still miles from London, arrive in Charbury in Somerset, amazingly just on McKeegan’s doorstep. Having some ulterior motives, McKeegan offers to drive them to their destination. The travelers face numerous personal and external difficulties along their way, each wondering if they will achieve their hearts’ desires. Alix Rickloff has penned an entertaining novel. Lucy’s life in Singapore and the hardships she faces in wartime England are well presented. The period details and dialogue, contrasting the lives of ordinary civilians, soldiers, and upper-class elites, are dramatized in exciting scenes. These, along with snippets of historical events and descriptions of the surroundings, place us alongside Lucy and her friends and foes on their journey. Although the plot abounds with coincidences, where characters meet at the right times and right venues, Rickloff keeps our attention by having Lucy face an increasing number of seemingly insurmountable obstacles. While the novel is light on details of the war itself, Lucy’s and other characters’ resolve to endure adversity with humor and diligently pursue their objectives, makes this work an appealing one. Recommended. Waheed Rabbani A DANGEROUS CROSSING Rachel Rhys, Doubleday, 2017, £12.99, hb, 366pp, 9780857524706 Inspired by the real life of a young girl who made the voyage between London and Sydney, Rachel Rhys successfully makes her debut into historical fiction. In 1939 Europe is on the brink of war, and Lily Shepherd boards a ship bound for Australia. She has been approved for an assisted passage, whereby she will go into domestic service once she reaches Sydney. She has been in service in the past as well as a waitress. But she wishes to escape an incident that has darkened her life in England. She is not the only one, however, who has a secret that they don’t wish others on board to learn. Lily is in tourist class but class lines are not observed as they would be if they were onshore. She tends to mingle with a brother and sister, Edward and Helena Fletcher, and there is something strained about their relationship. A couple from first class, HNR Issue 81, August 2017 | Reviews | 45

Max and Eliza Campbell, decide that they rather like spending time with Lily and the Fletchers. The Campbells even treat Lily and Edward to a trip to Egypt to see the Pyramids. As the book progresses it is clear that everyone is hiding things from other people, and there is also an undertone of deceit. Many things occur during the five-week journey. By the end of it, two people are dead, war has been declared and it is clear that the passengers who were directly affected by the two deaths will never be able to forget what transpired on the voyage. This book is an utterly absorbing and thrilling read. Cathy Powell THE HIMALAYAN CODEX Bill Schutt and J.R. Finch, William Morrow, 2017, $26.99/C$33.50, hb, 355pp, 9780062412553 WWII has just ended. Captain J. R. MacReady, U.S. Army Intelligence officer and trained zoologist, is sent into the Tibetan mountain valleys ostensibly to search for mysterious mammoth bones. What Mac, and his friend, a mentally gifted and immensely likeable indigenous Brazilian woman named Yanni, don’t realize is the real purpose of the mission. They are following in the footsteps of 1st-century Roman naturalist and historian Pliny. As the team comes to understand the real objective, they find themselves searching for a biological secret which is seemingly related to the mythical Yeti of Tibet. But the possibilities are far more intriguing and dangerous than any “abominable snowman”—a means to mold life by speeding evolution, ethnically targeted biological weapons, and miracle cures for all diseases may be the outcome of their endeavors. The team not only encounters bizarrely strange and dangerous biological creatures, including weird intelligent primates of different varieties, they find themselves dealing with aggressive communist Chinese soldiers and with Soviet Russians on the way—all intending to exploit the ancient secrets of the valley which Pliny tried to hide forever. I reviewed the authors’ debut novel and compared it favorably to Michael Crichton’s science-infused thrillers. This great sequel is more like Jules Verne’s Journey to the Center of the Earth. The savvy reader will recognize historical figures from the time period, but they are almost casually emplaced. The authors were clearly having a good time. Mac also discovers a “trophy room from hell” which surpasses all the natural history museums of the current world. There is a fantastic line in the book—“the strangest band of travelers since the Wizard of Oz.” Readers will find to their fascination that the description is completely accurate. Highly readable and great fun! Thomas J. Howley THE AGE OF OLYMPUS Gavin Scott, Titan, 2017, $14.95/C$19.95/£7.99, pb, 351pp, 9781783297825 Greece, 1946: Duncan Forrester returns to post-war Greece, accompanied by his lover, the Norwegian countess Sophia Arnfeldt-Laurvig. 46 | Reviews |

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Forrester comes back on an archaeological mission, hoping to reclaim a mysterious stone he located during the war. He believes the artifact holds the secret to deciphering the enigmatic Linear B script. Duncan and Sophia intend to leave for Crete after a short visit to Athens. But a Greek poet they are dining with dies suspiciously, and Forrester himself encounters a mysterious masked adversary. It then becomes evident that the poet may not have been the intended victim. Forrester believes the intended target was Ari Alexandros, a noted general and war hero who is being courted by the Greek communists. If Alexandros chooses to lead the communists Greece may erupt in civil war, and the communists could gain control of the country. Eventually Forrester and Sophie do make it to Crete, but adventure, intrigue, and murder follow them throughout the wine-dark sea, as they fight to save Forrester’s archaeological find, and the life of Alexandros. This thrilling mystery moves at a breakneck pace. Scott has worked as a screenwriter, and his previous credits include The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles. This novel reminded me of one of Indy’s adventures. Replete with shape-shifting villains, femme fatales, mysterious relics, and an enchanted island, this hero’s journey makes an entertaining read. Susan McDuffie THE FROZEN HOURS Jeff Shaara, Ballantine, 2017, $28.99/C$38.99, hb, 520pp, 9780345549228 In June 1950, after the North Korean army invades South Korea, heading below the 38th parallel, the United Nations votes to mobilize armed forces to aid the South Korean government. After landing in South Korea, the U.S. Army and Marines defeat the North Koreans and push north. Landing in North Korea, they march northwest toward the Yalu River, dividing Korea from Communist China. The Chinese army moves across the Yalu towards the American forces and manages to encircle the Americans upon the various hills of the Korean landscape. In November, the below-zero temperatures and constant snow limit the American forces’ ability to defend their positions against constant attacks by a Chinese army far exceeding their numbers. The allies are commanded by General Douglas MacArthur, stationed in Tokyo. General Oliver Smith commands the 1st Marine Division. Faced with extreme cold and overwhelming odds, the Marines must battle the elements along with an enemy that attacks only at night. This well-written, entertaining, and wellresearched docudrama portrays the Korean War in its first critical year, when the massive Chinese army attempted to stop the advance of Allied forces. The author is known for his Civil War novels, but he has also written about WWI and WWII. He takes a handful of American servicemen and tells the story about their plight, and also writes from the viewpoint of a Chinese general. The battle sequences are both exciting and horrifying as the

troops try to survive not only the raging battles, but also the extreme cold, where frostbite becomes another enemy. This is an ambitious undertaking, and the author manages to carry it off. Jeff Westerhoff

AFTER ANATEVKA: A Novel Inspired by Fiddler on the Roof Alexandra Silber, Pegasus, 2017, $25.95/£20.99, hb, 256pp, 9781681774343 Who can forget the story and music of the Broadway hit Fiddler on the Roof? Alexandra Silber has taken on the formidable task of continuing the story of two children from Tevye and Golde’s family. This phenomenal story carries the light tone of the earlier musical and the vacillating light and dark moods of Russian literature, all sensitively balanced with perfect timing. The majority of the novel concerns the second eldest daughter, Hodel, who follows Perchik, a Russian Communist, to the vast, frozen hinterlands of Siberia after her family is forced to flee Russia in 1905. But before she and Perchik can live in loving bliss amidst the most acute possible suffering, Hodel spends a year in a Russian prison, where unspeakable things happen to her. This is the most amazing portion, as amidst terrible doubt and darkness, she recalls the words and mood of her eldest sister, who daily lived out her joy and faithfulness to Elohim and the traditions passed down for countless generations. It does not matter what circumstances buffet Hodel; that faith and joy in thinking about the small moments of life keep her sane and light-hearted, even after the numbness has passed over possibly losing Perchik. We then meet various fellow prisoners in Perchik’s camp and witness their madness, sanity, appreciation of beautiful music, and most of all their kindness to each other, ironic indeed because of the total lack of same from their captors. This is a gorgeous, captivating story that truly deserves the name of great historical fiction. Alexandra Silber is notably knowledgeable about her topic, but most of all inserts the “Russian soul” into it that earns it the hallmark of being called classic literature. Extraordinary! Viviane Crystal

THE GARMENT MAKER’S DAUGHTER Hillary Adrienne Stern, Hillary A. Stern, 2016, $8.79, pb, 352pp, 9780998241616 In the early 20th century, three immigrants stand aboard a ship sailing into Ellis Island, each with their own dreams about what coming to America will mean for them: Daniel, a Polish boy with a love of language and law, and Rachel and Joe, Jewish siblings hoping for a better life. They are about to meet New Yorkers Jake, a rough labor 20th Century

representative, and his dazzling girlfriend, Sophie. Together, they will change one another’s lives in ways no one could imagine. Over the next 50 years, these five friends come into and fall out of one another’s lives through joy and pain, tragedy and triumph. But there is one secret that could tear them apart forever. The Garment Maker’s Daughter is a beautiful multi-generational epic about life, love and the choices we make. The characters are well drawn, and the plot is refreshingly realistic, allowing both positive and negative occurrences to color the characters’ lives, rather than romantically painting over the rough patches. Stern has obviously done her research, and she effortlessly plants the reader in a variety of historically accurate settings, from stuffy shirtwaist factory workrooms to a cozy hotel in the Catskills and the opulent dining halls of the political elite. She keeps the reader on track with a few real-life event tie-ins, but the crux of the story is the relationships of its main characters, and they do not disappoint. The expert pacing kept me turning pages, and Stern’s engaging plot had me hooked until the very last page. I highly recommend this wonderful tale of life, love and the struggle to be true to oneself as a book everyone should read. Nicole Evelina VICHYSSOISE Olga Swan, Crooked Cat, 2016, £7.99, pb, 287pp, 9781911381174 The Vichy government was the collaborationist regime headed by Marechal Petain which was permitted by the Nazis to rule central and southeastern France after its defeat in 1940. The book’s characters relate their part in the Resistance to the regime which connived at the deportation of thousands of French Jews to a horrible fate in eastern Europe. In my twenty years reviewing over fifty books for the Historical Novel Society, I have enjoyed many fast-paced, page-turning stories set in Europe during my chosen period of 1840-1950. Others have been long-winded, self-indulgent family memoirs of unnecessary detail. At nearly 300 pages this book only narrowly escapes this, but I think it is too long for its story. The English is good, the smattering of German gives it verity and the Nazis behave like Nazis. Most of the book is of reminiscences, and as such easily leads to boredom. There is very little dialogue, which always adds characterisation to a story and is essential in fiction. Much of the book reads like a very descriptive report from an operative to his boss. Because of the above, I would find it very difficult to buy this book for my own library, but it is a well-written documentation of the times 20th Century

from the author’s point of view, but with a lack of expert editing. We seem to have soft, felt fedoras everywhere. Geoffrey Harfield MOTHERING SUNDAY Graham Swift, Scribner, 2016, £8.99, pb, 149pp, 9781471155246 / Vintage, 2017, $15, pb, 192pp, 9781101971727 Despite the title, Mothering Sunday is lacking in mothers. It is the story of what a young housemaid and orphan, Jane Fairchild, chooses to do, and the consequences of those choices, on Mothering Sunday in 1924, a day when other housemaids visited their mothers. Mothering Sunday also looks forward to the life that Jane is to live—although not as a mother. Despite being only 149 pages long, Mothering Sunday excels in both breadth and depth. Jane will take advantage of the opportunities offered by a changing, post-war Britain to remake herself anew, going on to become first a shop girl in a bookshop, and then a writer. By contrast, her employers, the Nivens, and their neighbours, the Sheringhams, are looking backwards, trying to maintain old traditions like Mothering Sunday, and the social gap between employer and employee, while suffering from grief caused by losing their sons in the war. Although not yet a writer, Jane uses her status as an outsider to observe her surroundings closely. She notes from the pictures on the walls, ignored by homeowners and guests, that maids are their “true connoisseurs, as they dusted the frames and cleaned the glass”. Jane is a connoisseur of the pictures on the walls, the otherwise unread books in the library, and the people she finds around her, several of whom will later be included in her novels. While Mothering Sunday is an enjoyable and thought-provoking read, it feels a little stale in comparison to Swift’s Booker Prize-winning novel Last Orders. The observant girl who will defy convention to later become a writer evoked other similar novels, such as Ian McEwan’s Atonement. However, it is an elegant and evocative novel, and well worth reading. Laura Shepperson THE DIPLOMAT’S DAUGHTER Karin Tanabe, Washington Square, 2017, $16.00/ C$22.00/£8.99, pb, 464pp, 9781501110474 Japanese internment camps set up inside the United States during WWII have been tackled in historical fiction a number of times in recent years: Isabel Allende’s The Japanese Lover and Lisa See’s Shanghai Girls, to name but two. Now Karin Tanabe, author of The Gilded Years, brings to life the turbulent period around Pearl Harbor through the stories of three young people whose lives change radically because of the war. There is a Japanese girl, Emi Kato—the diplomat’s daughter of the title—who finds herself detained in a Texan internment camp before being abruptly sent back to Japan. There is also the story of Leo Hartmann, Emi’s first love, who she met in

Vienna in the 1930s and from whom she is parted when Leo’s Jewish family are forced to flee as Hitler rises to power. And lastly, there is Christian Lange, the handsome young German-American Emi meets in the camp in Texas, only to be parted from him as the war spins them in different directions. Crossing continents and spanning several years, the novel has a saga-like quality; clearly headed chapters are vital in helping keep the reader on track with the time and character in focus at any given point. Above all, this is a novel about people from different backgrounds and walks of life being flung together by circumstance and finding love. In The Diplomat’s Daughter, that circumstance for Emi Kato was being sent to a mixed internment camp where Americans of both Japanese and German descent were detained. Tanabe describes herself as person of mixed race—she has a Belgian mother and a Japanese father—and so for her, she says, this novel ‘felt like a natural one for me to write.’ Her attachment to her characters and passion for the period shine through. Kate Braithwaite

SOLITAIRE Jane Thynne, Simon & Schuster, 2017, £8.99, pb, 455pp, 9781471155819 Summer 1940. As war tightens its grip on Berlin, Anglo-German actress Clara Vine has severed her ties with the British intelligence service and is trying to keep her head down and survive for the sake of her godson Erich. But Joseph Goebbels has other plans for her, as he “asks” her to go to Occupied Paris to report on a suspected spy. Orphan Katerina Klimpel is also trying to survive in a Nazi-run children’s home, while worrying about the unexplained disappearance of her half-sister. But a greater danger threatens her because, although she is blonde and blue-eyed, she is hampered by a lame leg in a society in which any disability is regarded as “undesirable”. One false step and Clara and Katerina are equally in danger... What I loved about this atmospheric thriller is that it deals with some of the forgotten aspects of the Nazi regime, like the treatment of orphans and children snatched from their parents in occupied territories because they matched the Aryan ideal. I also liked seeing the female perspective on the workings of Hitler’s closest allies, through Clara’s friendships with their wives and girlfriends. Thynne is superb at depicting the sense of claustrophobia and paranoia engendered by living under a totalitarian regime, and the terrible dilemma adults faced when confronted with the dangerous naivety of teenagers who have been brought up on a diet of Nazi propaganda. But the book is also laced with dark humour. HNR Issue 81, August 2017 | Reviews | 47

Although this is the fifth novel in the Clara Vine series, I had no difficulty in picking up the back story—though I would advise others to read the books in sequence because, inevitably, this novel reveals the outcome of some earlier plotlines. I’m certainly planning on reading the previous books—and the next one(s). Jasmina Svenne

KISS CARLO Adriana Trigiani, Harper, 2017, $27.99, hb, 544pp, 9780062319227 / Simon & Schuster, 2017, £12.99, pb, 544pp, 9781471136399 Fans of Adriana Trigiani have a new reason to rejoice with the publication of her latest gem, Kiss Carlo. Trigiani is adroit at depicting large families in all of their flawed, chaotic and dysfunctional glory, not without a strong undercurrent of love that prevents them from drowning, and the Castone family does not disappoint. The story opens in 1949 and follows Nicky Castone, a twenty-something cab driver who had been orphaned as a young child and raised by his aunt and uncle in their large Italian family in South Philadelphia. Although he is very close with his family, and his cousins are like brothers to him, he has always felt a bit unanchored in life. He works for his family’s taxi company but, unbeknownst to his family and fiancée, Peachy, he begins working for a local theater company and gets bitten by the acting bug. It is there he meets Calla Borelli, who is desperately trying to save her father’s theatrical legacy. There’s a lot going on in this book, resulting in storylines that seem to veer off course, but ultimately, the plot lines are intricately woven together, coming to a neat and tidy, satisfying resolution. The effects of a decades-old family rift between two families, the search for love, the search for family, and finding a place to belong are the themes that crop up most often. Nicky is one of the most appealing and genuine characters that Trigiani has ever created. With authentic dialogue peppered with observations about human nature and over-the-top comedic situations, Kiss Carlo will likely appeal to her loyal fans as well as garner new ones. Hilary Daninhirsch SHINE LIKE THE DAWN Carrie Turansky, Multnomah, 2017, $14.99/ C$19.99, pb, 352pp, 9781601429407. Award-winning author Carrie Turansky’s newest inspirational romance returns to the Edwardian era in a standalone title with memorable characters and a charming love story between estranged childhood friends. Margaret Lounsbury was deprived of her prospects following 48 | Reviews |

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the tragic death of her parents, forcing her to work in her grandmother’s millinery shop and help care for her younger sister, Violet. Their death also alienated her from Nathaniel Harcourt, the heir of Morningside Manor, who returns home from the Royal Navy to claim his birthright and take control of his father’s company. As they try to restore a friendship damaged by years of loss, new information surrounding her parents’ death emerges, leading Margaret on a hunt for resolution. Will Margaret’s search finally bring her closure or will it hurt both of their chances at happiness? Turansky’s novel touches upon themes familiar to readers of the period, in a time where new technologies were changing how we lived, and a climate of industrialization bred changes in the work force “below stairs” and in factories. With a sincere message about faith and forgiveness, and an original plot with a hint of mystery, Shine Like the Dawn is a fine contribution to the genre. Lauren Miller SLOW TRAIN TO SONORA Loyd M. Uglow, Five Star, 2017, $25.95, hb, 342pp, 9781432834135 In 1911, Mexico is on the brink of civil war. The United States War Department assigns veteran army officer C.W. Langhorne across the border into Mexico on an information-gathering expedition. There is concern that if civil war breaks out, U.S. forces may be needed to protect the interests of American business owners. Langhorne must also use the railroad to see if the rail system can carry troops and supplies south. Rodolfo Escarra is the brutal head of the Acordada, the Mexican secret police in Sonora. Escarra learns of Langhorne’s travels, suspects he is a spy, and seeks to find and kill him. Langhorne learns of Escarra and his motives and must flee back north. This first in the Border Army series combines action with suspense from the first chapter through the book’s conclusion. The political turmoil in Mexico creates an exciting setting as the characters travel from location to location south of the border. A real page-turner and an enjoyable western thriller. Jeff Westerhoff BENEATH THE APPLE LEAVES Harmony Verna, Kensington, 2017, $15.00/ C$16.95, pb, 344pp, 9781617739439 Immigrants and the working class in early 20th-century America were faced with extreme hardship while eking out a living. The story takes place in Pennsylvania and centers around Andrew Houghton and the Kiser family. Eveline Kiser is Andrew’s aunt, and her husband Wilhelm is a German immigrant. Before Andrew’s father died in a mining accident, Andrew promised him that he would never go underground to work the mines. When he takes a job working on the railroad with Wilhelm, he is hopeful for a better future. Quickly his dreams are destroyed when he suffers a horrific accident on the job. WWI was now raging and

America’s views toward Germans turned paranoid and hateful. Wilhelm’s dreams also end when he is fired from his job because of his German heritage. The paranoid atmosphere viewed him as being in a position to sabotage America’s railways, which were so critical to the survival of America. Wilhelm leaves his comfortable home in the city for an abandoned farm in the country. The family struggles to make the house livable and the farm productive. The old farmhouse was Lily Morton’s childhood home and the scene of tragedy in her childhood, but she loves the old apple tree where she would find safety in its sheltering branches. The apple tree plays a significant role in the family’s lives. Andrew and Lily meet and fall in love under the tree, and it is associated with the death and heartache that haunts the family. Harmony Verna’s language is rich in description, and her writing flows beautifully. Andrew and the Kiser family are hit with tragedy at every turn, and I felt the weight of all their sorrows, but there is hope and the strength of family. This is Verna’s second novel. I read and loved her first novel, Daughter of Australia, and this one is also a wonderful read. I look forward to another novel from her. Janice Ottersberg THE YEAR OF COUNTING SOULS Michael Wallace, Lake Union, 2017, $14.95, pb, 332pp, 9781477823767 December 1941: Japan attacks Manila. The Philippines had been relying on the American military to defend the island, but the Japanese military was stronger, and backup American forces never appeared. Escape was the order of the day. Louise Harrison is an American nurse scheduled to be evacuated, but her concern for a patient makes her return to the hospital, and it’s too late for her when she returns to the port. Instead, she watches Japanese Zero planes bomb the last remaining ship into oblivion. Now, the goal changes, and she and several American officers head north, first toward Bataan and then to a small hidden village. On the way, a Japanese soldier is grievously wounded, and Louise honors her commitment to save lives rather than allow the patient to be killed. While her decision is respected, it doesn’t win her approval at all. That dislike becomes more intense as she becomes friendly with Sammy Mori. What she doesn’t know becomes the core of the remaining story, as Sammy’s brother, Yoshiko, a member of the dreaded Japanese Kuomintang or Secret Police, hunts Sammy, supposedly for “treason.” Readers will find this account of the Japanese occupation of the Philippines fascinating and heartwrenching as weakness and power vie for survival in characters on opposing sides. Like it or not, to the victor belong the spoils, and our fascination lies with how the vanquished will find meaning in a totally changed world. Louise may be criticized by her superior officers, but she represents all that is left of humanitarian ideals. While we are rooting for her, reality dictates otherwise. Remarkable historical fiction that is highly recommended! Viviane Crystal THE ESSENCE OF MALICE 20th Century

Ashley Weaver, Minotaur, 2017, $24.99/C$34.99, hb, 304pp, 9781250060464 British socialite Amory Ames and her debonair husband, Milo, are urged by a trusted old friend to investigate the mysterious death of a wealthy perfume magnate in Paris, and the first question to answer is whether or not it was murder. Using a harmless bit of subterfuge, they succeed in becoming acquainted with the dead man’s three adult children and young second wife, each of whom seems to have a possible motive. The pool of potential suspects also expands beyond this prominent family as clues mount up. Amory, an intelligent, poised, and modern 1930s woman, has considerable patience with her husband’s tendency to charm women everywhere and his penchant for being intractable. However, tensions between the couple simmer when he keeps secrets from her about his comings and goings and expresses a sudden reversal of opinion concerning the question of whether a murder actually occurred. Despite years of marriage, Milo remains as much a mystery to her as the case they are trying to unravel. They appear to be working at cross purposes part of the time while she presses forward with the investigation on her own, encountering a series of red herrings until stumbling upon a treacherous adversary. The major twist at the end reveals something much larger behind the situation than originally assumed and the unexpected reasons the death occurred. Written in first person from Amory’s point of view, this novel presents an intricate puzzle to solve. It has roots in the tradition of uppercrust amateur sleuths from the era but remains fresh and unpredictable. The main characters are sophisticated, stylish, and multi-dimensional. Effective hooks keep the action moving swiftly, and clever dialogue paired with well-developed atmosphere make it quite entertaining. Cynthia Slocum KINGS OF BROKEN THINGS Theodore Wheeler, Little A, 2017, $14.95, pb, 326pp, 9781503941465 Kings of Broken Things is set in Omaha, Nebraska, from the last years of the first World War in 1917 through the Red Summer of 1919. Wheeler focuses on three characters: Karel, an immigrant boy with a talent for baseball and trouble; Jake, a young man who works for Omaha’s political boss, Tom Dennison; and Evie, daughter of an African American woman but passing for white, who becomes Jake’s kept woman. Wheeler’s protagonists aren’t very sympathetic, but I think that’s the point in this place and time. They’re all living a hardscrabble existence in Omaha. Karel lives with his three sisters and widower father in a boardinghouse. His father repairs musical instruments and is ineffective at curtailing his son’s activities. Jake got into trouble in his small town so fled to Omaha. A murder gets him in with Boss Dennison. If Evie wasn’t a kept woman, she’d be walking the streets. The wartime hardships inexorably build to the book’s climax 20th Century

in the summer of 1919, when the city is almost lit on fire during a mob lynching of an African American accused of raping a white woman. The heat and violence are vivid, and although almost one hundred years in the past, the political machinations that stirred up the mob and the racism feel all too contemporary right now. I felt disquieted at the end of this book, in part I think because Karel, Jake, and Evie had done nothing to stem the violence, and Karel actually participated in it. There are no heroes because in extraordinary circumstances, many ordinary people will still do ordinary things. It’s a bleak conclusion, but a prescient one. Readers who like their fiction gritty and realistic will appreciate this book. Ellen Keith COCOA BEACH (US) / THE HOUSE ON COCOA BEACH (UK) Beatriz Williams, William Morrow, 2017, $27.99/C$34.99, hb, 384pp, 9780062681690 / HarperCollins, 2017, £7.99, pb, 464pp, 9780008132675 Williams returns to the characters and Jazz Age period she has so entertainingly explored in A Certain Age and The Wicked City. Cocoa Beach follows Virginia Fortescue (the elder sister of A Certain Age’s heroine, Sophie) to Florida in search of her English husband, Simon, who has apparently perished in a fire. She arrives at Cocoa with her adorable toddler, Evelyn, and immediately is enmeshed in intrigues even more sinister than the ones that prompted her hasty abandonment of her groom in England three years earlier. The narrative alternates between Virginia’s investigation in 1922 of her husband’s Florida estate and her reunion with his siblings, Clara and Samuel, and flashbacks to her and Simon’s passionate wartime courtship in France, where she had fled to escape a traumatic childhood by becoming a Red Cross ambulance driver. Williams’ breezy narrative style and lush descriptions make addictive reading, and her heroines are always intelligent, complex, and sympathetic. Unfortunately, this is a mystery-romance that sinks under the weight of its own convoluted cleverness; the cascade of scandalous revelations, increasingly melodramatic and far-fetched, overwhelm the reader even more than they do poor Virginia. It’s especially frustrating that Williams is forced to give Virginia frequent illnesses and concussions to justify her monumental cluelessness in the face of obvious red flags about her beloved. Also, Williams wastes her exotic setting—Florida’s lush coastline, booming development, and seedy bootlegging culture—by giving Virginia no time to appreciate it, returning instead to the well-worn streets of WWI Paris and the skeevy attentions of Virginia’s beloved Simon, who is too hysterical and narcissistic to make an appealing romantic interest. Fans of the previous novels will still enjoy the ways Williams deepens the connections among her ever-growing cast of intriguing characters, but newcomers may be puzzled by this story’s rather

toxic approach to romance. Kristen McDermott A TALENT FOR MURDER Andrew Wilson, Simon & Schuster, 2017, £14.99, hb, 380pp, 9781471148217 / Atria, 2017, $26.00/ C$35.00, hb, 320pp, 9781501145063 In December 1926, Agatha Christie went missing for ten days. The police organised searches for her, and press speculation reached frenzied heights. She was discovered at a hotel in Harrogate and returned home, apparently suffering from some kind of amnesia and nervous breakdown caused by her husband Archie’s infidelity with Nancy Neele. Andrew Wilson takes the known facts of Christie’s real disappearance and weaves a fictional tale of murder and mayhem around them. There are some nice period details, especially in the descriptions of clothing. One of the most memorable scenes occurs when Agatha is forced to dance an hysterical Charleston in the hotel. The fledgling investigative journalist, Una Crowe, with her penchant for ingenious lies, which get her the information nobody else can find, is an engaging and welldrawn character. The stubborn, unhealthy police superintendent Kenward is certain that Christie is dead and that her husband has killed her. The premise of the villainous plot surrounding the missing crime novelist is never quite convincing, and the pace of the story is occasionally lacklustre. The villain, his wife, and Agatha herself do not quite step out of the pages to convince us in this intriguing and well-researched story. Tracey Warr THE LIFE SHE WAS GIVEN Ellen Marie Wiseman, Kensington, 2017, $15.00/ C$16.95/£12.99, pb, 304pp, 9781617734496 Ellen Marie Wiseman is noted for capturing little known pockets of American life and depicting them with heart and insight; her latest novel may be her most harrowing yet. In the Depression era, a young girl, Lily, is kept in a secret attic of her family home. When her mother remembers, she brings her food. Lily has never breathed fresh air, nor has she ever been allowed to venture into any other part of the house. She has no idea why, other than that she is a “monster,” though she has never seen herself in the mirror. When a traveling circus comes to town, her mother does the unthinkable and sells her daughter. Terrified, Lily is forced into the circus life, even though she knows nothing about life at all. Subject to cruelty but also exposed to love for the first time, Lily learns to call upon reserves of strength that she never knew she had. Twenty years later, a young woman, Julia, has inherited her parents’ estate and soon begins to suspect that they were keeping a dark secret; the reader suspects that the two stories, which are told in alternating voices, will eventually interconnect. The author’s in-depth knowledge of traveling circuses and “freak shows” of the era is evident. The novel seamlessly blends mystery and history HNR Issue 81, August 2017 | Reviews | 49

with compelling and well-researched details. The two women in the book, though separated by time, demonstrate resilience in the face of despair. Thematic elements include religious extremism; the many forms of love; and strength under adverse circumstances. Sensitive readers should be aware of several very vivid and graphic scenes depicting cruelty to both humans and animals. Hilary Daninhirsch JARULAN BY THE RIVER Lily Woodhouse, HarperCollins Australia, 2017, A$29.99, pb, 432pp, 9781460753132 Matthew Fenchurch owns Jarulan, a mansion in the north of New South Wales. His wife, Min, has died, and his elder son, Llew, has been killed on the Western Front. His dissolute younger son, Eddie, was sent as a remittance man to New Zealand. Vulnerable and grief-stricken, Matthew falls for the wiles of sixteen-year-old servant Evie Tyrell, but when Lorna and Jean, Matthew’s daughters, arrive to stay, it is Lorna’s German maid, Rufina, also still in her teens, who manages to lure Matthew away from Evie with dramatic consequences. Twenty years later, Rufina travels to New Zealand, where Eddie has lived a Bohemian lifestyle among the Maori, and she asks his son Irving to return to work on Jarulan. After she tells him he will inherit the property, but only if certain demands are met, Irving is faced with a difficult choice. This is both an intriguing novel and a frustrating one. Certain aspects are written about in depth while others seem to be deliberately avoided. Several important life-changing events are alluded to but not always clarified, leaving one to guess what might have happened. Added to this is the bewildering inclusion of ghosts without sufficient explanation as to who they were, plus other loose threads. Also, the use of Maori words without translation is irritating to the uninitiated. In spite of his failings, Irving is one of the more appealing characters, and the awkward illegitimate Helena deserves sympathy, but Rufina is unlikeable due to her callous nature, including a fondness for killing birds. Even if eventually she does display hope of redemption, it all comes too late to be convincing, let alone for her to warm the reader’s heart. One of those novels you want to like but just leaves you with the wanting. Marina Maxwell FRAULEIN M. Caroline Woods, Tyrus, 2017, $24.99/C$30.99, hb, 302pp, 9781507200223 Berni and Grete Metzger live at St. Luisa’s Home for Girls; for Berni, the deprivation and rules leave her longing for an exciting life, among the cabarets and exciting people of 1920s Berlin. Younger sister Grete, who is partially deaf, appreciates the structure and comparative safety of the orphanage, away from the confusing noise and colorful stimuli of the outside world. When Berni grabs at a questionable opportunity to leave, Grete refuses to go, and thus opens a decades-long rift 50 | Reviews |

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between the sisters. Fifty years later, in South Carolina, teenager Janeen Moore opens a letter written in German addressed to her mother, Anita. It’s an apology for things that happened in Nazi Germany, and Janeen is instantly entranced at this opportunity to learn more about her secretive mother’s past. Chapters switch between Berni, Grete, and Janeen’s perspectives, providing insight into all three characters at formative periods in their lives. Berni works in the cabarets, surrounded by gay, lesbian, and transgender friends, whose lives are in danger from the increasingly conservative government as well as curious scientists. Grete gets a housemaid position, where she is attracted to Klaus Eisler, a rising star in the Nazi party. And Janeen confronts her mother about who she is now and what happened in her childhood, trying to make sense of the little she has learned through her clandestine correspondence. Woods brings both the characters and the multiple time periods to life, providing taunting clues about what happened during the rise of the Nazi regime in Berlin that further estranged Berni and Grete. Through Janeen, Woods brings the many threads together, in a haunting story about loyalty, love, and family secrets. Both the history as well as the psychological aspects of this pageturning read will fascinate readers. Helene Williams

ALL THE BEST PEOPLE Sonja Yoerg, Berkley, 2017, $15.00/ C$20.00/£12.99, pb, 353pp, 9780399583490 In Vermont in the late 1920s, Solange was a young woman who fell in love, married, and had a baby. Her husband was a young lawyer from a wealthy family; she was from the other side of town. In the 1970s, Solange lives in a mental institution. Her daughter Carole is happily married with two teen boys and a 12-year-old girl, when she begins hearing voices. Carole, afraid of ending up like her mother, hides her mental degradation as best she can. Carole’s daughter Alison knows something is wrong, but cannot understand what it is—and nobody will listen to her. Carole’s sister Janine is too selfish to notice anything. Yoerg moves between each female character and the dual time periods with skill. The character development is superb. The young Solange is brave and intelligent and incredibly interesting. Quiet, hardworking Carole has always been the perfect sister, perfect mother, perfect wife. Now she’s terrified. Yoerg’s language captures her fall into schizophrenia perfectly. Alison, on the doorstep of adolescence, sees her mother pulling away and doesn’t know what to think. Selfish, ambitious Janine begins a new romantic relationship that has

the possibility of changing who she is. While this is a character-driven novel, the story is also suspenseful. The plot tangles and untangles in ways unexpected. Ultimately All the Best People is a story that turns on the question of nature vs. nurture. What is the greatest influence in who we are as people? Do we have a choice about who we are? A perfect selection for book clubs. Highly recommended. Elizabeth Caulfield Felt WHEN THE FUTURE COMES TOO SOON Selina Siak Chin Yoke, AmazonCrossing, 2017, $14.95/£8.99, pb, 322pp, 9781542045759 The matriarch of the Chye Hoon family has died, and now it is her daughter-in-law, Mei Foong, and her husband, Weng Yu, who must guide the family through tumultuous times. The British have abandoned Malaya (as it was then known), and the Japanese occupation has begun. Mei Foong cherishes Malayan and Chinese culture, telling her children classic Chinese tales to imbue them with the sense of their classical past. Her life seems bleak until she meets Chew Hock San, who helps her and her children during a surprise bombing, only to find her drunk husband cowering in a corner of the shelter. Her husband is given a job in the new regime as a senior engineer in the reconstructed Public Works Department, and her son attends a Japanese school. Some neighbors call this survival; some call it collaboration. Occasionally, Mei Foong and Hock meet, and her intense feelings seem to be shared, substantiated when he gives her a gift of the classic Chinese tale “Dream of the Red Chamber” while her husband is in the hospital with pneumonia. The outcome of this relationship will stun readers. This is a novel of survival and love, both unsolicited, but both parallel to the immense changes occurring in a former British protectorate. Confusion and constant living on the edge of fear elicit previously unimagined desires, and the choices evolving from that wartime chaos are unpredictable and painful but admirable. Mei Foong is an enigmatic character representative of real women surviving the 1940s wartime years in Asia. Books 1 (The Woman Who Breathed Two Worlds) and 2 of this series are excellent historical fiction reads! Viviane Crystal BARREN ISLAND Carol Zoref, New Issues/Western Michigan University, 2017, $26.00, hb, 407pp, 9781936970445 This riveting book, which won the AWP Prize for the Novel, tells the unforgettable story of a group of immigrant families living on a virtual sand bar island in Jamaica Bay off the coast of Brooklyn, New York, during the years leading up to WWI. The island’s sole source of income is the rendering plant which takes the carcasses of dead horses from New York City and turns them into glue. The opening line of the book says it all: “Ask about the smell.” 20th Century

We learn the story through a young girl, Marta Eisenstein, as she comes of age on this repulsive spit of land that is the only home she has ever known. Through Marta, the reader meets all the characters and gets a vivid glimpse into a real world known to only a handful of residents. The families live a hardscrabble life but have formed into a cohesive neighborhood where they all look out for one another. As unspeakable tragedies hit the island, the families come together to support one another, even though for some, the tragedies scar them forever. The novel is impeccably researched, and the characters leap off the page and grab your heart. You will marvel that such a story was waiting to be written. Linda Harris Sittig

multi-period

A GOOD GIRL Johnnie Bernhard, Texas Review Press, 2017, $20.95, pb, 288pp, 9781680031218 In 2015, 52-year-old Gracey Reiter drives from Mississippi to south Texas along I-10, the “umbilical cord leading her home.” She’s visiting her widowed father, Henry Mueller, who is dying in a hospital near Loti. During the nine-hour trip, Gracey reminisces about her father’s complicated life, his alcoholism, her mother’s infidelity, and memories of growing up in a troubled household as a “good girl”—the middle child between her elder brother and younger sister. After his poignant funeral, Gracey discovers a family tree sketched in her great-great-grandmother’s Bible and learns more about the six generations of her Irish-German family. They had arrived around 1847 in the Gulf Coast town of Indianola, which was planned by Prince Carl of Solms Braunfels and originally settled by German migrants, without the help of slave labor. Gracey’s life comes full circle when her daughter marries an Irishman and moves to Ireland.’ This novel reads like a biographical account, and Johnnie Bernhard keeps the storyline appealing with her descriptions of human relationships, sufferings, and struggles. Snippets of historical events are woven into vignettes about members of the Walsh-Mueller family over multiple generations, taking us on a journey from Ireland to South Texas and back to Ireland, all within a novel of relatively short length. The cast of numerous characters is handled well, although the story is primarily told to readers rather than shown. Bernhard touches on the human condition and interpersonal relationships between members of an extended family, which most readers will be able to relate to. Since the novel doesn’t include an engrossing narrative arc, with characters striving towards their objectives and a natural conclusion, it’s somewhat arduous to get through. However, the flashback structure attempts to keep the story vibrant. Waheed Rabbani Multi-period

A CERTAIN PERSUASION: Modern LGBTQ+ Fiction Inspired by Jane Austen’s Novels Julie Bozza, Andrea Demetrius, Sam Evans, and more, Manifold, 2016, $15.00, pb, 430pp, 9781908312440 Thirteen stories from eleven authors explore the world of Jane Austen with gender identity twists. Darcys abound, both in period and modern-day. Even Colin Firth’s trousers make an appearance. Austen lovers discover each other at Bath museums and book clubs. Adam Otelian finds the governess of his young twin siblings has a beard. Emma Woodhouse and Harriet Smith decide to seek happiness with each other without regard to the need of a husband. Margaret Dashwood experiences her first kiss from the lips of a “fallen” woman, who forms a ready-made family with her adorable five-year-old son. Both inspired idea and loving tribute, this welcome collection has most interesting twists. Tones vary. Some stories are sly and sexy, some warm and tender, some brooding and tragic, some laugh-out-loud funny. The original Jane Austen characters’ full-throated independence, intelligence, curiosity and bravery serve these wonderful tributes well. Reimagined, one and all discover “there are many different ways of living in this world.” I think Miss Austen would be delighted, and I highly recommend this enchanting collection. Eileen Charbonneau THE WILDING SISTERS (US) / THE VANISHING OF AUDREY WILDE (UK) Eve Chase, Putnam, 2017, $27.00, hb, 336pp, 9780399174131 / Penguin, 2017, £12.99, hb, 336pp, 9780718180096 The Wilding Sisters is an artful, dual-period mystery set in 1959 and 2009. It takes place both in London and in the gorgeous English countryside. In 1959, the four Wilde sisters are practically dumped by their mother at Applecote Manor, the home of their aunt and uncle. They had spent many a summer there growing up, but times have changed; ever since their cousin Audrey disappeared five years before, their aunt and uncle have never been the same. In 2009, Jessie is a young newlywed, married to Will, a widower with a 15-year-old daughter. The two have a toddler together, but their house in London is haunted by the memory of Will’s former wife. When Will’s daughter Bella gets caught up with the wrong crowd, Jessie and Will decide that a move to the country is the best solution. They buy the charming Applecote Manor but are unprepared for the swirl of tragedy and rumor. The Wilding Sisters is a slow burn at first. Jessie’s story is much more interesting than the first chapters involving the Wilde sisters. But as the plot thickens and pace quickens, the novel becomes quite the page turner. Excellent characterizations and the gothic atmosphere will appeal to readers of both historical and modern fiction. Caroline Wilson

FREEDOM’S RING Heidi Chiavaroli, Tyndale, 2017, $14.99, pb, 385pp, 9781496423122 The story alternates between present day and the 1770s in this inspirational novel. Anaya feels a tremendous burden of guilt after she is wounded and her niece loses a leg in the Boston Marathon bombing incident. She distances herself from her sister’s family for several years, which leads to resentment. Then Anaya reconnects with a man who helped her on the day of the bombing by giving her a family heirloom ring as a token of support. The ring is connected to Liberty Caldwell, sister of a Boston Massacre victim in 1770 and a reluctant servant for two British officers. Liberty is sexually assaulted by one of them. The book’s alternating chapters keeps the reader guessing about whether Liberty will find happiness, and whether Anaya and family will overcome the trauma of the bombing. Readers will inevitably compare how two PTSD victims from different centuries worked to overcome their respective traumas. Chiavaroli’s recreation of Liberty’s 1770s world is absorbing, and I enjoyed that part most, since it was historical. Anaya is a flawed person but works to make changes, and her bumpy relationship with her sister is true to life. Chiavaroli’s debut novel is fine inspirational fiction. B. J. Sedlock THIS IS 64 Joseph Connelly, Riverrun, 2017, £19.99, hb, 446pp, 9781848666320 Joseph Connolly has written a typically anarchic and entertaining novel of one George Reilly, who is aged just 19 in 1964 and living in a crummy bedsit in Kilburn with a much put-upon girlfriend, Dorothy. London has started to swing and unlike Philip Larkin, it is not too late for him —it is only just starting. The story is mostly told through stream-of-consciousness as the various characters reflect upon their (generally unsatisfactory) lot in life. The action moves between 1964 and 2009, when Reilly is aged 64, and he looks back upon his gilded youth. He has just retired wealthy and successful from his business, and is trenchantly unPC and cynical and controlling towards life and his family, and seems to have a rather selective view of his own past. The George Reilly of 1964 is a selfish, unpleasant young man, obsessed with The Beatles, who bullies and treats Dorothy with awful disdain. The 1960s are immersed in superb historical detail, and the milieu of the times, with people, their conversations and culture, seems just about spot on; those splendid times of youthful hedonism are brought to life once more. The narrative technique is well executed, though in a long novel it can occasionally drag as we go through and around in great detail the minutiae of the characters’ desires, frustrations and angst with the world. There is a surprise ending, but one which the alert reader may see flagged well in advance, and there are lots of references to Beatles songs and lyrics hidden in the text. Douglas Kemp HNR Issue 81, August 2017 | Reviews | 51

THE ADDRESS Fiona Davis, Dutton, 2017, $26/C$35/£18.99, hb, 368pp, 9781524741990 The concept underlying The Address offers a great deal of potential. The Dakota, an iconic New York building built in the 1880s, has a long and star-studded history. It offered luxurious living to celebrities such as Leonard Bernstein, Rudolph Nureyev, and Lauren Bacall. It has many stories to tell. The writer sets part of her novel as the Dakota opens, in the 1880s, with the arrival of its ‘managerette,’ Mrs Sara Smythe, and part a century later, when decorator Bailey Camden has been hired to completely remodel the interior. The focus of the narrative, though, is the Dakota itself, an address with cachet—magnificently designed and created to offer every amenity to its wealthy occupants. But behind the Dakota’s elegant façade lies the story of the architect, Theodore Camden, his wife and family, and his mistress, Sara Smythe. It is a story of love, hate, ambition and even, apparently, madness. And it is a story that Bailey, a century later, finds herself unraveling as she redesigns the interior of the Dakota despite the whims of its part-owner, her cousin Melinda. The author juxtaposes 1985 New York life, crowded and fueled by alcohol and drugs, with life in Sara Smythe’s New York. Details of both periods are well researched. However the plot holds few surprises, and its people—I hesitate to call them characters—plod through their appointed roles. Much of the dialog seems stilted, and reactions are more formulaic than emotional. Even the scenes in Blackwell’s Island Insane Asylum feel narrative rather than visceral. The Dakota itself is the strongest, most multidimensional character in the book. But in the end it is merely a setting, a location within which people are engaged in the endless struggle for survival. I should like to have felt that struggle. Valerie Adolph BEFORE THE RAIN FALLS Camille Di Maio. Lake Union, 2017, $14.95, pb, 348pp, 9781503939974 In this satisfying romantic mystery, three strangers with radically different goals find commonality in a small town at the southern tip of Texas. Mick Anders is tired of his job with a Boston newspaper; he’s about to get fired. Instead, he promises a “big story” and follows a slim lead to Puerto Pesar. Dr. Paloma Vega is visiting her family in Puerto Pesar. Although she is eager to return to her professional position in New York, it’s difficult to leave her aging mother and teenage sister behind. Now in her late nineties, Della Lee has been released from prison and, after serving 70 years for murdering her younger sister, she has come home to Puerto Pesar. Della has a house, two secrets and a good memory—everything she needs to write a book but time. Like any small town in summertime, Puerto Pesar welcomes newcomers; Mick and Paloma are drawn together and into 52 | Reviews |

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Della’s world. Di Maio braids three stories into an intriguing tapestry, telling one in reverse to keep readers in suspense. By working backward to the love that kept Della Lee in prison when she might have been paroled and, then, to the event that landed her behind bars in the first place, the author keeps Della’s secrets until the end. And while Paloma and Mick, aided by a strong cast of local characters, are investigating the Lee family mystery, we are constantly reminded of the personal decisions facing them when they leave Pueblo Pesar. Readers who enjoy this novel may also like the author’s earlier The Memory of Us (2016). Jeanne Greene

THE RETURNING TIDE Liz Fenwick, Orion, 2017, £12.99, pb, 383pp, 9781409162100 This beautifully written novel slips effortlessly in time between 2015 and 1943 as the complex relationship between two sisters, Adele and Amelia, are intriguingly revealed. Events unfold between the striking settings of Cornwall, England and Cape Cod, Massachusetts, both past and present. 1943: The sisters enlist in the Women’s Royal Naval Service, but are separated for the first time in their lives. One is more outgoing and adventurous, seeking love, whereas the other is quieter and more home-based. Letters reveal much about their personalities, passions and this period of turmoil. 2015: The truth begins to unravel through the events of the present: a Cornish wedding where Peta is talking to her grandmother in the family home, Windward, and Lara, who is spending her time with her ‘Grandie’ as he lives through his last hours in Eventide, Cape Cod. The characters are engaging across the generations. The loss of a much-loved elderly relative is shown sensitively. I was drawn into this story from the first pages; there are so many unanswered questions to find answers to as the pace quickens and the plot deepens. There are many words that could describe this story: engaging, complex, romantic, sad or simply brilliant. Contrasts between the breathtaking settings of peacetime Cornwall and the horrendous lingering effects of the war are accurately depicted in the lives of both young and old. Betrayal, love, hurt and destiny all play a part in this poignant and totally absorbing novel. Valerie Loh THE WEIGHT OF INK Rachel Kadish, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2017, $28.00, hb, 592pp, 9780544866461 In modern-day London, a cache of mid-17thcentury papers is found, apparently untouched for

three centuries, in a house under renovation. The Hebrew and Portuguese writings bring in Jewishhistory expert and ailing academic Helen Watt to assess their provenance. Pressed to assist her is stalled American Ph.D. candidate Aaron Levy. Temperamentally mismatched, they nonetheless begin to uncover the mystery of an anonymous scribe working for a blind rabbi in pre-plague London. Rachel Kadish offers an impressive achievement here in her latest novel. She ties together complex concepts of metaphysics and theology from the days of philosopher Baruch Spinoza, along with a mid-20th-century love story set in Israel, and a modern-day academic treasure hunt. The book offers a surprisingly taut and gripping storyline for one that spends much of its time in a dark study or a research library. The true central character here is Ester Velasquez, a brilliant young Jewish woman whose family took refuge in Holland to escape Inquisitionwracked Portugal; she later finds herself in 1650s London serving as secretary to Rabbi HaCoen Mendes. Education for women was considered unseemly, and Ester’s work as a scribe renders her unmarriageable—a state she prefers. Ester’s wideranging intellect pushes her to read voraciously and ask questions, in particular about the nature of God, man, and the universe; those questions are extraordinarily dangerous. Helen knows this is her last opportunity to redeem the choices that she’s made, and she and Aaron work against another academic team and her own worsening illness in a race to find and fit the last pieces of the puzzle in order to understand Ester’s true identity. The Weight of Ink has the brains of a scholar, the drive of a sleuth, and the soul of a lover. Jennifer Bort Yacovissi

THE HISTORY OF BEES Maja Lunde, Touchstone, 2017, $26.00, hb, 340pp, 9781501161377 / Scribner UK, 2017, £14.99, hb, 400pp, 9781471162749 In 1851, Hertfordshire seed merchant William struggles to rouse from depression and revive his passion for science. His daughter, Charlotte, helps him forward with their joint love for bees. What hive design would keep the intelligent insects from swarming away? It would help farmers prosper. Across America in 2007, commercial beekeepers like George witness a threat so new that it has no name. Long-established colonies of bees fly away overnight, leaving the vital queen, larvae, and stores of honey behind. George isn’t the only beekeeper to suspect pesticides, but organic farms are abandoning their standards lest they be crushed by agribusiness. Then George opens a hive and finds Multi-period

it empty of workers. And another, and another… In 2098, Colony Collapse Disorder is old news in Sichuan. Tao is among uncounted Chinese workers who replace extinct bees, climbing into trees to paint pollen into the blossoms of pears only rich people can afford. Bees weren’t alone in collapse—first the democracies fell, and then digital networks. War and starvation followed. China, hive-like under strict governmental discipline, barely survived. Tao and her husband, Kuan, staked emotional prosperity on their threeyear-old son, Wei-Wen, but he falls into a coma in the orchard where his mother works. He is snatched away by doctors and disappears. Maja Lunde’s searing cautionary novel, The History of Bees, is both heart-rending and timely, as mankind sees climate change accelerate. Harmful toxins and practices once thought safe are constantly exposed. We aren’t threatened—yet— but trouble approaches for every inhabitant of the planet. Ms. Lunde does a terrific job of painting one possible future, yet providing hope no matter what happened in the past. Highly recommended for everyone. Jo Ann Butler KINTU Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi, Transit, 2017, $16.95/C$24.50, pb, 446pp, 9781945492013 The highly celebrated debut novel from an award-winning Ugandan author, Kintu presents a sweeping portrait with perspectives on Ugandan culture, history and psychology. Kinto Kidda, a mid-18th century tribal leader of modern mythical significance to his clan, sets out on a political journey to the capital district of Buganda to pay homage to the new king. The musings of his band of warriors play out in grand cultural dialog worthy of Hemingway: the relationship of the men to their land, their women, their spiritual powers are worthy surrogates for the drama that the plot itself lacks. The journey—and the curse it unwittingly calls down upon Kintu’s head—seems a metaphor for the region’s struggle to free itself from the prolonged disaster of colonial occupation as the novel winds forward to the violence of present-day Uganda. Men are the central perspective, and indeed Makumbi herself has referred to the novel as “masculinist.” But the characters’ focus upon their women is so expressive—a combination of selfvitiating sensuality and spiritual awe—that the reader is drawn more deeply into their lives than if they were speaking for themselves. The conflict of Kintu’s marriage to twin wives, Nnakato and Bibirye, the influence of royal mothers upon the turbulent and bloody throne of Buganda, extend down through the centuries to Kintu’s descendants as they seek to recover their land and dignity. Much in the novel may be fully accessible only to Ugandans, but the mood the unfamiliar language and references conveys is pure, high-octane humanity. Makumbi combines myth, folklore and spirituality into a major achievement of immersive storytelling. Not to be missed. Jackie Drohan Multi-period

WHITE HIGHLANDS John McGhie, Little, Brown, 2017, £14.99, hb, 420pp, 9781408708569 In 1952 Kenya, Englishman Johnny Seymour has found a refuge from his wartime traumas in the Information Department under his old CO Grogan Littleboy, a self-described ‘means-to-ends man’ with a far too charming fiancée. At first, a growing mutual regard between the beautiful Tansy and himself seems to be Johnny’s worst problem, but then Mau Mau raiders begin to attack isolated white settlements. The British answer to what appears as vicious tribal unrest quickly escalates, and Johnny finds himself entangled in a nightmare of violence, lies, and difficult choices. In 2008, Johnny’s granddaughter, brilliant but wayward barrister Samantha, arrives in Kenya as part of a legal mission investigating compensation claims for “old Empire sins”—sins tied, she soon discovers, to the never-mentioned side of her own family’s past… But who is remote-controlling her journey of discovery? McGhie’s novel starts off as a well-written and vivid fictional exploration of the Emergency, a very sad page of Kenyan and British history. More’s the pity, though; not only did I find it hard to warm to either Johnny or Sam, but the author’s Manichean sympathies and rather soap-boxy attitude made the whole a lot less compelling than it could have been. Chiara Prezzavento THE NECKLACE Claire McMillan, Touchstone, 2017, $26.00/ C$35.00, hb, 320pp, 9781501165047 The Necklace, the second outing for author Claire McMillan, is a dual-period novel focusing on the wealthy and eccentric Quincy family. The story begins with Nell, a lawyer who has been largely raised away from the Quincys. A death brings them all together at the family’s ancestral home, and in a shocking twist, Nell is named the executor of the will. She also receives a fabulous sapphire necklace with a tragic past. In the 1920s, May, a bright socialite, has been enjoying a flirtation with Ambrose Quincy for months. But he is a dreamer and philosopher— the call of world travel lures him away and when he returns with a beautiful necklace for May, he discovers that she has married his twin brother, Ethan. A love triangle is born—with devastating consequences. The Necklace will most likely appeal to readers of modern fiction more than historical fiction. Nell is an interesting character that readers can root for against her unconventional but viperous family. Whereas May and her love for two brothers is reminiscent of the movie Legends of the Fall; the author does not quite grasp the detail needed for a seasoned historical fiction writer. Indeed, it is almost as if the reader is watching a big-screen film about the 1920s. But if an easy read for the summer months is the goal, readers should enjoy unwrapping the mystery of The Necklace. Caroline Wilson

MINDS OF WINTER Ed O’Loughlin, Quercus, 2017, $26.99, hb, 500pp, 9781681442457 / Riverrun, 2016, £16.99, hb, 496pp, 9781780871721 The enticing jacket synopsis: 1845, John Franklin’s expedition to navigate the Northwest Passage results in the disappearance of all hands and both ships. In 2009, a chronometer from that expedition mysteriously reappears in London. These are historical facts. Yet this book experiences a kind of (snow) blindness to the dramatic potential of that enigma. Instead, it’s a disjointed homage to polar exploration (both poles), with various point-of-view digressions (a 41-page shipboard ball focusing on Franklin’s… niece commences the tale; this Austen-esque episode is the only glimpse you’ll get of him). All resides within the contemporary fictional framework of a couple’s implausible meeting in Canada’s Northwest Territories, revealing they’re “inextricably linked” to individuals who include (but are by no means limited to): Franklin, Ross, Crozier, Bellot, Hall, Amundsen, Meares, et al. This book is all over the map, literally and figuratively. Disclaimer: my opinion will doubtless be in the minority; this novel was longlisted for the Walter Scott Prize, and the literati have been darn near effusive. I was excited, planned to buy before serendipity and the review list brought us together. It certainly has its moments of brilliance, but they’re precisely that — moments, stuck in a muddled quagmire that comes to a very dissatisfying conclusion (if one can call it that). The moments of brilliance: O’Loughlin’s ability to quantify the magnetism of Arctic exploration, the mentality of those who heed its icy siren song, and his amusing play with literary styles/tastes through such inclusions as Jack London (yep, he’s here, too) relating a short story. O’Loughlin’s research into the historical personages in this book is obvious, just as it’s obvious that his need to include too much of that research shatters focus, hampers momentum, and should’ve been edited. This novel is overly ambitious, yet unable to realize those ambitions, even in 500 pages. Bethany Latham HERETICS Leonardo Padura (trans. Anna Kushner), Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2017, $28.00, hb, 528pp, 9780374168858 / Bitter Lemon, 2017, £12.99, hb, 556pp, 9781908524782 In 1939, the S.S. Saint Louis arrived in Cuba with 900 Jewish refugees. They boarded hoping for a new life, only to be turned away by immigration officials. Twelve-year-old Daniel Kaminsky, along with his uncle and neighbors, lined Havana’s docks praying that some of the passengers might be allowed to disembark. Among the passengers were Daniel’s parents and younger sister. In their possession was a small Rembrandt portrait of Christ that has been passed down from generation to generation. They hoped to trade the family heirloom for their freedom. Unfortunately, the ship was sent away, and the Kaminskys and their HNR Issue 81, August 2017 | Reviews | 53

painting disappeared. Seventy years later, Daniel’s son, Elias, finds out that the Rembrandt painting is going to be sold by a London auction house. Elias enlists the help of Cuban detective, Mario Conde, to help him discover what happened to the painting after its voyage to Cuba and how it ended up in London. Heretics is a long and winding novel that takes place in Cuba and Europe in the 1930s, Poland in the 1600s, and in contemporary Cuba. Sprinkled throughout are dozens of characters and lengthy passages of philosophical pondering. The novel loses momentum at times, and the different time periods make it feel a bit disjointed. The highlight is the former policeman turned detective, Conde. The world-weary detective, his ragtag group of friends, and dog, Garbage II, bring a bit of levity to the story. This is the eighth in a series of books Padura has written featuring Conde. Even though I found this story a little slow, Conde’s character was engaging enough that I want to read more books in this series. Janice Derr

historical fantasy

THE MASSACRE OF MANKIND Stephen Baxter, Gollancz, 2017, £18.99, hb, 458pp, 9781473205093 This is a sequel to H.G. Wells’ iconic story of the Martian invasion of England. It is 1920, and the story is told in the first person by the now-divorced sister-in-law ( Julie Elphinstone) of the narrator (Walter Jenkins) of the original novel, although it also involves at some stage most of the main characters of the original novel. It is a different world after the first invasion of 1907. While Germany embarked upon a war on mainland Europe, Britain stood by and did not get involved in the conflict, becoming very much the junior partner to Kaiser Wilhelm’s military regime. The country is itself led by an authoritarian government. Julie is a journalist, and she is summoned to London to be informed that there has been a series of artillery firings from the surface of Mars, demonstrating that a renewed invasion is underway. The Martians invade in large numbers and are well-prepared to avoid the factors that made their previous effort fail. This represents a major existential threat to the dominion of humankind on earth as Britain and later other major countries come under Martian domination, and a resistance movement is the country’s only hope of throwing off the technologically superior rulers. Julie is part of a scheme to attack the Martians where they are most vulnerable. It gets a little bizarre with humanoids from Mars and Venus being used by the invaders. But the story is true to the atmosphere of the original novel, and it is an easy and entertaining read, with some interesting speculations on alternative 54 | Reviews |

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historical courses that the invasions promoted. But the book is a little long for the plot, and I believe could have usefully shed 150 pages or so. Douglas Kemp WAKE OF VULTURES Lila Bowen, Orbit, 2016, $15.99, pb, 374pp, 9780316264297 Nettie Lonesome is the adopted “half-black and half-Injun daughter” of a white couple who raise her more like a slave than their own kin in the backdrop of the Durango territory in the 1870s. Tough-minded, she breaks broncos with a gentle hand, but does not shy away defending herself from a demonic apparition that transforms into sand when she kills it. A cowhand impressed by Nettie’s horsemanship helps her find a job rustling cattle and thus gives her the means to escape her miserable life in disguise as a boy. Soon after taking on ranch duties, she helps doctor a wounded Indian woman whose baby has been stolen in the middle of the night by the owl monster Pia Mupitsi. After the woman dies, she reappears on a horse in a vision and points west, demanding Nettie avenge the death of her baby. Joining rangers, Nettie goes on a quest to slay Pia Mupitsi, but she must first overcome a menagerie of monsters—vampires, siren-vultures, and werewolves. Along the way, she slowly learns to accept herself and understand her self-worth with the guidance of shape-shifting friends. Though the dialogue realistically captures the dialect of the Old West, there is scant historical background. Nonetheless, Lila Bowen skillfully captures the voice of the protagonist Nellie in this fast-paced, gut-wrenching odyssey. Yet there is an underlying social message that everyone should accept each other for who they are. Wake of Vultures is a dark fantasy sprinkled with the gritty but underlying heartfelt tone of Lonesome Dove. Linnea Tanner A SECRET HISTORY OF WITCHES Louisa Morgan, RedHook, 2017, $25, hb, 496pp, 9780316508551 Fans of Gothic historical sagas should be drawn to this multi-generational novel about a family of Breton witches whose talents descend through the female line. Of the six granddaughters of Ursule Orchière, a Romani woman who dies saving her clan from witch-hunters, only Nanette, the youngest, proves to have inherited her magic. In 1821, she and her sisters flee France for a farm in Cornwall, where they work the land and live in seclusion to avoid unwanted attention. The story tumbles down through the next hundred years, covering the journeys of Nanette’s daughter, also named Ursule, then Irène, Morwen, and finally Veronica as they come into their heritage in adolescence and carve out paths in a world that would shun them, or worse, if their secrets became known. In the beginning, the historical backdrop is lightly sketched, while the male characters serve little purpose other than to act as vicious antagonists

or, alternately, father the women’s children. As the story continues, the plotlines become stronger, likewise the romantic tension; the history also becomes more paramount. (Even so, the story involving Veronica’s wartime contributions is over the top.) Not all the women are sympathetic, which keeps things fresh and unpredictable. Although most of the manifestations of their power, like spell-casting and scrying, aren’t unusual for fantasy fiction, Morgan incorporates some creative touches, such as their diverse animal familiars, and the grimoire written in a version of French so archaic it requires translation. Even more compelling than the magic are the five heroines’ differing reactions to their abilities and their relationships with those from earlier generations. Morgan also depicts with visceral impact the roles of women in a male-centered world, and the dangers faced by anyone who doesn’t adhere to prevailing religious beliefs. Sarah Johnson HOOK’S TALE John Leonard Pielmeier, Scribner, 2017, $25.00/ C$34.00, hb, 288pp, 9781501161056 Peter Pan has always been the hero, Captain Hook the villain. Pielmeier turns J. M. Barrie’s story on its head through his “discovery” of James Cook’s (aka Hook’s) memoir, detailing the true nature of his relationship with the boy who never grew old. A fatherless child with a complicated family history, Cook is a failure at Eton and then pressed into the Royal Navy at 14. Saved from death by Peter’s whim, Cook spends time playing with the boy on the “Never-Isle” before tragedy tears them apart, sending Cook back to England and “real” life… at least for a time. This is a quick and enjoyable read—an adventurous, creative tale, with Hook’s backstory transforming him from cartoon villain into a conscience-laden individual whose human foibles result in some awful consequences, inadvertent and otherwise. There is a mishmash of borrowed elements here, from Treasure Island to Jack the Ripper, treated lightly, for fun. The characterization is also fun, favorites Smee and Daisy the crocodile (who has a very different relationship with Cook than that of the original story) joining newcomers such as the aptly named Dr. Slinque. The novel has a magical realist feel, everything grounded firmly in probability until voila!—Time no longer behaves properly, mermaids abound, and boys fly with the help of fairy dust. The characterization of Peter is particularly inventive; he personifies Barrie’s description of children as “gay and innocent and heartless,” emphasis on the heartless. As Peter himself says of love, “I don’t really know what that word means.” Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the story is the choice with which Cook is faced: eternal youth, adventure, carelessness… but stagnation—or “to grow old, and to change, and to suffer loss, and to learn new things, and to be human.” Which would you choose? Bethany Latham Historical Fantasy

THE LIBRARY OF LIGHT AND SHADOW M. J. Rose, Atria, 2017, $26.00/C$35.00, hb, 368pp, 9781476778129 The Daughters of La Lune have had magical powers for centuries, but Delphine’s gift is a bit more sinister than those held by her mother and sisters. When Delphine paints blindfolded, she can reveal the sitter’s deepest secrets. Often, this is no more than a party game, but when what begins innocently leads to death, Delphine fears a repeat performance—for she has seen in the shadowy darkness that the only man she’s ever loved may be the next victim, a circumstance she will do anything to prevent. Filled with the delicious, atmospheric magic and skillfully rendered description that saturates all of M. J. Rose’s novels, this is historical fantasy that makes you want to live in the novel. After finishing this book, I feel like I have truly visited the Languedoc region of France. Adding to this, the characters are vividly drawn, with a wonderful multidimensional heroine in Delphine; a romantic, tragic figure in Mathieu (who I may just have a crush on); and an unexpected twist involving a notso-heroic protector. Only two things stuck out as points that could have been slightly more developed. The resolution of the quest for the book and its titular library is rather abrupt, leaving me with unanswered questions. Also, because 95 percent of the relationship between the hero and heroine is recalled from the past, it feels a bit removed from the events of the story. I would have liked to have seen a little more development between them in the present action before the resolution of the story, which would have made the ending more natural. But I still very much recommend this book to anyone with an eye for the mystical and a love for gothic settings. M. J. Rose has penned another hit. Nicole Evelina LITTLE NOTHING Marisa Silver, Oneworld, 2017, £12.99, hb, 336pp, 9781786071279 Set in an unnamed country, at an unspecified date whose trappings suggest the early 20th century, it is delightfully debatable whether Little Nothing is a historical novel at all. It defies classification and challenges genre stereotyping, and those are not the least of its charms. As a childless couple turns in desperation to spells and potions to give them a child, so begins the life of Pavla, more a figure of fairytale than a human child, a shape shifter, a body upon which her personal struggles and the trials of her age are writ large. The one constant figure in her life is Danilo, by turns shoemaker, medical apprentice, one half of a circus act, hunter, soldier and sewage engineer yet stubbornly dedicated to Pavla, whom he loves steadfastly in all her incarnations. The novel itself, because of its indeterminate setting and its deployment of the tropes of myth and folk tale, is as difficult to pin down as its heroine. A touching love story, an indictment of prejudice, an anti-war parable, a feminist tract, Multi-period — Timeslip

a literary road movie and a rollicking adventure. It is all these, as well as a tender exploration of parenthood and a perceptive look at the impact of the machine age on ancient societies both animal and human. Above all, this is a wise novel. Silver’s intellect and intuition are finely tuned to the nuances of character and relationships, and she writes with particular sympathy and perception about children. She also turns an unflinching and merciless eye on bigotry, vanity and war. A magical read with shades of the late, great Angela Carter. Sarah Bower APOLLO’S RAVEN Linnea Tanner, Apollo Raven, 2017, $15.79, pb, 400pp, 9780998230009 / also $22.95, hb, 400pp, 9780998230016 AD 24. Catrin, a Celtic princess, and Marcellus, a Roman, were ordered to gather information about each other’s families. They were never supposed to fall in love. Marcellus is the great-grandson of Mark Antony, and he fears his budding affection for a foreign princess will lead to his own early death as befell his infamous ancestor. Catrin is a warrior princess with the powers of ancient druidesses running through her veins. There is a dark prophecy hanging over her family, and Roman support of her brother, banished for beheading two children and physically attacking Catrin, casts the curse into their midst. As Catrin begins to harbor feelings for her family’s enemy, will she be able to overcome the dark magic which threatens to destroy her homeland? Or will Catrin’s and Marcellus’ forbidden love incite a war for which her brother, the Blood Wolf, will lead the charge? Apollo’s Raven is a historical fantasy with strong elements of romance, political intrigue, and magic. Many surprising twists enrich the historicallydrawn plot. Points of view shift between different characters effectively, heightening the tension from one moment to the next. I love the scenes contrasting the cultures of Celtic Britannia and Rome, during which Tanner’s research really shines. My only complaint is that some of the dialogue is marked by modern words and expressions. Overall, though, this is an intriguing story with multifaceted characters, including confident and intelligent women protagonists, along with highstakes situations that will keep you turning the pages. Recommended. J. Lynn Else LIZZIE BORDEN, ZOMBIE HUNTER C.A. Verstraete, ImaJinn, 2016, $15.99, pb, 197pp, 9781772232738 “Lizzie Borden took an axe and gave her mother forty whacks. When she saw what she had done she gave her father forty-one.” Lizzie Borden is a well-known murderess from the late 1800s, though some argue that she is innocent. Whatever the case, the murder of her stepmother and father caused such a sensation that children more than a hundred years later still chant rhymes about it. Verstraete takes the Lizzie Borden story in an unusual direction. What if Lizzie killed

her parents because they were zombies? And what if her sensational murder trial wasn’t the end of her story? For it seems that the zombies are all part of a larger plan to infect Lizzie’s town and the world beyond. The novel starts with a bang: the gruesome murder of Lizzie’s parents. The scene is gory enough to satisfy the most avid horror fan. Soon after the murders, Lizzie meets mysterious hunters, all the while dealing with a murder trial. Lizzie starts the book as a prim and proper spinster of the time but quickly sheds her repressed ways with the help of a monster hunter who introduces her to the habitations of zombies. These creatures are more like ghoulish sideshows than real dangers, though. The characters do not seem to be in imminent danger from them, and the novel in general lacks tension and mystery and contains a lot of editorializing on the part of the heroine, which becomes tiresome very quickly. Still, if you are on the lookout for a unique take on a well-known historical figure, this novel just might be your cup of tea—I mean, brains. Xina Marie Uhl

timeslip

THE DREAM KEEPER’S DAUGHTER Emily Colin, Ballantine, 2017, $16, pb, 480pp, 9781101884317 A relaxed pace and descriptive indulgence characterize this tantalizing tale of supernatural time travel. The story opens in Barbados, where archaeologist Isabel Griffin gets a startling phone call from her daughter’s father, Max. It’s startling because Max had vanished shortly after her daughter, Finn was conceived, nearly ten years earlier, and his telephone number had long been disconnected. The perspectives shift between Isabel and Max, and we learn the truth about his disappearance— eight years earlier he fell through a chilling time portal back to the early 19th century, where he has been desperately struggling to prevent a potentially brutal slave uprising. The plot evokes the historical Nat Turner revolt. The thin veil between the present and the past—or perhaps between the living and the dead?—is a haunting concept. We gradually learn that the same gateway had swallowed Isabel’s mother years earlier, and Isabel must discover its nature before the same fate beckons her daughter, while she struggles with the unexplained loss of those most dear to her. The fragility of time and love is a compelling theme. Readers, too, must permit themselves to be swallowed into the rich detail and meandering pace of the novel to fully benefit from its unity of effect. This is well worth doing, however. A fine series could be extended upon this story, and fans will hope for it. Jackie Drohan

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A STRANGE SCOTTISH SHORE Juliana Gray, Berkley, 2017, $16, pb, 400pp, 9780698176492 Scotland, 1906. While renovating a castle in the Orkney Islands, the new owner discovers a strange suit, like a selkie hide, hidden in an ancient trunk. Maximilian Haywood and Emmeline Truelove, of the Haywood Institute for the Study of Time, are called to investigate. Lord Silverton follows, to press his marriage proposal to Emmeline and to protect her from any danger. On the train, a gingerhaired man of nefarious intent fights with Lord Silverton, and Emmeline’s would-be lover soon disappears with a portfolio. At the castle, Max and Emmeline study the “selkie” suit and the ancient trunk, and somehow trigger Max’s time-traveling juices. Emmeline can feel/see the presence of Lord Silverton in another time, so Max sends her back to him, to the 1300s. The plot is unpredictable, and I cared about the characters, who cleverly illustrate their respective cultural time-periods, and then also show how experiencing a different time period affects them. The mysteries of the selkie suit, the ginger-haired man, the portfolio and the whole time travel situation keep the reader guessing. I had not read the first book in the series, A Most Extraordinary Pursuit, and although it isn’t required to understand this story, it would certainly help. It took me several chapters before I could figure out the characters, the relationships, and the whole time-traveling component. The main mysteries are solved by the end, but there are many questions left, so I foresee another installment in this time-travel, mystery series. A fun read. Elizabeth Caulfield Felt THE MAN OF LEGENDS Kenneth Johnson, 47North, 2017, $14.95/£8.99, pb, 486pp, 9781477819685 In 2001, several lives intersect in New York City as different individuals begin to track the mysterious Will, who appears in their lives, fixes problems for them, and then disappears. One of these individuals is Jillian Guthrie, a journalist who discovers photographic evidence of a man strongly resembling Will, scattered among historic events from hundreds of years ago right up to the present time. Jillian, determined to figure out this puzzle, begins to question people who might know more about Will. Meanwhile, Will, haunted by his secret past, is seeking a way to find redemption and peace. It takes a while for this one to hook readers in, but Will’s story and epic ending are worth the wait. Johnson has chosen to tell this story in bits and pieces, flipping from character to character in a sometimes confusing manner. Paragraphs will jump from one point of view to another with no real transition. The switches can sometimes be a bit jarring, but Will’s story is fascinating as the pieces begin to come together. Readers will be drawn into the different stories, if they can get past the jumps. It also takes quite a while for historical elements to really appear; it is not until midway through the story that readers are transported back in time to Will’s original timeline. Overall, this is an intriguing historical time-slip fantasy. Rebecca Cochran 56 | Reviews |

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THE OUTCASTS OF TIME Ian Mortimer, Simon & Schuster, 2017, £12.99, hb, 400pp, 9781471146558 Two brothers, John and William, one a stonemason and the other a wool merchant, walk home in December 1348, passing through a Devon landscape devastated by plague. Trying to do a kind act, John picks up a baby whose parents have died by the roadside, but his good deed leads to misery and mystery as the brothers find themselves travelling forward through time. Each time they lay down to sleep, they wake up in the same place 99 years further into the future. The horrors of the 14th-century plague are vividly and movingly depicted. The brief visits to each century are evoked with highly detailed descriptions of, for example, tin-miners on Dartmoor in the 16th century, Cromwell’s army in the 17th century, the cruelties of an 18thcentury workhouse, and the bombing of Exeter in the second world war. The hero, John, witnesses and struggles to understand vertiginous changes in society, religion, technology, architecture, and social mores. “The man who has no knowledge of the past has no wisdom,” he remarks. Having greatly admired Ian Mortimer’s history books—the Time Traveller’s Guides to the medieval, Elizabethan and Restoration periods—I worried that this novel might read as an exercise by a historian showing off his knowledge. Instead I found myself drawn into this tale by the characterisation of the two brothers; the sweeping tragi-comedy of their encounters with the sensuous, everyday details of other times; and the slow-building suspense as to how they might redeem their souls. A highly ambitious and fascinating story in which “home is not a place but a time”. Tracey Warr

alternate history

RETALIO Alison Morton, Pulcheria, 2017, £8.99, pb, 312pp, 9791097310004 This is the sixth in Alison Morton’s alternative history series set in Roma Nova—a recent-history world in which a remnant of the Roman empire has survived. By this stage the key characters are already well developed, so it is even more of an action adventure than the earlier books. That said, I found the depiction of the teenage girl, who becomes empress by hereditary default when she is more of an age to be out partying with her friends, particularly sensitive and moving. The book, though, is more about Roma Nova’s society as a whole than about individuals, and about this nation’s place in and relationship with the

world. Accordingly, there is a vast cast of characters ranging across several countries, including my native Britain. (I loved the episodes set there, with echoes of James Bond.) This is sufficiently complex to require a dramatis personae. Retalio is a fitting end to a series that has doubled in size, like bread dough left to prove, from an initial planned trilogy to six books. I can’t help wondering whether the ending has been left slightly open to allow the author to return to familiar territory. I hope so. Either way, I will look forward to seeing what’s next from this accomplished novelist. Debbie Young

EAGLE AND EMPIRE Alan Smale, Del Rey, 2017, $30.00, hb, 560pp, 9780804177269 Nine years after the annihilation of his legion at the hands of Cahokian braves and flying machines, Roman Praetor Gaius Marcellinus once again finds himself embroiled in warfare that is global in scale. More than a continent is at stake: the very existence of both the Hesperian League and her ally Roma are on the line. They must vanquish the most indomitable force the world has ever known: the Mongol Horde led by Chinggis Khan himself. Roman forces, led by Imperator Hadrianus, scramble to make alliances and prepare for the inevitable battle that will decide all on the great plains alongside the Mizipi river. With Marcellinus at the helm, can they forge the alliances they need with neighboring nations before they are overwhelmed and the whole land is enslaved? Eagle and Empire is Smale’s third and final installment in his Clash of Eagles trilogy. It is alternate history at its best: what if Rome had survived her imperial decline and had instead emerged stronger than before? Fast-forward more than seven centuries, and Rome, now with Norse shipping behind her, discovers the New World. With Rome advancing from the East, and Mongol forces from the west (yes, Chinggis Khan in California), an epic battle is in the works. Smale delivers in spades, in what this reviewer believes to be the best of the trilogy. His ability to maintain a large, well-rounded, and highly-developed cast of characters is remarkable. The world he invents and reconstructs is alive and breathing. The battle scenes are gripping. Highly recommended. Justin M. Lindsay HOOPER’S WAR Peter Van Buren, Luminis, 2017, $16.95, pb, 250pp, 9781941311127 Although set in WWII Japan, it is re-imagined as if the atomic bombs were not unleashed and an invasion of Japan proceeds. The war is still raging in 1946, and the ancient city of Kyoto is about to be firebombed. Nineteen-year-old Lieutenant Nate Hooper is in way over his head. He depends on his war-experienced sergeant to help him lead the men in his charge. But they keep dying around him. Multi-period — Historical Fantasy

With a wounded comrade, Nate seeks refuge in the house of a Japanese woman, Naoko. They take time out of the carnage to reflect and connect. They are soon joined by a Japanese soldier, Sergeant Nakagawa, a childhood friend of the woman. We also learn his story. Neither man can escape the trauma that war has unleashed. Seventy years later, Nate returns to Japan, still looking for the power to allow him to heal. This anti-war novel in the tradition of Catch 22 and Slaughterhouse Five unfolds in reverse order timeline. It is intense and bloody, with moments of prized grace preserving its humanity. Its trauma and dilemmas are as fresh as the anguish that today’s returning vets are experiencing. Eileen Charbonneau

children & young adult

FLAME IN THE MIST Renée Ahdieh, Putnam, 2017, $17.99/C$23.99, hb, 416pp, 9780399171635 / Hodder & Stoughton, 2017, £12.99, hb, 416pp, 9781473664425 Mariko, the daughter of a renowned samurai family in medieval Japan, is totally unlike any of her female counterparts, having an insatiable curiosity, intelligence and a serious passion for male battle. More importantly, she is learning to listen as well as shock her family and friends by blurting out what she thinks. However, now she accepts her role to marry the son of the Emperor’s favorite consort—a match that will raise the status of her family even higher than its present noble position. On her way to the marriage ceremony, her convoy is attached by the Black Klan, and during the attack Mariko realizes the goal of the attackers is to kill her. Once again, her clever skills and a fortuitous interruption enable her to escape. Her lack of survival skills in the magical forest where the Black Klan hides is faced, and then Mariko changes her appearance to that of a young boy. It seems stereotypical up to this point but quickly changes as Mariko is kidnapped anew. This, then, is the essence of the story: the transformation of Mariko’s personality and where that change leads. Sheer brutality, satirical dialogue that seems incredible, a magical sword, names and deeds that parallel Japanese folklore tales, a brother’s singular motivation to rescue his sister, an Emperor whose wives and his own weakness are headed for disaster, and so much more fill these pages for an unusual read and a startling ending for unsuspecting readers—historical fiction with fantasy twists! This is an interesting novel with whispers or slight parallels to Lian Hearn’s Tales of the Otori. Viviane Crystal YVAIN: The Knight of the Lion M. T. Anderson, illus. Andrea Offermann, Candlewick, 2017, $19.99, hb, 144pp, 9780763659394 This retells, in graphic novel format, a 12thcentury Arthurian romance by Chretien de Troyes, the foremost French poet of narrative verse in the Middle Ages. Yvain, a nephew of King Arthur, sets out to avenge the disgrace of a cousin’s defeat. He kills the assailant, but falls in love with his beautiful Children & YA

wife, Laudine. With the assistance of her maid Lunette, he convinces her to marry him, but when he forgets to return to her side as agreed after a year engaging in tournaments, she publicly denounces his betrayal. Deeply ashamed, he loses his wits. Eventually, he recovers and after fighting on behalf of others who need help, including the lion who becomes his faithful companion, he wins Laudine’s forgiveness, again with Lunette’s assistance. This condensed account follows the original closely, though it omits the magic ointment that cures the hero’s madness. The illustrations are used not only to advance the plot, but to reveal the reactions of characters through facial expressions. Unsurprisingly, in this medium, the action scenes receive greater space than the interior monologues and author commentary in the original. Arthurian scholars (and I am one, I confess) will have mixed feelings. Visual adaptations, more than most, impose an interpretation that may be at variance with one’s response to the source (a romance, not an epic or ballad). Stylistically, the use of lines to denote movement and blood spurting from gashes can seem excessive and distracting— though appropriate, perhaps, to the book’s younger audience. Nevertheless, the expansion of the tradition into other creative forms is a welcome sign of its vigor, and this is a beautifully produced book. The notes by author and illustrator offer interesting insights into their approach to the material, particularly the former’s emphasis upon its irony and the latter’s choices for clothing and setting. Recommended. Ray Thompson ANGLO-SAXON BOY Tony Bradman, Walker, 2017, £5.99, pb, 237pp, 9781406363777 Magnus, son of Harold Godwinson, lord of the Southern Saxons, leads us through the events that led to his father’s fateful death at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The story opens with a dramatic prologue set at Senlac Ridge, 14th October 1066. However, Magnus’s journey really begins in May 1065 when King Edward dies, leaving the ambitious Harold as his successor. This is followed by months of incredible political turmoil as Harold tries to work out whose loyalties lie where. Magnus is chosen over his brothers, Edwin and Morcar, to go on a mission to spy on his Uncle Tostig Godwinson. Tostig, Earl of Northumbria, is ruthless towards his people, who do not or cannot pay the taxes he demands. Tostig’s own ambition to become king means that Magnus must travel to Normandy, and then to the kingdoms of his father’ enemies, before he can report on the extent of the treachery. Magnus is accompanied by the loyal housecarl, Hakon. I loved this understated yet strong character. Like many royal guards, he is a Dane. This cross-cultural society within the land of the Saxons is clearly shown. Old English and Norse texts are included to give a feel for the time. Magnus learns to think and fight like a warrior, becoming a leader of men under Hakon’s guidance. The hardships of life on a long journey and the gore and brutality of battle are accurately portrayed in action-packed scenes. Magnus matures as he learns harsh lessons when he witnesses his father’s own ruthlessness at first hand.

The action is fast-paced and the historic detail accurate. The reader is swept along with Magnus as his quest continues. Most know what happened to Harold, but this book explores why. The ending does not disappoint. Suitable for 8+ and KS2 History. Valerie Loh REVOLT AGAINST THE ROMANS Tony Bradman, Bloomsbury, 2017, £5.99, pb, 115pp, 9781472929327 I can see why Tony Bradman dedicated this book to Rosemary Sutcliff; they are both interested in a clash of cultures and the resulting emotional conflict about where one belongs. Rome, A.D. 41. Twelve-year-old Marcus is summoned by his cold, stern father, Gaius, who has been ordered to Britain to help civilize the natives after the failed Catuvellauni revolt. Marcus will join in him the spring. The Britons are disgusting savages, says Gaius. They are covered in tattoos and cut off their enemies’ heads. So when Marcus is captured by the ferocious Catuvellauni, he fears torture and death. Instead, he is taken as a hostage by their leader, Caradoc, who sees him as a bargaining chip. Then Gaius’s letter arrives, ordering Marcus to kill himself like a true Roman. Horrified and upset, Marcus refuses. He has come to understand the tribe’s language and he likes their way of life. He’s made friends. Here, he can be himself—as he can’t be with his father. He wants to stay with Caradoc and the tribe. But will he be allowed? And what will happen if the Romans attack the Catuvellauni again? On the surface, this book is a straight-forward coming of age book and a rattling good adventure. But it also has added depth. Marcus learns that there are better ways of parenting than his father’s cold authoritarianism, and that the Catuvellauni are not the blood-thirsty savages he was told they were. He must drop his prejudices against non-Romans and understand that the alien Britons might have something important to offer. Gradually, he becomes a different person, and, in so doing, he frees himself of the weight of his father’s expectations. I enjoyed watching Marcus becoming more confident and pro-active. I think that boys of eight plus would enjoy this book, too. Elizabeth Hawksley COLD SUMMER Gwen Cole, Sky Pony, 2017, $16.99/C$25.99, hb, 334pp, 9781510707665 Kale Jackson is a high school dropout, a disappointment to his father, and an annoyance to his older brother. Kale is also a time traveler with no control over where or when he goes, or when he returns. He has tried for years to make his father believe him. Lately, his life has been divided between 1945, where he is a sharpshooter in WWII fighting to stay alive while watching friends die, and the present, where the PTSD he suffers makes his home life even more difficult. When Kale’s childhood friend, Harper Croft, returns to live next door with her widowed Uncle Jasper, their friendship quickly turns to romance. But time is running out. Harper googles Kale’s name, discovering the date he will be killed in 1945. Kale HNR Issue 81, August 2017 | Reviews | 57

must learn to control his time-traveling or he will die. Written for ages twelve and up, Cold Summer is a romance at its heart—a true coming of age. The time travel element is a unique obstacle the lovers must overcome. Given that this is more of a romance than a sci-fi, the time travel works well enough, though readers with a sci-fi preference may be disappointed. Likewise, because this is more of a romance than an historical novel, the lack of historical detail may disappoint readers looking for true historical fiction. Also missing are satisfactory explanations as to why both characters’ mothers are absent. Still, it is a good summer pick for fans of romance. Meg Wiviott YOUNG BOND: Red Nemesis Steve Cole, Red Fox, 2017, £7.99, pb, 304pp, 9781782952435 1935. Young James Bond’s school term in Edinburgh has ended, and he’s on the train to London with his Aunt Charmian. They examine his father’s backpack, which has just been retrieved from the ice after an Alpine accident three years earlier which killed both his parents. The correspondence contains mysterious letters to James’s late uncle Max, who’d worked for the British Secret Intelligence Services. They concern an imminent threat to London from Stalinist Russia. James manages to convince the S.I.S. agent, Adam Elmhirst, who knew his father and Max, that he can help unravel the secret. But first, they must travel to Moscow. There, James meets a young ballerina from the Ballets Russes, whose brilliant career has been halted by a tragic accident. Anya Kalashnikova has her own reasons for distrusting the Russian State. She, too, knows things she has no business to know. If she and James pool their knowledge, could they stop Stalin’s war machine from destroying London? The stakes cannot be higher, and neither of them knows who to trust. I thoroughly enjoyed Red Nemesis. It is a fastpaced, roller-coaster of a read, with gut-wrenching fights, thrilling chases and some really horrible baddies. There are enough twists and turns to keep the reader guessing until the very last minute. Furthermore, Cole has done his research, and 1930s Moscow, with its mixture of smart cars and luxurious Western goods for the rich and powerful, and cramped, over-crowded homes and a dismal diet for the poor, comes across in all its brutal, suspicious reality. Re: the Ballets Russes. This independent ballet company of Russian exiles under Sergei Diaghilev left Russia after the Revolution; they were surely persona non grata in Soviet Russia itself in the 1930s. Still, boys of eleven plus who enjoy actionpacked thrillers will love this book. Elizabeth Hawksley SAXON TALES: The King Who Threw Away His Throne Terry Deary, Bloomsbury, 2017, £4.99, pb, 61pp, 9781472929204 Books by Terry Deary are always popular for younger children, and this is one of his new Saxon Tales. The King who Threw Away his Throne is set in 5th-century Britain and is about King Vortigern— 58 | Reviews |

HNR Issue 81, August 2017

who may or may not have existed. The Dictionary of National Biography names him as the king who invited the Germanic chieftains, Hengist and Horsa, to Britain to help fight the Scots and the Saxons—with the inevitable result. However, in spite of the story being in Bede’s History and in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, modern scholarship suggests that all three of them are more mythic than real. Deary gives King Vortigern’s Welsh scullery boy, Mervyn, the major role. It is Mervyn who watches as Hengist and Horsa outwit Vortigern, just as he knew they would. And, when Vortigern flees back to Wales and tries to build a new castle, it is Mervyn, the teller of marvellous tales, who discovers why the castle keeps falling down. And it is Mervyn, a.k.a. Merlin, who, with the help of another king, Arthur, will one day deal with the marauding Anglo-Saxons. Tambe’s witty illustrations aid our understanding of the historical setting. Children of 6+ should enjoy this book. Elizabeth Hawksley SAXON TALES: The Shepherd Who Ate His Sheep Terry Deary, Bloomsbury, 2017, £4.99, pb, 63pp, 9781472929280 10th century, Maidstone, Kent. This tale is based on a true story of a starving shepherd boy, Edward Medway, who, one winter, cut the throat of one of his overlord’s sheep and ate it. He argued that wolves had killed it but the magistrate asked: what wolf ever carried a knife? Edward was condemned to hang. Edward’s father appealed to King Athelstan, who said that no criminal under sixteen should hang. The law was changed and Edward was saved. Terry Deary tells the story from Edward’s father’s viewpoint. Upton Medway always makes excuses to avoid going to work, especially in winter. He doesn’t care that his son is starving and frozen. I find this approach worrying. Upton is a seriously unpleasant man, and I doubt that young children will find a devious first-person narrator who constantly twists the truth easy to grasp. However, I have always been a King Athelstan fan, and I’m delighted that Terry Deary has chosen a story in which King Athelstan is undoubtedly a hero who, unlike the kings and nobles in Deary’s other Saxon tales, was definitely on the side of the poor. Tambe’s expressive illustrations capture the exciting bits. For children of 6+. Elizabeth Hawksley SAXON TALES: The Witch Who Faced the Fire Terry Deary, Bloomsbury, 2017, £4.99, pb, 62pp, 9781472929365 York, 7th century A.D. Young Aldith is only five when the plague comes. Her father is a tanner, who turns animal skins into leather. It’s a filthy, smelly job and the villagers blame the tannery for the plague and burn it down. Fortunately, Aldith is rescued by the kindly ‘cunning man’ Wilfred, a sort of healer. She becomes his apprentice, learning, not only to read and write, but also how to prepare herbs for healing. Wilfred teaches her that, as well as herbs, people need a touch of ‘magic’, a bit of hocus-pocus

which isn’t true, but which makes the patients feel better. Then, one day, when Wilfred is ill, Aldith prepares a potion for one of the townswomen’s husbands. Unfortunately, she uses the wrong recipe by mistake and it nearly kills him. This time, the villagers come for Aldith and they are determined to burn down the house with her and Wilfred in it. Can Aldith come up with some ‘magic’ in time to save their lives? There is an interesting epilogue about AngloSaxon healing, and Terry Deary has a look at Shakespeare’s witches’ recipe in Macbeth. Tambe’s illustrations deserve a special mention. Children of 6+ should enjoy this. Elizabeth Hawksley MORT ZIFF IS NOT DEAD Cary Fagan, Puffin Canada, 2017, $15.99/ C$18.99, hb, 167pp, 9780143198499 Eleven-year-old Norman is growing up in a working-class family in Toronto in 1965. His two older brothers seem to be rehearsing for life as the Three Stooges and bully Norman and each other relentlessly. Then Norman has a windfall. He enters a contest and wins one thousand dollars. After careful consideration, he decides to spend the money on an exotic vacation for his family… a plane ride and stay at a fancy hotel on Miami Beach for their winter school holiday. Among the wonders there is Mort Ziff, an old vaudeville and radio-era comedian who is not exactly knocking ´em dead in the hotel dining room every night. In fact, he’s about to be replaced by an imitation Beatles act. Norman and the youngest of three sisters from New Jersey take a liking to Mort and scheme to help him get his job back, even as their siblings spar in bitter competitions. By check-out time, Norman has both broadened his horizons and learned to stand up to his brothers. This delightful story for middle-graders is a great romp through life in the ´60s as its delightful young hero stretches his wings and learns that kindness has many rewards. Eileen Charbonneau REFUGEE Alan Gratz, Scholastic, 2017, $16.99, hb, 341pp, 9780545880831 Germany, 1938. Josef ’s father is arrested for being Jewish and practicing law. After six months at a concentration camp, he is released on the condition that he leave Germany. Josef and his family board the ship Saint Louis and head for Cuba. Cuba, 1994. Isabel’s father participates in a riot to protest food shortages and political persecution. Police beat him and threaten to find him later and arrest him. When Fidel Castro says anyone who wants to leave Cuba is allowed to, Isabel and her family board their neighbor’s poorly constructed boat, trying to cross the dangerous waters between Cuba and the United States. Syria, 2015. Mahmoud’s family narrowly escapes a missile that blows up their apartment building. With their home and nearly all their possessions destroyed, they finally decide to flee the civil war, which has been going on for years, and attempt the long and dangerous trek to Germany. In alternating chapters, the book tells these stories, of three families, in three different time Children & YA

periods, fleeing war and persecution in the hope of finding a safe place to live. The conflict is constant; each story is gripping, with chapters ending with cliffhangers. This book is difficult to put down! The stories intersect in interesting ways. Although the main characters are fictional children, some of the side characters are real, and the events are based on actual stories of refugees. Be forewarned: as in real life, not everyone survives. This is an important book, teaching young readers how people become refugees and what those individuals suffer. Intended for ages 9-12, but of interest to older audiences as well. Elizabeth Caulfield Felt THE ISLAND AT THE END OF EVERYTHING Kiran Millwood Hargrave, Chicken House, 2017, £6.99, pb, 244pp, 9781910002766 1902, Culion Island, the Philippines, once a leper colony. When twelve-year-old Ami, whose mother has leprosy, learns that a new Government ruling has decided that all uninfected children, like Ami, must leave the beautiful island of Culion, with its butterflies, for an orphanage on another island, Coron, she is devastated. The cruel Mr Zamora oversees the evacuation with a complete lack of sympathy for the children’s distress. Ami hates the Coron orphanage. Mr Zamora’s regimen is strict, and the other children are unfriendly, and she’s desperately worried about her mother. Then she meets Mariposa, a girl with a different medical problem, and they become friends. Could they escape Coron together? They will need strength and determination if they are to succeed in their quest. There’s a damaged small boat nearby… This book is about fighting for a world where people are accepted for who they are, even if they are ‘different’. Ami and Mari are discounted because they are only children and girls, who must do as they are told. But what if what they are told to do is wrong? I found this book both thought-provoking and moving. It’s beautifully written, too, and it certainly packs an emotional punch. Elizabeth Hawksley In spite of The Island at the End of Everything having the interesting and unusual main subject of leprosy, I felt that, in places, it wasn’t difficult to guess how the story line would develop. There were times when I wasn’t totally gripped, but it did get more exciting towards the end—I liked the 30-year time-jump and the coincidental reunion of old friends. The story explores many contrasting emotions and characters and gives insights into the leper colony—and the disparity between what it was really like and what many people outside the colony believed it was like. Freya Sutcliffe, age 14 ALMOST AUTUMN Marianne Kaurin, Arthur A. Levine Books, 2017, $17.99/C$23.99, hb, 278pp, 9780545889650 Ilse Stern has a teenage crush on Herman Rød, but he has just stood her up. Although she doesn’t know it yet, he has a good reason: it’s 1942, and the resistance in Norway has begun. Ilse and her family are Jews living in Oslo, and the Children & YA

Nazis are systematically destroying their lives and livelihoods. This all occurs whilst most others look on. Many Jews escape to Sweden with the help of the resistance, but somehow, Herman doesn’t know how to approach Ilse and her family with this information. Before long, the Nazis arrest all Norwegian Jewish males, and Ilse’s father disappears. One month later, they come for the rest, and all it would take to save Ilse and her family is one brave soul. This debut novel by Kaurin won the Norwegian Ministry of Culture prize and was named Young People’s Book of the Year in Norway. It’s not hard to see why. Kaurin’s voice paves the way for the reader to experience a lesser known part of the Holocaust with reading ease—though nothing about the events she describes is easy. The story can feel a bit disconnected in the beginning because Kaurin uses multiple points of view, though all the characters’ individual stories align in the end and the reader is well rewarded. It does not take long for the plot to drive forward, and what struck me the most is how sudden and drastic the fate of so many changed forever. Val Jensen BEYOND THE WALL Tanya Landman, Walker, 2017, £7.99, pb, 365pp, 9781406366273 In 4th-century Roman Britain, 15-yearold Cassia is a slave in the household of Titus Cornelius Festus. After he tries to rape her, Cassia attacks him and bites off his ear. She makes her escape but is forced to leave Rufus, her younger brother, behind. Vulnerable and alone, she heads for Londinium, where she meets the enigmatic Roman trader, Marcus Aquila. For reasons of his own, he offers to help her. Frightened of what will happen if her master catches up with her, Cassia has no choice but to accept Marcus’s offer. With his help, she becomes the servant of a physician and for a time she is safe. Cassia decides to rescue her brother Rufus and, once again, Marcus offers to help. Their actions lead to unrest amongst slaves throughout the province of Britannia, and they are hunted by Titus and the Roman authorities. To escape, they head north to the free tribal lands beyond Hadrian’s Wall where Cassia discovers her true heritage and where Marcus has to face up to his past and make a choice about his future. The story is set against the historical backdrop of the Great Conspiracy of AD 367, when Imperial slaves revolted against their masters. It is told from the viewpoints of Cassia, Marcus and a shaman who we later learn is the now grown-up Rufus. In places the story is a little far-fetched and the ending is left open and unsatisfying, but Cassia is a feisty heroine and Marcus is an ambiguous and flawed hero. The pace never lets up and a sense of danger is ever present. The book draws a harsh picture of Britannia in the late Empire and the subject matter—slavery, foreign occupation and materialism—is very topical. This is an engrossing and enjoyable read for older teenagers. Pat Walsh SILENT David Mellon, Merit, 2017, $19.99/C$22.99, hb, 317pp, 9781507201688 Adi, the 15-year-old daughter of a British father

and Indian mother, escorts her twin 10-yearold half-brothers to the home of their British grandmother in Europe. Upon arriving, Adi and the twins learn that their grandmother has died. Left adrift in a foreign country, Adi does her best to support the boys, despite her dislike for them. Adi inadvertently spoils the plans of Coal, a supernatural, shapeshifting character, to start a world war. Coal exacts revenge by kidnapping the twins and setting Adi on a quest to rescue her brothers. Bound by Coal’s rule to remain silent— no talking or writing—and guided by four riddles inside a watch Coal gives her, Adi spends the next four years, during the chaos and commotion of The Great War (which Coal successfully instigates shortly after Adi’s interference), searching for her brothers before time runs out. Set in Europe during WWI, the setting and magical realism provide an eerie and haunting backdrop for readers ages twelve and up. Adi is a feisty character, accustomed to being an outcast. She is aided by a cast of characters including: George, a drunken, reluctant heir to an obscure duchy with a heart of gold; Doc, the Army doctor/ father-figure; and, ironically and inexplicably, Coal who saves her life when he could have exacted his ultimate revenge. Mellon jumps back and forth in time to explain the motivations of the story’s antagonists yet not always to a satisfying degree. Coal is intriguing, at times more interesting than the main character, but his motivations are unclear. Readers may come away asking: Why would an immortal agent provocateur care a wit about a 15-year-old girl who accidentally delays his plans, let alone go to such lengths for vengeance? Meg Wiviott THE GIRL WHO WOULDN’T DIE Randall Platt, Sky Pony, 2017, $16.99, hb, 366pp, 9781510708099 At the dawn of WWII, a Jewish girl-of-thestreets, Arab, determines she will survive the Nazi occupation. Her motto is, “take care of number one.” She has been living on the streets for a long time—long enough to be betrayed by a boy she trusted and loved. After serving her jail sentence, she returns to Warsaw to pick up where she left off, living a life of petty crime and starting up her own gang of boys. Her biggest trick is dressing and acting like a boy. But then, the Nazis take over, destroying everything Arab loves. Determined to fly under their radar, she now takes to the streets and sewers in order to steal, bribe and con her way to safety. All is well, except for her little sister, Ruthie, who is six and has run away from home. Dealing black market cigarettes to anyone who will pay up, Arab meets a young man who is working in the resistance, and he needs her help to save as many children as he can. She reluctantly agrees, on the condition that Ruthie is one of those rescued children. Written in taut, spine-tingling prose with characters you want to know, this book captures the fear… no, the terror of living in a fascist world. Arab is the most unlikely of heroes, but with her grit and gumption, how could she be anything else? Anne Clinard Barnhill

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A CASTLE IN ENGLAND Jamie Rhodes, Nobrow, 2017, $19.99/ C$28.95/£14.99, hb, 130pp, 9781910620199 For several months in early 2016, researcher and author Jamie Rhodes lived in Scotney Castle in Kent, South-East England. There he walked the grounds, pondered the ruins, and studied the archives for stories illuminating the castle’s centuries-long past. The result is a young adult graphic novel that includes five tales that span the ages from the late 14th century through the early 20th century. Each part is illustrated as a comic by a different graphic artist in their own unique style. Family trees, historical context information, and facts pertaining to Scotney Castle during the associated period accompany each story in order to provide needed information to help the reader more fully understand what he or she has read. The stories include “The Labourer” (medieval), “The Priest” (Elizabethan), “The Smuggler” (Georgian), “The Widow” (Victorian), and “The Hunter” (Edwardian). Each of them is inspired by actual events that took place in, near, and around the castle. The tales are engaging and interesting, making each a quick, easy read. Trying to figure out what, exactly, the tale ultimately means is not as easy or quick, though. Because of this, it is necessary for the reader to carefully examine the family tree and historical context information and think about how the tale was presented, and perhaps even read it over again with these details in mind. For that reason, the graphic novel becomes a potent educational tool for young people and adults alike, and not a piece of spoon-fed diversion. Highly recommended. Xina Marie Uhl PRISONER OF WAR: A Novel of World War II Michael P. Spradlin, Scholastic, 2017, $16.99, hb, 272pp, 9780545857833 Written for readers ages twelve and up, Prisoner of War is the harrowing story of 15-year-old Henry Forrest, who lies about his age to enlist in the Marines to escape his abusive, alcoholic father. Henry winds up in the Philippines on the island of Luzon, his lie uncovered, and on the verge of being returned to the US when the Japanese invade, trapping Henry and his brothers-at-arms on the southern peninsula of Baatan. After surrendering to the Japanese Imperial Army, Henry must “dig deep” to endure horrific brutalities—surviving the Baatan Death March and three years as a prisoner of war. The Bataan Death March and the conditions in which Allied prisoners of war were held in the Philippines was declared a war crime. Based on historical events, the descriptions of the conditions and horrific treatment of the prisoners are vivid and visceral. Unfortunately, those descriptions come off as a reporting of events and lack substance. Spradlin’s characterizations are one-dimensional; Allied soldiers are portrayed as virtuous and loyal heroes, while the Japanese are all sadistic monsters. Spradlin uses the Japanese ideal of bushido—the code of the samurai including respect, loyalty, and 60 | Reviews |

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honor until death—to explain the behavior of Japanese, but he does so with little nuance. Meg Wiviott WAVE ME GOODBYE Jacqueline Wilson, Doubleday, 2017, £12.99, hb, 452pp, 9780857535153 ‘To be a successful human being, you need to be in touch with other people’s feelings’, Jaqueline Wilson said recently about promoting empathy through reading. Her latest novel is a master class in doing just that. We are swept into the mind-set of ten-year-old Shirley who wakes to the discovery she’s going ‘on holiday’ that very day. Slowly, the truth dawns. Her mum isn’t coming with her. But everyone from her scruffy school is leaving home and going to—well, nobody knows where the train from Victoria is heading…. With her gas mask and name label, Shirley joins the crush of London evacuees in September, 1939. There is a wide cast of characters—convent girls in tunics, Cockney kids with nits, and village host-families from every class background. Wilson is in her element as she moves from astutely observed surface impressions to a slow reveal of what lies buried in people’s personal stories. Shirley is lodged, along with jug-eared Kevin, in a large house with a reclusive host—Mrs Waverley. As she struggles to give and get emotional solace herself, Shirley also discovers how past traumas have affected others. This is a long, complete and absorbing read. It establishes a number of story-lines which leads me to hope we may see more of Shirley’s war. What it achieves, most gloriously, is to transport the reader utterly into the language, attitudes and preoccupations of another era. From the moment Shirley’s aspirational mum shoves her into the carriage reserved for posh girls, to the subtle revelations about Mrs Waverley’s past (with echoes of Lady Chatterley), the sense of living in a time of different manners and social codes is handled exquisitely. With the smell of Lifebuoy soap still strong in my nose, I totally recommend this for readers of 9+. Marion Rose

nonfiction

KOH-I-NOOR: The History of the World’s Most Infamous Diamond William Dalrymple and Anita Anand, Bloomsbury, 2017, $24.99/£14.99, hb, 240pp, 9781408888841 The authors present a well-researched history behind the world-famous Koh-i-Noor diamond, currently on display at the Tower of London. Although the tales of its discovery in medieval times in South India are the stuff of legend, its first recorded mention is traced in the memoirs of Mughal Emperors, and more so in writings of a Persian historian in 1740. The book sets the record straight on the “bazaar tittle-tattles” such as the Persian King obtaining it in a turban exchange with the Delhi Emperor. Following a historical narrative of the Koh-i-Noor’s tumultuous journey to Persia

and its return in 1813 to India, the confusion whether or not the last Sikh Maharaja Duleep Singh gifted it to Queen Victoria is resolved. This book mostly succeeds in its attempt to separate historical facts from myths. The narrative also touches on the curse the Koh-i-Noor allegedly possesses, and details the horrible catastrophes suffered by those connected with it—even by those on the ship carrying it to Britain. Notwithstanding these fables, the authors devote a good portion to the discussion of claims by various parties for its repossession. Typically, as historians, the authors have laid out all the facts and, taking a nonjudgmental approach, have left it for the readers to contemplate the future of this priceless gem. It’s a much needed historical work, and a pleasure to read. Highly recommended. Waheed Rabbani “REMEMBER THE LADIES”: Celebrating Those Who Fought For Freedom at the Ballot Box Angela P. Dodson, Center Street, 2017, $27, hb, 426pp, 9781455570935 This non-fiction book traces the history of the United States women’s suffrage movement from the earliest concerns for women’s rights being overlooked in the Declaration of Independence through the suffrage movement of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Each relevant event or personage is given a brief chapter, which leaves room to discuss a multitude of topics. While no one event is covered in great depth, nothing is overlooked, so the reader gains a solid, broad perspective on a nearly 100-year-long struggle. This book is an incredible resource for anyone seeking to learn more about the amazing women who gave us the right to have a say in our government. The reader will enjoy learning new details of familiar events like the Seneca Falls Conference and revered figures like Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Alice Paul, while discovering lesser-known figures like Lucy Stone and Victoria Woodhull. My only complaint was that the book wasn’t longer! A must-read for feminists, women’s history enthusiasts and anyone interested in what went into giving women the right to vote in the U.S., and a great primer on an important period in U.S. history. Nicole Evelina KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON: Oil, Money, Murder and the Birth of the FBI David Grann, Simon & Schuster, 2017, £20, hb, 338pp, 9780857209023 / Doubleday, 2017, $28.95, hb, 352pp, 9780385534246 Killers of the Flower Moon is the true story of a shocking episode in US history. Set in the first half of the 20th century, it tells of the systematic killing of countless members of the Osage Indian nation, in an attempt to claim the valuable oil deposits that had been discovered beneath their tribal land. The newly founded FBI takes up the case and appoints Tom White, a former Texas Ranger, to investigate the killings. What he finds is a massive conspiracy of silence, masking widespread corruption and greed, and often breathtaking levels of betrayal and Children & YA — Nonfiction

double-crossing. I found this book fascinating as an exploration of the way that immense wealth can destroy people’s lives by turning them into victims, or by undermining their basic humanity. It also exposes the levels of racism that were prevalent at the time. Not only were the Osage people forced to “conform to the white man’s ways”, but they were denied authority over their own money, often having white “guardians” appointed to administer their affairs. Despite the grim message, this was a compelling read, and it is recommended to anyone who is interested in American history. Karen Warren

China and India, sailing north to Scandinavia and west into the Mediterranean. For example, 5th-6th century shards of Byzantine pottery, discovered at Tintagel in Cornwall, were traded for tin. And people, goods and ideas have, in return, come into the city, like the 10th- century Viking warriors who formed the Emperors’ personal Varangian Guard. The Ottomans brought a new cultural and racial diversity, and the city re-invented itself yet again. Hughes opens up the city’s psychopathology brilliantly, and examines it in all its variety. For me, reading Istanbul was like discovering a whole new galaxy. Highly recommended. Elizabeth Hawksley

THE MARRIAGE BUREAU: The True Story of How Two Matchmakers Arranged Love in Wartime London (US) / MARRIAGES ARE MADE IN BOND STREET(UK) Penrose Halson, William Morrow, 2017, $15.99, pb, 315pp, 9780062562661 / Pan, 2017, £7.99, pb, 368pp, 9781509822423 The Marriage Bureau takes on the journey of Audrey Pearson and Heather Jenner, bored and unfulfilled by mundane jobs in 1939 wartime London, who with moxie and ingenuity established a dating service initially meant to meet the needs of lonely soldiers and women of the era looking for love and security. However, The Bureau expanded to be so much more when their platform unexpectedly took off. It met the needs of the widowed, stubbornly single, and people’s curious circumstances. Compared to the surveys, forms and data we’re used to today, The Bureau’s methods were invested in Pearson’s and Jenner’s formative opinions, based on the oddities of class, dress, and money. The resulting stories are charming, sad and quite humorous. The Marriage Bureau is based in fact on the actual Bureau. It doesn’t offer much in comparing the contemporary services available (they are at best fleetingly mentioned) as the Bureau evolved over more than a decade. This could have added more depth. Still, all told, this is a worthy story filled with memorable characters, views, and bygone beliefs. A genuinely lovely read. Wendy Zollo

POSTED IN WARTIME: Letters Home from Abroad Richard Knott, Pen and Sword, 2017, £25.00, hb, 254pp, 9781473833968 The title is a pun. The book is based on letters posted in wartime from abroad by Britons posted abroad in wartime. We follow the wartime careers of six people, three of them celebrities (Noel Coward, Cecil Beaton and Freya Stark) and three of them ‘ordinary’ people, including the author’s father, Jack. Jack is an anomaly, since he never wrote home, at least as far as his son can recall, and he never talked to his son about the war. The only letter from Jack in the book is one written by the author on his father’s behalf, which he thinks his father ought to have written from Egypt in 1945. The author explains that the book began as a search to discover what his father did in the war. Quite how it metamorphised into the present work is unclear. Everybody but Jack gets around a great deal, and there is a wealth of correspondence from accomplished letter writers. The celebrities were all engaged on entertainment or propaganda missions, and the others did their more mundane duty. This is an evocative study in separation, homesickness and nostalgia. Edward James

ISTANBUL: A Tale of Three Cities Bettany Hughes, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2017, £25, hb, 800pp, 9780279868484 / Da Capo, 2017, $40, hb, 856pp, 9780306825842 This book’s subject, Byzantium/ Constantinople/Istanbul, has been called the world’s greatest city. Appropriately, the author has chosen a multi-faceted viewpoint including not only facts, which can sometimes be misleading, but also human perceptions, dreams and fears. There are many histories to uncover, from the prehistoric footsteps dating to 6,300 B.C; through early Greek settlements; to Constantinople, the glorious crown of the Eastern Roman Empire; and, after 1453, as Konstantiniyye or Islam-bol, capital of the Ottoman Empire; and its newest incarnation as Istanbul in the Republic of Turkey. Throughout its history, Constantinople has influenced the outside world via trade along the Silk Road to Nonfiction

LOVE, MADNESS, AND SCANDAL: The Life of Frances Coke Villiers, Viscountess Purbeck Johanna Luthman, Oxford, 2017, $27.95/£20, hb, 209pp, 9780198754657 This is that rare thing—a learned biography, which entertains and impresses. Love, Madness, and Scandal achieves for fans of Stuart-era England what Lady Worsley’s Whim accomplished for students of the 18th century, an insight into a historical woman’s existence told through the lens of contemporary matrimonial politics. As we learn about Frances Coke Villiers’ tumultuous marriage—forced to wed the mentally ill John Villiers, she took a lover and was duly prosecuted—the portrait of a tempest-tossed age emerges, with Charles I succeeding James I and driving the country to the brink of war. Against these monumental historical changes, Frances Coke Villiers’ vita plays out like a gothic adventure, complete with abduction, magic intervention and exile, but Luthman never allows the romance of her heroine’s escapades to overshadow the grim reality of the fates endured by 17th-century wives. Instead,

she provides us with a sympathetic assessment of the Viscountess Purbeck, a woman who maintained a 22-year extramarital relationship while braving societal censure. The book comes with a list of persons, family trees, and scholarly notes. Highly recommended. Elisabeth Lenckos THE MESMERIST Wendy Moore, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2017, £18.99, hb, 308pp, 9781474602297 In the 1830s Dr John Elliotson became an early advocate of medical discoveries, such as the stethoscope. He was convinced by mesmerism, and began experimenting on Elizabeth Okey, a meek sixteen-year-old housemaid with epilepsy. She went swiftly into a trance, when she began flirting, singing, diagnosing and predicting death. University College Hospital became so swamped with visitors to demonstrations in both lecture theatre and wards that other doctors made strenuous objections. The surgeon Lister tried to ban him. One of the proven benefits of mesmerism was that subjects experienced no pain, even with amputations, but the surgeons refused to use it. Elliotson’s experiments became more bizarre, without proper scientific rigor. When forbidden to experiment at UCH he resigned, and continued his experiments and demonstrations elsewhere. This is a fascinating, readable account, not just of mesmerism, but also of early Victorian society and a dedicated doctor who is drawn into a passionate and unwise spate of experiments because of his obsession. It is thoroughly researched, the medical aspects clearly explained. It is a book for nonprofessionals as well as medical historians. Marina Oliver APHRA BEHN: A Secret Life Janet Todd, Fentum Press, 2017, $18.95/£14.99, pb, 576pp, 9781909572065 This revised and updated version of Janet Todd’s masterful biography of Aphra Behn shines a light on one of the most intriguing characters in the history of English literature. Using contemporary documents and Behn’s own writing, Todd examines the exciting and dangerous times in which Behn lived and wrote. Born during the events leading up to the English Civil War, Behn lived quite an adventurous life, becoming a Royalist spy in the Netherlands and South America; later, she used her poetic skills to serve the Stuart kings, Charles II and James II. But even more startling is the fact that Behn is the first woman to earn her living entirely by her pen. Along with other Restoration writers, she found the world around her rich with material in which to examine both the mores of her time as well as more eternal questions. This well-researched biography brings the excitement of the age to its pages. Filled with nuanced detail and told from a feminist perspective, this book should be on every shelf for those interested in the mid-to-late 1600s. Anne Clinard Barnhill

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