This well-researched novel of 17th-century warfare shows the perils and rewards of sticking to one's principles.
Crime writer Walters tells the story of a bloody civil war that turned England into a crime scene.
Life was hard for women in 17th-century England, and in Walters’ latest novel, Jayne Swift has it even harder because she’s a physician, a role reserved for men in that era. Living with her aristocratic family in Dorsetshire on the English Channel, Jayne struggles against the chauvinism and lethal concoctions of the local quacks who kill more patients than they save. And if that weren’t enough, her skills are badly needed to handle the brutal injuries as Royalist and Parliamentarian armies clash in a civil war that eventually ends with the execution of Charles I. Walters draws wonderfully on her crime-writing skills to capture the violence and gore of the era. She gives us a likable, resourceful heroine in Jayne, who, with a MacGyver-esque ability to treat any injury with brine, calendula oil, catgut, or a handful of maggots, refuses to take sides. “I still favor neutrality and will continue to do so even after the conflict ends,” she insists at one point. “I have no wish to judge anyone for their beliefs, now or in the future.” It’s definitely an admirable position, but she’s out of place in an era demanding absolute loyalty. As a result, Jayne gets into frequent trouble, but thankfully she has William Harrier in her corner. Harrier’s a chivalrous footman who helps her out of many tight spots and isn’t quite what he seems to be. Questions swirl around him—is he a spy? What side is he on?—as Walters takes us through the years of this devastating war and shows its effects on the towns and villages of Dorsetshire. Her expositions on English history might make some readers impatient for action, but they provide much-needed context for a crisis that divided English society and viciously turned citizens against each other in a way that feels strangely familiar now.
This well-researched novel of 17th-century warfare shows the perils and rewards of sticking to one's principles.Pub Date: July 12, 2022
ISBN: 9798200913015
Page Count: 500
Publisher: Blackstone
Review Posted Online: April 26, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2022
An affecting portrait of a prickly woman.
A lifetime’s worth of letters combine to portray a singular character.
Sybil Van Antwerp, a cantankerous but exceedingly well-mannered septuagenarian, is the titular correspondent in Evans’ debut novel. Sybil has retired from a beloved job as chief clerk to a judge with whom she had previously been in private legal practice. She is the divorced mother of two living adult children and one who died when he was 8. She is a reader of novels, a gardener, and a keen observer of human nature. But the most distinguishing thing about Sybil is her lifelong practice of letter writing. As advancing vision problems threaten Sybil’s carefully constructed way of life—in which letters take the place of personal contact and engagement—she must reckon with unaddressed issues from her past that threaten the house of cards (letters, really) she has built around herself. Sybil’s relationships are gradually revealed in the series of letters sent to and received from, among others, her brother, sister-in-law, children, former work associates, and, intriguingly, literary icons including Joan Didion and Larry McMurtry. Perhaps most affecting is the series of missives Sybil writes but never mails to a shadowy figure from her past. Thoughtful musings on the value and immortal quality of letters and the written word populate one of Sybil’s notes to a young correspondent while other messages are laugh-out-loud funny, tinged with her characteristic blunt tartness. Evans has created a brusque and quirky yet endearing main character with no shortage of opinions and advice for others but who fails to excavate the knotty difficulties of her own life. As Sybil grows into a delayed self-awareness, her letters serve as a chronicle of fitful growth.
An affecting portrait of a prickly woman.Pub Date: May 6, 2025
ISBN: 9780593798430
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025
A dark and twisty look at just how far one woman is willing to go to find inspiration.
A struggling writer finds an unexpected muse when a mysterious man shows up at her cabin.
Petra Rose used to pump out a bestselling book every six months, but then the adaptation happened—that is, the disastrous film adaptation of her most famous book. The movie changed the book’s storyline so egregiously that fans couldn’t forgive her, and the ensuing harassment sent Petra into hiding and gave her a serious case of writer’s block. Petra’s one hope is her solo writing retreat at a remote cabin, where she can escape the distractions of real life and focus on her next book, a story about a woman having an affair with a cop. When officer Nathaniel Saint shows up at her cabin door, inspiration comes flooding back. Much like the character from Petra’s book, Saint is married, and he’s willing to be Petra’s muse, helping her get into her characters’ heads. Petra’s book is practically writing itself, but is the game she’s playing a little too dangerous? Does she know when to stop—and, more importantly, is Saint willing to stop? Hoover is no stranger to controversial movie adaptations and internet backlash, but she clarifies in a note to readers that she’s “just a writer writing about a writer” and that no further connections to her own life are contained in these pages—which is a good thing, because the book takes some horrifying twists and turns. Petra finds herself inexplicably attracted to Saint, even as she describes him as “such an asshole,” and her feelings for him veer between love and hate. The novel serves as a meta commentary on the dark romance genre—as Petra puts it, “Even though, as readers, we wouldn’t want to live out some of the fantasies we read about, it doesn’t mean we don’t enjoy reading those things.”
A dark and twisty look at just how far one woman is willing to go to find inspiration.Pub Date: Jan. 13, 2026
ISBN: 9781662539374
Page Count: -
Publisher: Montlake
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2025
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