Smiley's pristine, graceful prose and thoroughly real characters make this a novel to savor.
Smiley continues the story of Abby Lovitt and the horses on her family's California ranch in the 1960s.
When family friend and fellow stable-owner Jane sells Abby a horse for the change in her pocket, Abby is thrilled. True Blue, a gorgeous and personable gray, seems full of potential. But he comes with literal baggage—trunks of saddles and bridles and, most spookily, his dead former owner's boots. Abby shoves them out of sight, but she can't ignore Blue's own spookiness—he leaps and shies away from things no one else can see. Soon Abby is convinced that she, too, sees a ghost woman riding him. Meanwhile, Abby breaks her wrist, and an incident at her church brings her father's relationship with her estranged brother to a head. Abby has already learned how quickly things can go wrong—but now she learns that, sometimes, everything can also be put right. Readers who have been with this story from the beginning will enjoy watching narrator Abby continue to grow; newcomers will want to go back and start at the beginning with The Georges and the Jewels (2009).
Smiley's pristine, graceful prose and thoroughly real characters make this a novel to savor. (Historical fiction. 10 & up)Pub Date: Sept. 27, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-375-86231-1
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: July 5, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2011
An enticing, turbulent, and satisfying final voyage.
Adrian, the youngest of the Montague siblings, sails into tumultuous waters in search of answers about himself, the sudden death of his mother, and her mysterious, cracked spyglass.
On the summer solstice less than a year ago, Caroline Montague fell off a cliff in Aberdeen into the sea. When the Scottish hostel where she was staying sends a box of her left-behind belongings to London, Adrian—an anxious, White nobleman on the cusp of joining Parliament—discovers one of his mother’s most treasured possessions, an antique spyglass. She acquired it when she was the sole survivor of a shipwreck many years earlier. His mother always carried that spyglass with her, but on the day of her death, she had left it behind in her room. Although he never knew its full significance, Adrian is haunted by new questions and is certain the spyglass will lead him to the truth. Once again, Lee crafts an absorbing adventure with dangerous stakes, dynamic character growth, sharp social and political commentary, and a storm of emotion. Inseparable from his external search for answers about his mother, Adrian seeks a solution for himself, an end to his struggle with mental illness—a journey handled with hopeful, gentle honesty that validates the experiences of both good and bad days. Characters from the first two books play significant secondary roles, and the resolution ties up their loose ends. Humorous antics provide a well-measured balance with the heavier themes.
An enticing, turbulent, and satisfying final voyage. (Historical fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Nov. 16, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-06-291601-3
Page Count: 464
Publisher: Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 31, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2021
A suspenseful and evocative gothic mystery.
Amid a murder investigation, a teen orphan finds herself heir to a multimillion-dollar estate.
On Washington State’s Orcas Island in 1918, 18-year-old Lucy Nowhere enjoys the nature surrounding her but dreams of leaving, seeing the world, and attending the University of Washington. Discovered adrift in a canoe as a newborn, Lucy was taken in by the wealthy, reclusive shipbuilding magnate Mr. Dakon Sanders, who made her a servant—and gave her an education—on his large estate, which he named Nowhere. Blond, blue-eyed Mr. Sanders disapproves of her going to college. He shocks Lucy with the revelation that he knew her father—and promises to tell her more if she stays. That evening, she finds Mr. Sanders’ decapitated head floating in the marina, and her hopes of finding answers about her identity are dashed. When it emerges that Lucy will inherit everything, she realizes she must stay and uncover what’s going on. With a growing list of suspects, more suspicious events occurring on the island, and rumors of the involvement of the “half eagle and half fish” demon Orkus and his army of “sea wolves,” Lucy must uncover secrets and find the killer before she becomes the next victim. Against a beautifully described natural setting, Lee creates a dark, haunting, suspense-filled atmosphere with a touch of the supernatural. Combining science and myth, this is an exciting story with a multiethnic cast that explores identity, friendship, trust, and caring for nature.
A suspenseful and evocative gothic mystery. (author’s note) (Historical mystery. 12-18)Pub Date: March 17, 2026
ISBN: 9781665978965
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Sarah Barley Books/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Dec. 12, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2026
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