Genre: Historical Fiction/Chick Lit

Publisher:  Algonquin

Publication Date:  January 2010

Reviewed by Jen Roman

In 1907, widower and wealthy businessman Ralph Truitt places an ad in the paper for a “reliable wife.”  Catherine Land’s response is chosen because she mentions that she is an honest woman and includes a photo of a plain woman.  When she arrives on the train platform in winter in Wisconsin, however, Ralph is surprised to see that she is actually very attractive.  She explains that she used her cousin’s photo so he would get to know the “real” Catherine instead of bypassing her because she is beautiful.  Each person agrees to the marriage because of a desire: he wants someone to track down his long-lost son, and she wants to poison him and take his money.  She then plans to reunite with her lover (who is Ralph’s long-lost son!).  Along the way they change their perspectives and get involved in suspenseful and dangerous situations.

A Reliable Wife starts out slowly, and without reason.  There is a great deal of time spent on how Ralph feels about what the townspeople think of him, both in general and because he is sending away for a new wife.  Catherine’s thoughts are also described in detail.  While it is good for the reader to get to know the characters and encounter some suspense, it does not work in this case.  The story flows well once the two meet, however, and the reader quickly gets engrossed in the story.

It’s hard to believe that there is such rampant drug use in the early 1900s, but there is.  That, combined with the prominence of prostitutes, makes for some less than innocuous reading.  There are descriptions of the sexual act throughout the book, and prostitutes are not glossed over because of what they do.  For one not initiated comfortable in that world, the reader should exercise caution.  One especially difficult scene shows Catherine’s sister, an addict and prostitute, dying of what one would assume is AIDS.  She is cold, hungry, and desperate for drugs.  When Catherine tries to help her, all she can ask for is money for her next fix.  Sadly, when Catherine leaves money and a new fur coat with her sister, someone else takes the money and coat without any regard for the dying body owning those items.  The less desirable traits of human nature prevail in some very depressing situations.

What starts as a slow novel quickly turns into an interesting, colorful, and suspenseful read.  It is not a difficult book, so it would make an excellent choice for a weekend.  Readers caught up in A Reliable Wife will enjoy it once they get past the first couple of chapters.

Review copy provided by Algonquin.

Genre: Historical Fiction, Horror, Audio Book

Publisher:  Grand Central Publishing

Publication Date:  March 2010

Reviewed by Jennifer S. Roman

Reading as a biography, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter follows the late President’s journey from a young boy on the frontier to his success as a politician and attorney.  Inspired by his dying mother’s last wish, Abraham studies, works hard, and hunts vampires.  At times he wants to just leave the vampire issue in the past, but he knows he has to rid the world of these evil creatures.  Aided by a vampire friend, Henry, he learns to identify and destroy his new enemies.

While the story follows closely with the actual history of Lincoln’s life, Grahame-Smith takes liberties with prominent events that happened in Lincoln’s history.  For example, instead of his mother dying of “milk fever,” as is recorded in the journals of history, Grahame-Smith indicates that she has actually become the victim of a vampire’s razor-sharp fangs.  A large gang war in New York is credited to the vampires, and even John Wilkes Booth is identified as a vampire.  These changes provide some entertainment in an already colorful life.

While the story of Abraham Lincoln is very interesting in itself, somehow something gets lost with the addition of vampires.  Not one to disregard a good vampire story, I found that it just didn’t work here. In fact, I read Grahame-Smith’s Pride and Prejudice and Zombies with happy results.

The narrator has a nice voice for this story, but does not read in much of a dramatic fashion.  There were times when it was difficult to tell if the narrator was speaking or if Abraham was speaking.  The idea to introduce vampires into Abraham Lincoln’s life is interesting, but something in it just falls short.

Written true to the vernacular of the times, the speech is sometimes stilted.  Still, there is nothing offensive in the writing; any “swearing” done in the times is seen as mild, acceptable usage today.  There is no sexual activity, and even when Abe is courting his wife, it only mentions his desire to “be near” the woman.  Again, for today’s readers, it is refreshingly charming and clean.  Abe’s favorite weapon to kill vampires, though, is an axe, so there are some scenes in which people are beheaded or struck in the back by said axe.  It is not overly bloody or gruesome so most readers should have no problem stomaching the “violence.”

Overall, the attempt to write vampires into Abraham Lincoln’s life is interesting, but it doesn’t quite work.

Review copy provided by Grand Central Publishing.

Genre: Historical, Adventure, Literary

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company

Released: March 2010

Reviewed by Jonathan Schindler

“How is this night different from all other nights?” This night, Passover 1862, is the night Jacob Rappaport will assassinate his uncle.

Rappaport, in order to escape an arranged marriage to the daughter of one of his father’s business associates, joins the Union Army. But when his senior officers discover that he is related to Harry Hyams, a man plotting to assassinate Abraham Lincoln, they exploit his family tie and send him to New Orleans to infiltrate his uncle’s Passover seder and poison him at the table. Having successfully dispatched this mission, Rappaport is given what might be his most dangerous mission yet: marriage to Confederate beauty, actress, escape artist, and spy Eugenia Levy. But when Jacob’s personal life and professional duty are so intertwined, where will his loyalty lie?

All Other Nights raises issues of faith, family, and fidelity with wisdom and wit, and it does so without getting bogged down in needless discursions or overabundant details. Dara Horn is adept at plotting her novel, keeping things moving but also allowing the reader to become attached to the characters. She earns the reader’s attention and desire to continue. While the chapters are fairly short, enabling unintentional over reading, they are also engrossing, making the most schedule-conscious readers reconsider whether they have time for another before errands call them elsewhere. She is able to keep the reader’s attention without using tricks and gimmicks, teasing interest without being coy. (For an example of the coy way to keep readers’ attention, I remember reading the Goosebumps series when I was younger, and almost every chapter ended with an ellipsis—keeping the reader fettered to the book by withholding information.)

What separates All Other Nights from many other plot-driven books is the author’s craft in the details. Forming a plot can become a macro enterprise, often at the expense of the micro, creating a book intended to be consumed in one sitting and never revisited. But Dara Horn has done both. Not only does she keep the plot moving, but each individual sentence shows that it has received the author’s attention. The result is a well-written novel that is enjoyable on the first read, but deep enough to merit rereading. It combines the best of adventure fiction with the careful observations characteristic of literary fiction, and the result is a success.

All Other Nights also succeeds in capturing interesting historical details by creating a believable atmosphere for the novel’s setting. In order to enjoy a novel, and perhaps especially a historical novel, the reader must trust the author to have done her homework. Anachronisms and faulty phrases disrupt the flow of the story, but more importantly they break readers’ trust, forcing readers to contemplate the details with closer scrutiny rather than allowing them to become engrossed in the reading experience. Thankfully, Horn establishes trust early in the book and maintains that trust throughout. The author’s note following the story reveals the painstaking research Horn has done to bring this book into being. Not only will casual readers appreciate Horn’s research, but Civil War buffs should be placated as well.

Dara Horn’s All Other Nights is worthy of attention, and I’m glad I read it. I will be seeking her other books out in the future.

Review copy provided by W. W. Norton & Co.

Genre: Historical Romance, Inspirational

Publisher: Revell

Publication Date: March 2010

Reviewed by Lori Twichell

Allie Miller’s life seems to be nearly perfect. Her father owns a prominent ball bearing company and she’s set to receive a fortune from her family. She’s also engaged to a fine upstanding young man. When she leaves for a short trip to be in a friend’s wedding, she realizes very quickly how unhappy she really is in her life.

Walt Novak has never been considered as handsome or talented as his two older brothers, but still, he’s an essential part of the Army Air Corps and he’s ready to lay down his life for our country. He’s also a mess when it comes to women. He can’t even speak to them without a near panic attack unless he knows that they’re ‘taken.’

So when Allie and Walt meet on a train, things become very interesting. First, Walt believes that she’s married with young children. By the time he discovers that she’s not, they’ve already developed a very comfortable rapport. Imagine the surprise that they both experience when it’s discovered that they’re both going to the same place for the same wedding. Subsequently, the two of them spend a week together for all of the wedding activities and their friendship and attraction grows. So what happens when Walt returns to war and Allie returns to the marriage that her parents have arranged for her?

Sarah Sundin’s debut novel is not your regular every day romance. If you’re looking for boy meets girl, falls in love and all is perfect, you won’t get it here. Walt and Allie both struggle with issues in their lives when they meet each other. Dishonesty, miscommunication, and stubbornness on both of their parts stand between them at every turn. And then there’s Baxter, Allie’s future husband. Oh and the war. That’s a big one too.

Sometimes, when you’re reading inspirational fiction, the mentions of Bible study, church, and every day faith feel like a misstep. It can sometimes feel as if someone crafted the story and threw all of the ‘inspirational’ parts in as an afterthought. Sundin has woven these every day moments in a Christian’s life into the story in great detail without being preachy or overbearing. As Allie struggles with obedience vs. sacrifice, we also see Walt learning the dangers of ‘little white lies.’ It doesn’t cause the story to stumble. Rather, it helps to deepen the story. There is no simple moment of revelation that drastically changes the characters from one second to the next. It’s a process that we, as the reader, follow throughout the story. So when the change does happen it’s something for which we’ve all been waiting.

The plot is fast paced, easy to follow and packed with fantastic details from the time period. From serving in the Red Cross to fighting overseas, you never once struggle with the details of the story.  Sundin’s debut novel proves that she is an excellent storyteller who gives her readers adventure, history and romance with style and grace.

Review copy provided by Revell.

Genre: Historical Fiction

Publisher:  Touchstone

Publication Date:  May 2010

Reviewed by Jen Roman

In New York in the early 1900s, Ruby Thompson has faced many tragedies in her young life.  By the time she is thirteen, her parents and brother have died from Spanish influenza.  Her other brother, Nick, survives but has personality-altering damages from the flu.  He and his wife, Evie, have two small girls, and they take in Ruby to live with them.  Not long after, Evie is in a train accident and dies, leaving Ruby to fend for herself AND to care for the two girls, Allie and Amanda.  She takes on a lot of unsafe factory jobs and does all she can to make ends meet.  Finally, fed up with not being able to take care of her family, she goes to a side show owner and ends up getting a job.  She has an amazingly fast pitch, so her new boss sets up a booth where people can come in and challenge her for the fastest pitch.  She is so impressive that eventually she is asked to play on a minor league team, and in the process garners the attention of Babe Ruth, Lou Gherig, and the famous boxer Jack Dempsey.  Even though she finds a good-paying job doing something she loves, she still has to face challenges: her brother, Nick, is caught up in bootlegging; the Klan is out to make her stop playing baseball because she is a girl; and a bookie blackmails her to throw some games or he will harm the girls.  Rather than being a sad and depressing story, however, Diamond Ruby shows pluck, spunk, and smarts.  She handles things with grace and nerves of steel.

It’s interesting to read a book about a female baseball player in the early 1900s because the reader sees just how far women have come.  Rights and privileges we take for granted are not even dreamed of by those women.  Diamond Ruby shows what people, no matter their gender, can achieve when they set their minds to it.  They can overcome despair and manage to triumph even with the odds stacked against them.  While there are people who succumb to tragedy, it’s nice to read about someone who overcomes the odds to manage and do well in life.  Who doesn’t love to root for the underdog?

There is very little objectionable content in Diamond Ruby in the way of profanity and sexual situations.  While there is not graphic violence, there is a lot of blackmail.  People get beat up or knifed, and in one scene, Ruby is badly beaten.  This is not described in great detail, but it is enough that it could upset people sensitive to violence against women.  In general, however, most readers should not be offended by anything in this book.  It is gritty and downtrodden at times, but it shows how the human spirit can overcome so many tragedies to succeed.

Review copy provided by Touchstone.

Genre: Historical

Publisher: Viking

Publication Date: May 2010

Reviewed by Jaci Miller

Mary Sutter, a young 19th century midwife living in New York state, wants more. She longs to be a doctor. Sadly, medical schools will not accept her because of her gender. In desperation, she turns to James Blevens—a doctor whose aid she came to during a dangerous delivery. But Blevens, who has enlisted as a surgeon in the approaching Civil War, turns her down.

Then Dorothea Dix, a national figure, issues a call to the North’s women: nurses are needed. Mary hurries to the capitol, despite the fact that she is too young for service under Ms. Dix. Rejected once again, she finds a role in the Union Hotel Hospital, a squalid, filthy hovel where she assists Dr. William Stipp, who, ironically, is the man who trained Blevens. There, Mary strives to care for the flood of injured and ill men who arrive, but with so little known about medicine, both Stipp and Mary struggle to save lives. Torn between returning home to help deliver her twin sister’s child and the overwhelming needs in Washington, Mary must make the difficult choice between familial duty and her dreams of medicine.

In My Name is Mary Sutter, a historical piece set during the opening of the Civil War, Robin Oliveira creates a bitter, chaotic world where blood, filth and perseverance dominate. The wounds of war scar everyone and she portrays this clearly in this work. Historical details abound, sure to please the most avid amateur historian—Lincoln, John Hay and McClellan are featured among the cast of characters included here—although, these scenes read more slowly and this reader hurried through them to reach Mary’s story.

A bit disappointing was Mary’s persistent stoicism; it prevented the reader from truly empathizing with this character at a deep level. Understandably, this is a prime trait of this character, but readers would have benefitted from an occasional lapse in Mary’s outer restraint as a means of character growth. However, the ending does show a crack in this demeanor which was a relief.

Oliveira’s debut novel offers a wealth of period details and is a well-crafted look at the horrors of the Civil War from the rare perspective of a female medical professional. Readers feel immersed in the wretchedness of the war; our sense of helplessness easily parallels what Mary feels as she tries to treat patients at a time when little is known about treatment.

Review copy provided by Viking.

Genre: Historical, Romance, Adventure

Publisher: Realms

Publication Date: May 2010

Reviewed by Lori Twichell

Valerie Fontaine is a beautiful young woman with the world at her feet. Daughter of a wealthy business man, she is educated beyond the average of most girls her age, she has grown up in comfort and she is self assured and filled with everything that society holds in high regard. And yet, when her mother passes away, everything that she had planned for her life gets swept away and lost in a tumult of grief and misunderstanding. Not sure of what she should do next; she leaves school without her father’s permission and ventures home. Her travels take her across several states in a land that is preparing for civil war.

When she arrives, she is bitterly disappointed to discover that her father, lost in his own grief, wants nothing to do with her. Instead, he pushes her toward a relationship with a young man that she has known for her entire life. Unfortunately James Ladden is not the gentleman that either of them imagined. Rough and completely disrespectful, Ladden assumes that Valerie will be his and he has no problem treating her as if she already belongs to him.

Enter Benjamin McCabe. The opposite of James, McCabe is the son of an acquaintance of her father. With her father indisposed by his grief and increased drinking and gambling, the task of entertaining Mr. McCabe is left to Valerie. Unsure of what her role should be and how to handle this unexplained acquaintance, she discovers very quickly that Ben McCabe is a man she would like to know better. Her young tender heart turns very quickly toward the handsome and gentle man and she discovers, as their friendship progresses, that the two are more compatible than they’d realized.

When I started reading this book, I was certain that it was going to be a typical period romance where the two very attractive people that, at first, don’t look like they belong end up together. Then we get the happily ever after…yadda yadda yadda. You know what I mean. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that there was much more to this than the typical romance. With some intrigue, twists and surprised, Boeshaar has crafted an enjoyable tale that takes us not only into the opening stages of a romance, but into the depths of what happens after ‘I do.’ And she’s done it in a delightful way that will keep you entertained and engaged with these wonderful characters. She’s done a great job creating not only a tense storyline with a mysterious plot, but building into the love story in a very real and honest way. I am very happy to see that we have more work from Boeshaar to look forward to this fall.

Listen to our interview with Andrea Boeshaar here.

Review copy provided by Realms.

Genre: Historical, Romance, Adventure

Publisher: Tyndale

Publication Date: March 2010

Reviewed by Lori Twichell

Marta Schneider is determined to succeed. She knows what she wants in life and even though she’s young, nothing is going to stop her from getting everything that she wants. She refuses to allow anything to move her from that path. She certainly won’t let a frightened sister, a sick mother or an abusive father do that to her. Determined to rise above the roadblocks and speed-bumps that would slow or stop others in her situation, she turns everything into an opportunity to better herself.

I was completely entranced with Marta’s story through the stages of her life as she blew past outrageously difficult circumstances to succeed at nearly everything she attempted. By the time that she got married, settled down and started a family, I was firmly ensconced in the world that Rivers had created. And then the focus shifted.

Hildemara Rose, Marta’s young daughter, has just as much determination as her mother and unfortunately, just as many obstacles. She fights for everything she gets and has, at the best of times, a rocky, strained relationship with Marta.

When the perspective shifted to that of Marta’s young daughter, Hildemara Rose, I was admittedly a little jarred. My first thoughts were that I wanted to see more of Marta. This was, after all, her story! I had spent hours getting to know her, understanding her, and watching her overcome obstacles. I wanted to follow her and not this young girl who hadn’t been truly granted much of a part in Marta’s story. But as I kept reading, I discovered, once again, the brilliance of Francine Rivers. With the intimate knowledge of Marta’s past, we as the readers are able to experienced Hildemara’s life in a deeper, richer way than if we had only met one or the other of these women on their own.

Francine Rivers is a master of the heart. She cuts right to the center and passion of what drives people and creates an amazing connection between her readers and her stories. This book is no different. She brilliantly pulls together heartache and passion and wraps it around one of the deepest relationships in existence; that of a mother and a daughter. Written from her own family history, Rivers pulls no punches as she examines the mistakes that parents can make as they raise their children. Moments in this book were difficult to read, heartbreaking and at times, I found myself with tears rolling down my face. Again, this is where Francine Rivers excels in her writing. When reading her work, it’s nearly impossible to keep yourself from becoming personally entrenched in the story. With this beautiful multigenerational tale, this is doubly heart-wrenching. As I experienced Hildemara’s heartbreak in her relationship with her mother, I also ached at knowing where Marta had been and why this was happening. Rivers’ writing gave me a deeper understanding of every aspect of this story and really opened her own heart and family to me. My heart rolled when I reached the end of this book and I realized I was going to have to wait to see what would happen next.When does it release? Not nearly soon enough.

Review copy provided by Tyndale.

Genre: Historical Fiction

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.

Publication Date: October 2009

Reviewed by Lori Twichell

Sir Thomas Cromwell. Most people recognize the name but not many could tell you exactly who he is, what he did or how he impacted the course of history.  Let me fill you in just a little. To start things off he was the 1^st Earl of Essex. He was also Henry VIII’s chief minister from 1532-1540. Do you have a better idea of how he impacted history now? Yes. So do I after reading Hilary Mantel’s book.

It’s hard to cover new ground when it comes to Henry VIII. With hundreds of books and movies and television programs based on this time period and this famous monarch, very little is fresh ground. Mantel, however, has found a way to make even Henry’s popular story new and exciting. She has shared the tale through the little known and far less understood Thomas Cromwell.

The book follows Cromwell’s rise from poverty and a drunken abusive home to arguably the most powerful and influential man in the free world. How did he shake off the past and move beyond it? What about his family and love life? Did he have one? Mantel addresses these questions with stunning description and a tense driven storyline.

The writing style can be off-putting during the read though. Sometimes it’s difficult to shake out who is doing what or who is speaking and it takes several reads to get back into the pacing. This can be hard on the reader since the book is so long and the plot details are thickly woven. The book is not an easy weekend read by far, but when you’ve completed the story, you have far more information regarding this period in history and specifically, this man and what he did to impact history.

If you are a fan of history or historical fiction, this is a book you might enjoy reading. I enjoyed the story and finding out more about Henry VIII through the eyes of this little known character, but as I said, it was not an easy read. I garnered lots of information and appreciated the characterizations that Mantel put forth and wished that it could have been shared in a little easier manner. I don’t shy away from difficult reads. I love stories that are complex and multilayered as this one is. I just had some issues with the writing style and the complexity of the read itself.

Mantel supplies the reader with a wealth of information that casual researchers, historians or readers wouldn’t normally know, therefore leaving the reader more knowledgeable and hopefully, entertained along the way.

Review copy provided by Henry Holt.

Genre: Graphic Novel, Historical

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA

Released: September 2009

Reviewed by Jonathan Schindler

Logicomix: An Epic Search for Truth is a fictional retelling of the life of mathematician, logician, and philosopher Bertrand Russell and his quest to discover the foundational underpinnings of mathematics. A book about a mathematical quest may not sound appealing and certainly not deserving of the word “epic” in its subtitle. But Apostolos Doxiadis and Christos H. Papadimitriou, using the graphic novel format, have successfully created an engaging, clever, and ultimately satisfying foray into the world of logic and math that should keep readers engrossed even after they’ve finished it.

The book opens with author Apostolos addressing the reader directly, explaining what he’s hoping to accomplish in a book he’s working on concerning the quest for the foundation of mathematics. He wants to tell a good story whose heroes happen to be mathematicians and logicians, but in order to tell it well, he consults with a computer scientist friend of his, Christos, who can explain the deeper mathematical subjects as they arise in the writing. Apostolos and Christos meet in the studio where the artists are working on the preliminary sketches for this book, and Apostolos relates to Christos the story that Logicomix will tell. This is the first frame of the story: a group of friends in modern-day Greece telling the story of Bertrand Russell’s quest for the foundations of mathematics to each other.

The story Apostolos tells begins with Bertrand Russell in the United States in 1939, three days after Hitler invaded Poland, soon to give a lecture on the role of logic in human affairs. Russell is intercepted on his way to the lecture hall by a group of American anti-militarists who want Russell to rally others to their cause: keeping the United States out of World War II. Russell gives his lecture as planned, inviting these people to hear him. This is the second frame: Bertrand Russell tells a group of Americans his story to help them make decisions regarding World War II.

Russell’s story begins in childhood and ends at the Americans’ decision point. He relates how his childhood was filled with uncertainty, and mathematics provided the only stable grounding for his life, at one point even saving him from suicide. Discovering that there are portions of mathematics that even mathematicians accepted on faith, Russell devotes his life to establishing with certainty the roots of math. The story follows him through both his personal and academic life as he begrudgingly realizes that things in the real world do not always have a rational explanation.

While the discussions in Logicomix focus on sometimes heady subjects, the frames in this story provide a way for the authors to explain the concepts to the uninitiated. (As I mentioned before, Russell’s story—and the story of mathematics—is told among friends, who are not shy in interrupting the narrative when a concept doesn’t make sense to them. There is a “Notebook” section as well, which follows the story and provides additional information on key players and ideas in the quest.) By telling the story in frames, the authors are also able simultaneously to show the real-world implications of what Russell relates in his own tale and to explore the themes of logic and madness, belief and certainty, and temperance in all things in a variety of contexts that might not be possible in a straightforward narrative style.

Even if the story in Logicomix were not interesting, the book’s art would make it worth reading. Logicomix is a true graphic novel. The drawings are not just illustrations; they help to tell the story. In one place, for example, when young Bertrand Russell is learning Greek, the authors use different letterings for Russell and for his teacher to show their varying mastery over the language. Because the full-color art, beautifully rendered, does part of the storytelling, Logicomix is not overrun with bulky text. Even though the subject matter is harder to digest than some other graphic novel fare, this balance between pictures and words helps it avoid getting bogged down.

Logicomix presents foundational ideas of logic and math in a reader-friendly way that is both informative and enjoyable. Readers who like their fiction unencumbered by detailed (sometimes technical) discussions may prefer to look elsewhere for their next fix, but for readers who have an interest in philosophy, graphic novels, or just interesting and clever storytelling, Doxiadis and Papadimitriou’s book is the logical choice.

Review copy provided by Bloomsbury USA

Genre: Historical, Thriller, Suspense

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Publication Date: April 2010

Reviewed by Jake Chism

Gina Lazarescu is preparing for a final showdown with the Akeldama Collectors. So much has happened in her life recently, especially the revelation that her son Jacob is alive. Cal Nichols, her father, has kept this secret until now to protect Jacob from the Collectors, who will stop at nothing to destroy the Nistarim and Those Who Resist. While Gina wants to go to Jacob now, Cal insists she wait for the right time when the Nistarim can band together to destroy the Collectors. In the meantime, Gina focuses on rebuilding her relationship with her husband, Jed, and preparing for the imminent battle. Unfortunately, for Gina and the Nistarim, the Collectors have deadly plans of their own and are confident they will be victorious.

I’m always anxious to see how an author will end a series, and it seems that very few are able to really nail it. Often it’s a combination of reader expectations and the writer’s unwillingness to fully let go of the story. Admittedly, I had high expectations going into Valley of Bones. Eric Wilson blew me away with the first two installments and I was hoping he would do so again. Thankfully, my expectations were met and quickly exceeded.

All of the elements that make Field of Blood and Haunt of Jackals so appealing are on display. From the attention to historical detail, to the strong characters and crisp dialogue, to the balanced action and tension throughout, everything really comes together to hook the reader. What I wanted the most is what everyone is no doubt anticipating: an all out throw down between darkness and light. And boy do we get it. All throughout the series I’ve felt the story building toward something big and Wilson holds nothing back in giving his fans a huge payoff.

Eric Wilson’s devoted readers will of course recognize characters from his earlier novels, and they play more of a role here than in the previous Jerusalem’s Undead books. I can see where fans unfamiliar with these characters and stories might feel left out at times, but as a fan I loved spending time with Josee and Sarge again, checking up on Clay Ryker, and even getting a nice little nod towards Aramis Black. To his credit, Wilson does a great job of winking at his fans without taking any important plot details away from new readers.

In the end, I was left with a bittersweet feeling. On the one hand, I was amazed at how well the plotlines were pulled together and I was floored by the powerful conclusion. On the other hand, I was sad to see the curtain close on so many characters that have become so special to me since I discovered Eric Wilson’s writing. I’ve always thought it was a shame that these novels seemed to fly under the radar of the masses, and I can’t help but wonder how great it would be to see the Five Senses and Aramis Black series fleshed out the way Wilson originally imagined them.

Even though the Jerusalem’s Undead Trilogy has come to a close, I do hope new readers will discover these remarkable novels for years to come. I stated this in my review of Field of Blood, but I feel that it bears repeating: Nowhere else will you find the redemptive power of Christ’s blood explored so brilliantly in fiction.

This has truly been an incredible journey and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for Eric Wilson and his devoted fans.

Genre: Historical Fiction

Publisher:  Touchstone

Publication Date:  January 2010

Reviewed by Jennifer S. Roman

Verna is born into a difficult life in rural eastern Pennsylvania’s coal towns in the late 1800s: her father is a dreamer who can’t hold down a job, and her mother just manages to survive and raise her children.  The family is considered by most to be “poor white trash.”  By the age of 14, Verna is pulled from school so she can work at a neighboring farm to support the family.  The farmer rapes her and she gets pregnant.  Verna and her mother are relieved that a local midwife gives her some natural herbs that induce an abortion, which is illegal during the time.  Eventually, through a series of unfortunate events, Verna loses her job and is forced to move to the city to find a new job.  With just a seventh grade education, Verna ends up working in diners, as a housekeeper, and even in a factory.  Along the way, Verna meets a few boyfriends and gives birth to a baby boy, who she leaves in her mother’s care so she can continue working.  Eventually, Verna becomes a caretaker for an elderly woman.  When the elderly woman dies, Verna is at her wits’ end until the lady’s son offers her money to go to nursing school.

Verna is bright despite her lack of education and makes a good name for herself in nursing school.  She and her roommate review their daily lessons and quiz each other on nursing techniques.  They graduate and find jobs working at a local mental hospital.  Dismayed by the horrible conditions and bad pay, they look for better opportunities.  Verna’s friend finds a job first, working for an African-American general practitioner named Dr. Crampton.  For the time, a white woman working for an African-American is unheard-of.  Verna doesn’t think it’s a big deal, and after a while helps her roommate take care of female patients recovering from “surgery” in their apartment.  She gets a share of the income, and it’s more money than she’s ever seen in her life.  She comes to find out that the “surgical” patients are actually undergoing abortions and are waiting for the fetus to pass and the subsequent post exam.  Eventually Dr. Crampton meets Verna, is impressed by her, and offers her a job too.  They are able to expand the business (discreetly), and Verna creates a whole new life for herself with this newfound wealth.  Dr. Cranston’s political contacts keep things safe- for a while.

This is a moving, raw story of an ambitious young woman looking to better herself.  She finds an illegal job that serves people, and she doesn’t see anything wrong with it.  Verna learns how hypocritical people are when they publicly denounce abortions but they, or someone they know, end up seeing Dr. Cranston.  The story is well-told and captures the reader’s attention immediately.  Verna’s no-nonsense perspective makes the reader want to read more.  It is obvious that Jackson Taylor did a lot of research when writing The Blue Orchard, as the cities and people come to life with historical relevance.

Even though this is a wonderful read, it is not for those who cannot stomach abortion in any form.  While it is not graphic, per se, it does describe the procedures and the subsequent effects on the body.  There is mention of body functions that some people may find distasteful.

While the book in general does not use a lot of profanity, it IS used in places for effect.  In addition, the terms used to describe African-Americans are common to the period, so they may be offensive to today’s reader.  Overall, if one reads the book objectively, it is a fascinating and historical journey to be enjoyed.

Review copy provided by Touchstone.

Genre: Historical Fiction

Publisher: Putnam

Publication Date: February 2009

Reviewed by Marianne Peters

The Help, Kathryn Stockett’s first novel, is compelling, poignant, funny, and suspenseful – in short, impossible to put down. Ask me – I tried!

In 1962, Jackson, Mississippi’s rigid society is defined by Jim Crow laws that keep blacks and whites separate. But those laws are losing their hold thanks to the growing Civil Rights movement, and during this turbulent time, Stockett’s characters begin to question the rules they have taken for granted their whole lives.

Three voices narrate the novel. Dignified Aibileen and sassy Minnie have been serving as maids in white households for years. When Skeeter Phelan, a wealthy college graduate, asks them to help her write a book about their experiences, they are both reticent. As domestics, they are good at being invisible, keeping their mouths shut and absorbing the constant indignities of racism. However, telling their stories allows them to tell the truth about their lives for the first time – a truth that their white employers would rather not acknowledge.

Skeeter is as trapped as the black domestics she interviews. Squeezed into her family and society’s expectations of a Southern woman, she is yearning to write, not just decorate a husband’s arm. She’s also missing her own maid and confidante, Constantine, who has mysteriously disappeared while she was away at school.

Stockett’s skillful writing allows us into the minds and hearts of these three women, who are risking their reputations, their livelihood – perhaps even their lives – to share their stories. Through them we see that despite the boundaries between the races, a deep interdependence existed between blacks and whites. Skeeter’s truest friend was her black maid. Minnie’s white employer sees past her sharp tongue to her kind heart. And Aibileen, raising her seventeenth white child, reminds the girl of her worth and whispers stories in her ear about brave black people occupying the Woolworth’s counter. True, whites needed the labor, blacks needed employment. Stockett reminds us, though, that women will always need other women, and friendship knows no boundaries.

Review copy provided by Putnam.

Genre: Historical, Drama

Publisher: Center Street

Publication Date: February 2010

Reviewed by Lori Twichell

Eileen O’Neill is a warrior. She knows about the O’Neill legacy and that she’s part of it. If it wasn’t already in her blood then dealing with the turmoil of life in Ireland during the early 1900’s would have made her one regardless.

That being said, the best times of Eileen O’Neill’s life happened when she lived in the bright yellow house with her mother, father, brother and baby sister. When her comfort and life come crashing down around her in a series of unfortunate events, Eileen decides then and there that she will not stop until her family is living back in the yellow house and happy again. This sets her off on a life course that takes her to places she’d never imagined and across paths that change her life.

Falvey’s writing is at once heart rending and beautiful. Her descriptions clearly place the reader in the story with the O’Neill family. With historical figures to help cement the storyline in fact and discussions of daily life at the time, Falvey keeps the reader grounded in the story. When I was reading, I had a hard time pulling out of the story. I became immersed completely and fully in Eileen’s life and what would happen next.

When I’m reading, I’m usually very quiet. My husband does whatever he’s working on and I sit quietly in my spot reading to myself. With this book, I shouted out loud a couple of times and wanted to shake this character. (I did at one point slam the book shut and take a walk around the room. What else can you do when you’re angry with a completely contrived character that you’re unable to advise or counsel!?)  Like what happens so often in books (and in life) sometimes we can see the mistakes that a character is making and we wish that they wouldn’t! I felt that way about Eileen’s character.

My husband, at one point was startled by my outburst and asked what on Earth I was doing and I told him that I was reading possibly one of the most frustrating romances I’d ever experienced. This book reminded me in some ways of Jane Austen’s writing (and you all know how I love Austen’s work!) when Austen’s characters were pushed one way or another not by their feelings, but by society’s restrictions.  Though not as prim and proper as Austen’s work, Falvey’s writing does include some adult situations. I can say though, that they are well written and experienced as an everyday part of Eileen’s life rather than being glorified or over shadowing the characters and their journeys.

Review copy provided by Center Street.

Genre: Historical Fiction

Publisher: Amy Einhorn Books

Publication Date: December 2009

Reviewed by Ashley Barrett

In the early 1900s, Peter Force leaves his rural Idaho home and the memories of his deceased father to start over in New York City. He finds work as a tunnel digger for the upcoming subway project. After a few weeks in the city, Peter encounters Cheri-Anne Toledo, who claims to be the princess from a frontier kingdom in Ohio. The United States government seized her kingdom seven years ago and a scientific misfire may make her the first unintentional time traveler.

Even though he believes she is crazy, Peter agrees to help Cheri-Anne unravel the mystery of her experiences. Cheri-Anne’s story quickly grows into a tangled plot involving some of the most famous figures of history, including Thomas Jefferson, Nikola Tesla and J.P. Morgan. In the midst of discovering the truth about Cheri-Anne, Peter loses his heart to the beautiful princess and finds himself fighting time itself to be with her.

For a book that presents so many exciting elements—time travel, romance, conspiracy and history—The Kingdom of Ohio left me unmoved. The pace didn’t increase until the last fifty pages and I found myself disliking the morose and overly-introspective characters.

Implied sexual activity and coarse language in the book may concern some individuals.

Although I didn’t enjoy this book much, those who appreciate a slower pace and enjoy historical books and time travel may like The Kingdom of Ohio.

Review copy provided by Amy Einhorn Books.

Genre: Historical

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company

Publication Date: February 2010

Reviewed by Jeremy Taylor

In June of 1876, a gifted young Lakota Indian boy named Paha Sapa touches a dying white soldier at the Battle of Little Big Horn, little realizing that he is “counting coup” on the fallen General Custer himself. In that moment, the boy’s life changes forever, as the ghost of the slain war leader mysteriously enters his soul, where it will reside, speaking to him at odd moments, for the next sixty-plus years.

Black Hills comes from the vivid imagination of Dan Simmons, author of previous lengthy best-selling historical novels The Terror and Drood. The book is long, entertaining, and wonderfully descriptive, though it lapses into excessive wordiness at times. The epic story encompasses seven decades of Paha Sapa’s life and treats the reader to diverse settings ranging from the Black Hills of South Dakota to the “White City” of the Chicago World’s Fair. Told in a nonlinear fashion, much of it in present tense, the story can be difficult to follow, particularly toward the beginning of the book before the reader is accustomed to the back-and-forth, decade-skipping flow of the narrative.

The main plot centers around the construction of the Mount Rushmore memorial, carved into a mountain sacred to the Lakota tribe. Paha Sapa signs on as a powderman on the blasting crew, hoping to fulfill a destiny revealed to him as a child in a vision: to stop the wasicus—the white “fat takers”—from destroying the Black Hills. Other story lines include Paha Sapa’s wonderful coming of age as a Lakota visionary, a too-brief romantic interlude in Chicago, and the underlying saga of America’s growing-up years through the early twentieth century.

The book’s key strength, aside from Simmons’s often beautiful descriptions of vivid settings, is its imaginative retellings of actual events, most notably the construction of Mount Rushmore. Simmons tips his hat to other key historical events as well, including the building of the Brooklyn Bridge in a well-researched and fascinating chapter. Lakota culture, language, and spirituality is explored throughout.

The book contains a fair amount of language, though most of it fits the settings and characters. Less appropriate are a number of bizarrely and unnecessarily explicit accounts of marital intimacy from the point of view of Custer’s ghost.

Unfortunately, like many long books, Black Hills fails to end when it should; the last fifty pages are a strange departure from the lyrical beauty of the rest of the book, as the author launches into a seemingly agenda-driven tirade against humanity’s affects on nature.

Overall, however, the book is highly enjoyable and well worth the not inconsiderable time it takes to complete. Flawed yet replete with flashes of brilliance, the book will entertain, educate, and move readers ready to enjoy the stark literary brilliance of the always strained but occasionally beautiful relationship between a nation’s past and its future.

Review copy provided by Little, Brown and Company.

Genre: Historical, Adventure

Publisher: Touchstone

Publication Date: August 2009

Reviewed by Lori Twichell

The War of the Roses. No, I’m not talking about the movie with Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner. I’m talking about pre-Tudor England. Everyone knows the stories of Henry VIII and his wives. The War of the Roses is what happens before Tudor England. And Philippa Gregory is, once again, a master of the period.
The book opens with a poor widow standing next to the side of the road with her two sons. She’s hoping that she can catch the eye of the man who is about to pass by. He’s the King of England and her family fought against him in the battle to become king. Nonetheless, she’s now in need of his service. Her lands and her children’s inheritance have all been taken from her and she’s determined to get it back. So, looking beautiful, a little bit lost, and very determined, she stands with her boys and waits for him to pass by. He doesn’t pass by. He stops, speaks to her, and history is born.

King Edward is constantly battling for his throne. The Lancaster’s, York’s and Tudors are all within sight of the throne and all believe it to be rightfully theirs. His reign is rife with battles, war and rumblings from other areas about him not being the true king. His own mother and brothers put this idea into the public perception. It’s a vicious world where the rumor mill can make or break kingdoms. And then he meets Elizabeth waiting at the side of the road and he has no idea that she holds the shape of his reign and the future of his kingdom.

In this tale, Philippa Gregory once again handles the heavy subject of kingdoms, war and monarchy with a light hand and a deft touch. She brings to life characters that most have only read about in schoolbooks and history classes. As opposed to the amazing queens and women in the book I just finished, The Other Queen, Elizabeth’s queen is not born to the throne. She doesn’t understand all of the ins and outs of the court and she learns as she goes. She grows into a woman who doesn’t care about the throne for herself, but everything in her life revolves around her children.

It’s amazing to watch how fluid kingdoms are throughout the course of the story. No kingdom or reign was safe during this time in history. The pace of the story is breathtaking at times, but it’s a vivid reminder of how easily a king could be overthrown. One moment characters are on the throne and the next they’re shivering in sanctuary wondering if their lives are at stake.

Once again, Gregory’s retelling of history is vivid, beautiful and heartrending. The only disappointment in the entire book was my woefully lacking knowledge of the history. This made for wonderfully tense drama and build up as I couldn’t quite remember what happened in the reigns of each of the monarchs mentioned. The book ended on a delicious cliffhanger that left me eager and waiting for the next adventure from Gregory’s brilliant mind.

Review copy provided by Touchstone.

Genre: Historical, Adventure

Publisher: Touchstone

Publication Date: July 2009

Reviewed by Lori Twichell

The Elizabethan era of England is the backdrop for this stunning historical novel from Philippa Gregory. Gregory, famous for her book, The Other Boleyn Girl is an artist who can easily render history into a vivid three dimensional tale of intrigue and mystery. The Other Queen is no different.

Told from the perspective of three major characters, The Other Queen follows the story of Mary Queen of Scots as she and Elizabeth I face off over the throne of England. We get to experience the voice of Mary herself as well as that of George Talbot (The Earl of Shrewsbury) and his wife, Bess (of Hardwick). They have been charged by Queen Elizabeth to ‘host’ Mary during her time in England. Really, they’re elaborate jailers who are meant to keep her under watch and key. It’s a slippery slope to jail someone of royal blood. She must be kept in the manner to which a queen is accustomed without allowing her freedoms that could lead to an uprising. While her stay begins as a short term plan designed to last only until she’s returned to Scotland (and her throne), it turns into a long term stay that’s marred with intrigue, rebellion, danger, financial despair and marital difficulties.

As rebellion against Queen Elizabeth weaves in and out through various countries in Europe, this intrigue comes home to roost for the Earl and his wife in very real ways. The way that Gregory builds the plots and shows the loyalties of each character through the eyes of the others underscores the danger of the times in which these people lived. One couldn’t mention Queen Elizabeth in any way other than positively. Even the mention that she could die someday far off in the future is an act of treason. Simply being friends with the wrong person could mean your death. Implication in treason plots can be based on little evidence and much speculation. It certainly helps give us a better perspective of the freedoms we have in the United States today.

The story, though well known in history, comes to life under Gregory’s brilliant mastery of the written word. Not only do we learn the facts, but Gregory delves into the minds of each of the characters, bringing them to life in such a way that at times it’s almost painful to read. Beautifully crafted, this book gives thoughts and details that allow the reader to have an intimate understanding of the time period. Plotting and treason is part of seemingly every royal story of the time period, but showing the story through Bess and George’s eyes allow the reader to glimpse what the world for a ‘regular’ person might be. Bess’s vision of her husband becoming further and further entangled in a plot that he doesn’t even see is tragically on target and beautifully portrayed. Marriages made of convenience and prominence are shown in contrast to characters actually feeling overwhelming emotion and love.

Everyone knows who Elizabeth, the Virgin Queen was. Most people know who Mary Queen of Scots was.  Even with extensive research, very few people have a true understanding of what life at that time would have been like. With painstakingly detailed thought and precision, Gregory executes her tale with rich beauty and utter grace. I cannot wait to dive into The White Queen, Gregory’s next book, which is currently waiting for me. If you love historical fiction and have for some reason not previously read Gregory’s work, do yourself a favor and get one today. You’ll be very glad you did.

Review copy provided by Touchstone Publishers.

Genre: Historical, Adventure, Romance

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Publication Date: September 2009

Reviewed by Lori Twichell

Every time you open a book, it’s a chance for a new adventure. Limitless potential. For me, opening An Echo in the Bone meant that I would be visiting with old friends. I have been following Gabaldon’s Outlander series since book one and have since truly become friends with Claire, Jamie, Brianna, Roger, and a host of others that Gabaldon has created.  So when I opened the book, I was ready for adventure and Gabaldon did not disappoint.

Let me back up a little. Claire Beauchamp Randall Fraser is a time traveler. In the first book of the series (Outlander) she inadvertently traveled from 1940’s England to Scotland of the 1700’s. She quickly discovered what life was like for a woman in that era. Being without the protection of a man was not a good thing and she ended up forced to marry a young man, Jamie Fraser, for just this purpose. Since she was a married woman when she traveled back, you can imagine she was pretty unhappy with this development. But hey, her husband of modern times wasn’t even close to being born yet so could she really be unfaithful? Besides that, the marriage was a life or death situation. Without it, she wouldn’t have survived. Claire had a background in medicine which added to her knowledge of history and made her an incredibly valuable resource. And this was the humble beginning of a back and forth time travel series that sent modern day women around the world swooning over men in kilts.

Now, where were we? Oh yes. An Echo in the Bone. Echo takes place mostly in the United States though it’s not quite united yet. Claire knows enough history to remember major events or people (like George Washington and Benedict Arnold), but not enough to guide her own path safely through every circumstance of the war. After all, there were hundreds and thousands of people involved in the revolution that didn’t end up with their names and cities in history books. Still, Claire remains a brilliant encyclopedia for Jamie to rely upon when meeting new people or visiting new places. It creates for a delicious state of tension when Claire finds herself delighted with a handsome young man of impeccable manners and realizes that she has not properly introduced herself. Imagine her state of being when he takes her hand and warmly introduces himself as Benedict Arnold and places himself at her service.

The book takes place in a variety of places that span from the continental states to Britain, France and Scotland. Gabaldon has also straddled the storytelling between the 1980’s and the 1700’s. This device gives the reader an interesting perspective as Claire’s daughter and son-in-law discover where she has been and what she’s been doing through historical documents and research. The tension builds through this device as we all know where Claire is at certain times and they are able to research history and discover how close she is to battles, disaster or danger.

If it were possible for me to review each and every page of this book I would. Having been a Gabaldon fan since the beginning, I had high expectations. Gabaldon not only met but exceeded what I could have imagined for this book. I found myself gasping out loud, giggling in places and enjoying the pace of the book.

Though there were moments when I felt like the story slowed down in pacing, it was still a breathtaking ride. I also stumbled once or twice in places with references to characters from previous books. I know that some of the suspense and drama was probably not as exciting as it could have been had I re-read the previous books before diving into this one.

Still, I couldn’t help myself. When the book arrived in the mail, I had a hard time putting it aside so I could finish other books. I loved the story and where Gabaldon has taken Jamie, Claire, Roger and Brianna. I’m also thrilled to say that with the ending, it looks like we can expect more adventures in the future. It should say something when you get to the end of a book that’s 800+ pages and you frantically turn to the back cover to find out when the next release is expected. I’ll be biding my time until we hear from Gabaldon again. For anyone who loves adventure, romance, time travel or historical fiction, Gabaldon’s entire Outlander series is a must read.

Review copy provided by Delacorte Press.

Genre: Historical, Adventure

Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books

Publication date: February 17, 2009

Reviewed by Jeremy Taylor

John Boyne, who received international attention following the success of the movie based on his 2006 novel The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, turns in another excellent historical novel with Mutiny, a retelling of the infamous events onboard the HMS Bounty.

In December 1787, 14-year-old John Turnstile is caught stealing in a Portsmouth market.  Facing prison time, he eagerly accepts the offer made him by his generous victim, opting to escape not only jail but a horribly abusive living situation by serving as the captain’s boy onboard the Bounty, bound for the West Indies by way of the island paradise of Tahiti on a botanical mission. Once the voyage is underway, Turnstile discovers quickly that life at sea is no picnic as he braves the elements, observes ship politics, endures mistreatment by some of the crew, and undergoes a brutal line-crossing ceremony at the equator.

When the ship reaches Tahiti, the doomed mission’s clock begins to wind down as tensions between Captain William Bligh and Lieutenant Fletcher Christian escalate, finally resulting in mutiny. Bligh and his sympathizers, including Turnstile, are set adrift in a tiny open launch to attempt the miraculous: find their way back to England with no food, no water, and no navigational instruments besides a compass.

Fictional accounts of the Bounty story are nothing new, yet Boyne’s stands out. His skill in narrating the book from the first-person perspective of young Turnstile, his treatment of Captain Bligh as a flawed but deeply honorable man wronged by his treacherous crew, his wonderful descriptions of exotic settings, and his imaginative depictions of real-life events combine to set this book above its peers.

The book does contain a fair amount of strong language—though most of the offensive stuff is cleverly couched in eighteenth-century vernacular—and some inexplicit sexuality, but the objectionable content merely underscores the authenticity of the narrative. The story is formulaic at times, which is perhaps unsurprising given the fact that this is the kind of real-life adventure on which fiction formulas are based. The story goes fast and seems much shorter than its nearly 400 pages. The bottom line: adventure lovers will be swept away by Boyne’s Mutiny.

Review copy provided by Thomas Dunne Books.

Genre: Literary, Historical Fiction

Publisher: New American Library

Publication Date: May 2009

Reviewed by Jaci Miller

Pasha, a teenager in 1970s Iran, falls in love with Zari, the girl next door who happens to be betrothed to Doctor, a counterculture philosopher and a friend of Pasha’s. When Pasha accidentally reveals Doctor’s hiding place to the Shah’s secret police, Pasha feels racked by guilt. As he and his friends grieve, they grow to hate the secret police even more. Then, on the day of the Shah’s birthday, Zari makes a drastic choice born of this grief that thrusts the group of friends apart.

In Rooftops of Tehran, Mahbod Seraji attempts to take the reader into the world of a turbulent region but ultimately falls short. The reader expects to be transported to another culture—to smell, feel, taste, hear Iran—and instead remains in his living room watching wooden characters being puppeted through the action. Seraji violates “show, don’t tell,” the mantra of great writers, with his explanations and adverbs. He steps outside of the story to paint a setting instead of interweaving it into the book and he has Pasha, as narrator, explore lengthy tangents from a melodramatic point-of-view.

Portions of the plotline ring false and feel unfounded, while teen angst seems to dominate the narrative. While a measure of this is acceptable in a coming-of-age tale, it’s monotonous to bemoan heartbrokenness, the cruelty of God and the pain in one’s soul in each chapter.

Rooftops of Tehran offers a golden opportunity to present a truly unique culture and worldview but falls far short of the sweeping drama promised by the book’s cover copy. The Reader’s Guide in the back is far more interesting as it reveals Seraji’s personal journey and experiences. Seraji shines in his discussion there and may be better suited to writing memoir.

Review copy provided by New American Library publishers.

Genre: Literary, Historical Fiction

Publisher: Hawthorne Books/Riverhead Books

Publication Date: 2007

Reviewed by Jaci Miller

The Moores are a coal-mining family in Depression-era Alabama. Tess, the middle of the family’s three children, witnesses a frightening event—a strange woman dropping an infant into the family’s well. When the police investigation reveals little, Tess and her older sister, Virgie, search for the mother of the infant among the women in their town.

The girls’ parents, Albert and Leta, both work desperately hard—Albert on the farm and in the mine, and Leta at home—to provide for their family. They grow very concerned when Tess begins having nightmares about the dead infant. Then Jack, the youngest child, is involved in a severe accident, straining the family even further. As the Moores struggle emotionally, financially and physically, friendships are tested and the truth about the infant in the well is revealed.

The Well and the Mine by Gin Phillips is an understated account of family, struggle, race relations and growing up. What could easily become a story with a sensationalistic plot remains believable and honest. The tone is as down-to-earth as Phillips’s characters and readers find themselves feeling right at home in the mine, on the country roads and in the Moores’ small house. Told from the point-of-view of each family member in turn, readers view the full family dynamic at work: Albert’s work ethic, Leta’s self-sacrifice, Virgie’s tentative adolescence, Tess’s joyfulness and Jack’s memories of childhood all combine into a humble work of beautiful family life.

Genre: Romance, Historical, Religious

Publisher: Realms

Publication Date: January 5, 2010

Reviewed by Lori Twichell

Lucinda Bishop’s life has just been turned upside down. With the loss of both of her parents, everything that she has ever known is gone. Now she’s moving from the East coast and bustling city life to the territories of the west and a ranch in the Oklahoma territories.

It’s a difficult transition for a young girl who, at the age of 17, hasn’t spent time outside the city or any time away from her parents. She learns very quickly that life at the ranch doesn’t allow for sleeping in or for relaxing in the afternoons. Thankfully she has a loving considerate family to help her learn the ins and outs of this new life.

Of course, as usually happens with young women around this age, into the turmoil and upheaval is introduced yet another factor, a young man. Jake Starnes is a handsome young man who works for Lucinda’s Aunt and Uncle on their ranch. A fine worker with a mysterious past, Jake does everything possible to help Lucinda’s family keep the ranch together and that includes helping Lucinda with the transition to ranch life. The more time that the two of them spend together, the more he realizes that his feelings for the young girl run far beyond that of merely attraction. What Jake doesn’t know is how to proceed in courting this beautiful young woman when he’s got a past that isn’t going to leave him in peace.

Lucinda’s struggle with her feelings is one that transcends time and reaches out to all young women who are picking their way through the dating process. How do you control your feelings for someone when you know that your belief system is completely different from his? And what do you do with those feelings when you don’t know if you could have a future with him. As Lucinda and Jake navigate the potential minefields of attraction and figuring out the future, the story crosses the boundaries of history to become relevant to young women today.

Strang Book Group has chosen a solid and enjoyable read for their first venture into the historical romance genre. Martha Rogers has created delightful characters and a beautiful storyline that keep you engaged and interested throughout the course of the book. Though the outcome is predictable, the way in which they reach the conclusion is very much not and as with all of life, the journey is as important as the conclusion. The growth of Lucinda and Jake through their difficult circumstances is a wonderful example of how God can transform a life no matter how insurmountable the odds. Becoming Lucy was a wonderful escape from the everyday stresses of life. If this is any indication of what Strang has in the works, I’ll very happily allow them to supply my ‘escapes’ in the future.

Genre: Historical Fiction

Publisher: Scribner

Publication date: October 2009

Reviewed by Jennifer Roman

After reading Jeannette Walls’ The Glass Castle, I was anxious to read her second book, Half Broke Horses.  While Half Broke Horses wasn’t quite as captivating as The Glass Castle, it still made me glad I read it.

Set in the early 1900s in Texas and later Arizona, Half Broke Horses tells the story of Walls’ maternal grandmother’s life from childhood to middle age.  She writes in the first person of Lily Casey Smith, a plucky ranch girl who learns life lessons the hard way.  Nothing is easy for Lily, whether it be in education, work, or her love life.  She wants to get an education, but her mother doesn’t think education is necessary for girls.  She struggles with trying to make money during the Great Depression, and she marries a man who is already married with a child and one on the way.  Throughout her struggles, though, Lily always keeps a stiff upper lip and creatively makes things work for her.

This book is labeled a novel because while the stories are handed down from generation to generation, Walls is unable to substantiate everything.  Rather, she describes the book as “a true-life novel.”  It reads not as a novel, though, but as a series of short stories.  Half Broke Horses showcases the grit, the determination, and the often wacky lifestyle of Americans who did what they had to do in order to survive.  Readers will enjoy Lily’s frank and often un-PC opinions, which often get her into trouble.  They will enjoy how each story builds on the previous one to explain her life choices and struggles.

I mention that it is not as captivating as The Glass Castle, but that is only because it is hard to compete with a book about growing up with an immature, unhinged mother and an alcoholic, con-man father.  Where Jeannette’s mother is flighty and interested in art, her grandmother is staunch and grounded.  Her father feeds her mother’s whims, while her grandfather works hard physical labor every day to provide for his family.  Working hard to make ends meet isn’t as fascinating as a dysfunctional family, but Walls still manages to honor her grandparents with colorful stories of their life during courtship and raising small children.  For anyone interested in learning how life was out West at the turn of the century, this book is for them.

Genre: Historical Fiction

Publisher: Ballantine Books

Publication Date: November 2009

Reviewed by Tim George

As each day passes fewer people have any first or even second-hand connection to World War II. Therefore it is important that Jeff Shaara does for this generation what Herman Wouk did for the last: remind us all that it happened. First with The Steel Wave, then The Rising Tide, and now No Less Than Victory, Shaara paints a vivid picture of the madness and heroism than gripped our world from 1938-1945.

Many names in this historically accurate story are familiar. There is Dwight Eisenhower excelling at walking the political tightrope that ensures the cooperation and success of armies from many nations. Field Marshall Montgomery is his usual pompous self: distasteful to most yet necessary for the people of Great Britain in desperate need of a hero.  And of course one can’t forget George Patton, who General Eisenhower doesn’t know what to do with yet can’t win the war without. On the German side, lesser names like Albert Speer rise to prominence as we are shown their loyalty to their country yet increasing awareness of the insanity they have allowed in the person of Hitler. None of these are cardboard cutouts but rather real men with real hopes, fears, and frailties.

The real heroes of this story, however, are the soldiers few but their own families remember. Most notable is Benson, a foot soldier. His 106^th Infantry faced some of the fiercest fighting of 1944 and emerged a ragtag group of stragglers thrown into units where they knew virtually no one. His story is where historical fiction rises to importance and Jeff Shaara excels. While numerous volumes have been written about the world leaders and generals of that time, the stories of men like Benson are only known through eye-witness remembrances of people in their 80’s and 90’s and family members who remember the stories of those no longer with us.

The most powerful scene in No Less Than Victory is when Benson’s unit comes across what they first think to be a POW camp in Germany only to realize they have discovered the first of Hitler’s infamous death camps. Here we see men hardened by years of war weeping like children, sick at their stomachs as they try to understand what they see. It is a site too horrible to be fiction yet in need of good fiction to tell the story. And then we see Eisenhower, who first works to control the press lest it blow the story out of proportion, and then after visiting the camp personally commands all press members to witness for themselves lest others in later years think it was fabricated. Ironically, we still need great historical fiction writers like Jeff Shaara to remind yet another generation that none of the characters or events he writes about is fiction at all. No matter how much we wish it was.

Genre: Thriller,  Historical

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Publication Date: October 2008

Frank Redman’s Review:

A Christian vampire novel? Genius. It is quite difficult for vampire fans to find a genuine vampire novel absent of excessive eroticism, yet still embraces the essence to intrigue the imagination. This is not just another spinoff of Bram Stoker’s excellent novel, but an exquisitely unique narrative based on vampire lore and enriched with Wilson’s originality and creativity. He accomplishes this rare feat while still nourishing an edgy mood. By contrast and point of reference, I’ve also read Elizabeth Kostova’s vampire novel, THE HISTORIAN. Her book is beautifully written, but after a while the suspense fades, which caused me to lose interest. If you like a novel that is a thrill from the first page through the last, Wilson does not disappoint.

The story starts with the events following Judas’s suicide in the field of Akeldama, or Field of Blood.

“What if his tainted blood seeped deep into the earth, into burial caves, causing a counterfeit resurrection of the dead?” Counterfeit life was breathed into the buried dead–and born were the undead. They secretly infiltrate pockets of society, walking dead among the mortal. Their mission: lure the unwary into deviltry and collect souls. An opposing force, the immortal Nistarim, battles to protect mankind from the Akeldama, creating epic tension in the spiritual realms.

I appreciate novels that involve impressive research, and this one surpasses typical expectations. The author even travelled to Jerusalem to research the story elements. This depth is important, because it allows the reader to more easily suspend disbelief.

This is a sophisticated story–there are enough plot twists to make a perm look straight. It’s not hard to follow, but if you like to daydream about other things while you’re reading a novel, this book will make you concentrate.

Although a spiritual thriller, this is not for the faint of heart. It will scare you. If you frighten easily, I suggest you read it in broad daylight, with the lights on…and the doors locked.

Wilson proves it’s possible to write a hair-raising, Stephen King-esque novel without the extravagant gore and profanity. It is startling, harrowing, and totally compelling. This is book one in the Jerusalem’s Undead series, a series destined to be one of the most talked about in literary circles.

You’ll never again look at a mysterious insect bite in the same way. Was it really just a mosquito?

Jake Chism’s Review:

In 1989, a work crew outside of Jerusalem accidentally discovers an ancient burial chamber beneath the field where Judas Iscariot hung himself. In the shadows, evil spirits, known as Collectors, wait for a new opportunity to once again take on human form to bring destruction to the world. As the Collectors claim the bodies of the dead they discover new power from the blood of Judas that was swallowed up by the earth when he died. Armed with evil intent and a never ending thirst for blood, the Collectors seek to destroy their immortal enemies who draw life from the blood of the Nazarene. Caught between both sides, a young Romanian girl is about to discover she is far more important than she could ever imagine.

Eric Wilson blends history and fiction seamlessly in this astonishing beginning to the Jerusalem’s Undead Trilogy. Field of Blood is being marketed as a Christian Vampire story, but in reality this is so much more. Fear not bloodsucker fans, there are plenty of vampires to go around and Wilson’s original approach to a widely popular genre is excitingly fresh and innovative. However, Wilson has successfully done what few have even attempted: blending vampire lore with Christianity. The result is a wondrous story that is thrilling at every turn, consistently eye-opening, and ultimately inspirational.

Wilson’s characters leap off the page drawing us ever deeper into this wonderfully complex story. These villains are evil to the core and we are never spared a detail in the frightening bloodshed and carnage they bestow. The heroes are wonderfully flawed, endearing, and even infectious in their perpetual stand for righteousness. As the story progresses we are whisked from location to location with stunning detail. Whether it’s Jerusalem, Romania, or even Chattanooga, Tennessee, Wilson effortlessly convinces us we are along for the ride. Eric Wilson’s faithful fans will also love the subtle connections to his previous works that are laced throughout the story.

Field of Blood will no doubt spark controversy and I’m sure many readers will hear the words “Christian” and “Vampire” in the same sentence and run for the hills. Unfortunately for them, they will miss out on what is not only Eric Wilson’s best novel to date, but easily one of the most powerful and inspirational novels I’ve read in years. This is intense and edgy writing to be sure, yet nowhere will you find the redemptive power of Christ’s blood explored so brilliantly in fiction. And the best part? There are still two more books to come! I’ve had my taste and I am so thirsty for more….

Genre: Historical Fiction

Publisher: NavPress

Publication Date: September 15th, 2008

Kaci Hill’s Review:

I’ve been hearing Tosca Lee’s name since her book Demon: A Memoir came out.  She’s had nothing but rave reviews it seems – and that’s from a reader who only reads negative reviews. At any rate, several other writers I know personally or am familiar with through their own books only left me that much more interested. So, when her second book, Havah: The Story of Eve came out, I decided I really had better get to reading Lee’s books lest she have a stack of them I haven’t read yet.

Havah did not disappoint. There’s something striking about reading a pre-fallen world while sitting on the beach, something about the combination of quiet despite the constant movement Either way, this book is a gorgeous story with poetic prose, exploring the full range of the emotions of a couple who doesn’t even have words for those emotions yet. The book follows Havah’s first waking moments to her deception, to her and “the adam” as they struggle to raise the first family on earth. Readers follow their progression from the playful, childlike spirits of Havah and Adam to the Great Father and Mother they become. Yes, Lee covers all six hundred and thirty years of their lives, a daunting task well done. Moreover, their story becomes one of resolve to return to Eden, to the garden, the earth’s cradle where they first knew life and the One That Is.

Lee took great pains to make the story of the first man and woman and the subsequent events of their family come to life, and she explores everything from death to obedience to doubt to redemption.  She took great pains to make a pre-fallen world dynamic and alive, even within peace.

Suffice it to say, I’m definitely looking forward to Demon: A Memoir and anything else Tosca Lee deigns to write. Depth, creativity, and wit go a long way.

Jake Chism’s Review:

The story of Adam and Eve is both the oldest and most familiar story known to man. In fact, it is so familiar that we think we know all there is to know. Then along comes a story like Havah that pulls back the veil, giving us a wondrous glimpse into what life might have really been like for the first man and woman.

Havah is told from the perspective of Eve, and from the opening lines Tosca Lee hooks us with her intoxicating style and clever storytelling. All of the famous events are here: the garden, the fall, the story of Cain and Abel. But make no mistake about it: this is not the version you heard in Sunday school. Lee holds nothing back in her descriptive narrative as she explores the intimate relationship between Adam and Eve and their rugged lifestyle. Eve’s firsthand account of the fall is gut wrenching and emotional, bringing yet more vitality to another familiar aspect of this story. I was especially moved and anguished over the beautiful, yet flawed relationship of the first husband and wife.

As the story unfolds Tosca Lee gives some intriguing speculative insight into many of the questions that surround Adam and Eve. How many children did they have? How exactly was the Earth populated? What was their relationship really like? How did they interact with God? Every aspect of this story is backed by careful research and study, and even if you don’t agree with Tosca Lee’s viewpoint, you have to admire her willingness to re-explore this monumental moment in history.

Havah is a beautiful tale that will awe and inspire you at every turn. With beautiful prose and breathtaking description, Tosca Lee has breathed new life into the story we thought we all knew so well. Allow yourself to step out of the box for a moment and experience a retelling of Adam and Eve that will leave you desperate for more.

G

Publisher: Ivan R. Dee

Publication date: April 25, 2008

Reviewed by Jeremy Taylor

Baseball legend has it that in 1942, minor league team owner Bill Veeck arranged to purchase the Philadelphia Phillies and bring in players from the Negro Leagues. When Commissioner Kenesaw Landis got wind of the plan, he vetoed the sale because he believed integrating the major leagues would be the end of baseball as we know it.

The End of Baseball tells the story of what might have happened had Veeck purchased the Philadelphia Athletics and subsequently signed an all-black team. It is essentially the story of major league baseball’s racial integration as it could have happened—and might have without Commissioner Landis’s interference.

Taking the point of view of players, owners, managers, and even a prominent heckler, the narrative weaves a path through the world of professional baseball that is for the most part easy and fun to follow. What the book does not do well is make most of its characters likeable, and the number of setbacks and tragedies the characters and their team face may turn off some readers well before the book’s finale.

Readers who aren’t already baseball fans may have trouble with this book. The sheer number of characters is enough to baffle anyone who isn’t familiar with the historical names, and Schilling for some reason placed certain key scenes out of order, so the action is hard to follow at times. Foul language is prevalent, though not gratuitous, and drug and alcohol abuse factors prominently in one character’s storyline.

Set in the early to mid 1940s, this is the story of a nation at war and its desperate search for an escape from the brutal reality of everyday life. It is the story of that nation’s struggle to come to grips with the idea that black athletes deserve not only to be recognized for their abilities but treated with dignity and respect as human beings. Above all, it is the story of America’s grandest game during a period when Americans arguably could not have lived without it.

Genre: Historical

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Publication Date: March 3, 2009

Reviewed by Jeremy Taylor

In 1924, British climber George Mallory—famous for answering a journalist’s question about why he wanted to climb Mount Everest with the words, “Because it’s there”—disappeared after having been last seen just below the summit of the world’s tallest mountain. Whether he actually made it to Everest’s summit before perishing has remained a topic for debate ever since. With his trademark storytelling flair, Jeffrey Archer has taken a stab at the answer.

Though based on the life of a real person, the book is a novel, not a biography. One of Archer’s gifts is the ability to blend fact, fiction, and legend so that even a careful reader might have trouble differentiating between them. With the same attention to detail and expert characterization that brought to life the world of high finance in Kane & Abel and the cutthroat competition of the news business in The Fourth Estate, Archer has given readers a potential answer to the question of whether Mallory reached Everest’s summit.

But the book is far more than simple speculation on the outcome of Mallory’s final expedition. Archer explores Mallory’s life in detail, including his service in the military and his romance with Ruth Turner, who later became his wife. Through it all, Archer brings Mallory’s exploits to life in a way that allows readers to get to know not only the man but also the world in which lived.

The book contains no significant objectionable content; if Archer’s presentation of his subject’s moral character can be believed, Mallory was a man of honor and integrity, and the story happily lacks any of the less savory material found in some of Archer’s other books.

Jeffrey Archer has been called one of the top storytellers in the world, and while it seems doubtful that anyone would label Paths of Glory his best book, it will do nothing to detract from that reputation. Climbing enthusiasts and non-climbers alike will enjoy this account of one of the sport’s early pioneers by one of the world’s great novelists.