An engaging read with a plethora of captivating literary and historical details wrapped in a contemporary whodunit.
A historical novel re-creates life at the 16th-century court of Queen Elizabeth I via a 20th-century murder mystery involving a cache of valuable papers found in a tomb.
The year is 1579, and 16-year-old Anne Vavasour has successfully obtained her place at the court of Queen Elizabeth, “the Virgin Queen.” Anne has been raised for this. Schooled in accordance with the precepts of Roger Ascham, who tutored Elizabeth, Anne is both learned and self-confident, speaking and writing several languages and knowledgeable of “philosophy, history and literature.” She records her thoughts in her “commonplace book.” Fast-forward to 1992. Vicar Hamilton of St. Mary discovers a trove of papers, books, and scrolls while mucking around in the 300-year-old tombs beneath the ancient church that has been flooded by a stopped-up toilet. The vicar finds the papers (some of which appear to be a version of Macbeth penned by Shakespeare himself) in “the final resting place of” Lady Anne Vavasour, “benefactor of the old church and an ancestor of Mrs. Hamilton...the vicar’s late wife.” When the vicar is murdered, two amateur sleuths start hunting for clues—Stephen White, headmaster of St. George’s prep school and a student of history, the classics, and 16th-century English literature; and Margaret Hamilton, the vicar’s daughter, a BBC investigative reporter, and Stephen’s former fiancee. Casey (The Double Life of Laurence Oliphant, 2015) peppers his imaginative novel with tidbits on the development of writing in the Elizabethan era. Readers are treated to intriguing historical factoids: Sir Walter Raleigh’s twitch caused his uneven handwriting, resulting in typesetters making numerous typographical errors. Each of the central protagonists—the vicar, Margaret, and Stephen—is a well-drawn character. And the author’s prose is elegant, with evocative imagery: “She lowered herself smoothly into the chair across, touched her elbows onto the tabletop, and cradled her chin in her hands, leaning forward.” But readers may find themselves skimming over the excerpts of 16th-century poems and writings, which are arduous to pore through and slow the narrative momentum.
An engaging read with a plethora of captivating literary and historical details wrapped in a contemporary whodunit.Pub Date: May 7, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-64293-131-0
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Post Hill Press
Review Posted Online: Dec. 2, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2019
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
A thoughtful and pensive tale with intelligent characters and a satisfying romance.
A promise to his best friend leads an Army serviceman to a family in need and a chance at true love in this novel.
Beckett Gentry is surprised when his Army buddy Ryan MacKenzie gives him a letter from Ryan’s sister, Ella. Abandoned by his mother, Beckett grew up in a series of foster homes. He is wary of attachments until he reads Ella’s letter. A single mother, Ella lives with her twins, Maisie and Colt, at Solitude, the resort she operates in Telluride, Colorado. They begin a correspondence, although Beckett can only identify himself by his call sign, Chaos. After Ryan’s death during a mission, Beckett travels to Telluride as his friend had requested. He bonds with the twins while falling deeply in love with Ella. Reluctant to reveal details of Ryan’s death and risk causing her pain, Beckett declines to disclose to Ella that he is Chaos. Maisie needs treatment for neuroblastoma, and Beckett formally adopts the twins as a sign of his commitment to support Ella and her children. He and Ella pursue a romance, but when an insurance investigator questions the adoption, Beckett is faced with revealing the truth about the letters and Ryan’s death, risking losing the family he loves. Yarros’ (Wilder, 2016, etc.) novel is a deeply felt and emotionally nuanced contemporary romance bolstered by well-drawn characters and strong, confident storytelling. Beckett and Ella are sympathetic protagonists whose past experiences leave them cautious when it comes to love. Beckett never knew the security of a stable home life. Ella impulsively married her high school boyfriend, but the marriage ended when he discovered she was pregnant. The author is especially adept at developing the characters through subtle but significant details, like Beckett’s aversion to swearing. Beckett and Ella’s romance unfolds slowly in chapters that alternate between their first-person viewpoints. The letters they exchanged are pivotal to their connection, and almost every chapter opens with one. Yarros’ writing is crisp and sharp, with passages that are poetic without being florid. For example, in a letter to Beckett, Ella writes of motherhood: “But I’m not the center of their universe. I’m more like their gravity.” While the love story is the book’s focus, the subplot involving Maisie’s illness is equally well-developed, and the link between Beckett and the twins is heartfelt and sincere.
A thoughtful and pensive tale with intelligent characters and a satisfying romance.Pub Date: Feb. 26, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-64063-533-3
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Entangled: Amara
Review Posted Online: Jan. 2, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2019
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
With frank language and patient plotting, this gangly teen crush grows into a confident adult love affair.
Eleven years ago, he broke her heart. But he doesn’t know why she never forgave him.
Toggling between past and present, two love stories unfold simultaneously. In the first, Macy Sorensen meets and falls in love with the boy next door, Elliot Petropoulos, in the closet of her dad’s vacation home, where they hide out to discuss their favorite books. In the second, Macy is working as a doctor and engaged to a single father, and she hasn’t spoken to Elliot since their breakup. But a chance encounter forces her to confront the truth: what happened to make Macy stop speaking to Elliot? Ultimately, they’re separated not by time or physical remoteness but by emotional distance—Elliot and Macy always kept their relationship casual because they went to different schools. And as a teen, Macy has more to worry about than which girl Elliot is taking to the prom. After losing her mother at a young age, Macy is navigating her teenage years without a female role model, relying on the time-stamped notes her mother left in her father’s care for guidance. In the present day, Macy’s father is dead as well. She throws herself into her work and rarely comes up for air, not even to plan her upcoming wedding. Since Macy is still living with her fiance while grappling with her feelings for Elliot, the flashbacks offer steamy moments, tender revelations, and sweetly awkward confessions while Macy makes peace with her past and decides her future.
With frank language and patient plotting, this gangly teen crush grows into a confident adult love affair.Pub Date: April 10, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5011-2801-1
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2018
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