Benedict Arnold: A Complex Man

 Benedict Arnold’s name is synonymous with traitor. That’s sometimes the only thing we remember about him. However, he was much more. He was brave to the point of recklessness, a brilliant strategist and a charismatic leader. His capture of Fort Ticonderoga was instrumental in helping to end the war. His attack on Quebec illustrates his ability to inspire men to follow him. Arnold was also thin-skinned feeling he didn’t get the recognition he deserved. His feelings of betrayal were not completely unjustified. The congress overlooked him several times for promotion raising men in lesser positions to higher rank.

When Arnold suffered a severe injury, he had time to brood on his injustices. This is apparently what led him to accept the British offer and start passing them military intelligence. While it’s easy to speculate that money was the lure that drove Arnold to treason, he was a sensitive individual who felt he had many grievances. This may have played a part in his decision.

This is a well researched biography. I particularly liked the quotations from period sources. I think this is a great addition to the history of the Revolutionary War period. The book was easy to follow. I felt I learned a great deal.

Thanks to the published and Net Galley for this review copy.

 

An Epic Adventure that Changed History

 

In the nineteenth century, relations between Russia and the US were good. In the 1860’s, George Keenan, a young telegraph operator was part of an expedition to Siberia by the Russian-American Telegraph Expedition, a project to build a connection between the Americas and Europe. The project never happened, but George Keenan began a life long love affair with Siberia.

At that time many people believed the Siberian exile system was superior to the American prison system. In 1885 Keenan returned to Siberia with the intention of documenting the system. He started believing that the Russian system was preferable because prisoners were able to take their wives and children. The reality was sickening. The women worked themselves to death, froze, and many of the children didn’t survive.

When Keenan returned from his trip, he made it his mission to expose the system. His descriptions of the hardships endured by the prisoners opened people’s eyes to the abuses and led to deteriorating relations with Russia that last to this day.

This is an excellent book part biography of Keenan, part Victorian travel story, and part a discussion of the abuses to the exile system. The book is well documented. Most of the book is easy to read and the travel descriptions are enthralling. Occasionally, the pace slows, but the content is so interesting, I didn’t mind the slow places. I highly recommend this book for an early look at Russian American relations.

Thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for this review copy.

A 1700s Midwife and a Murder

Martha Ballard, a midwife in Hallowell, Maine in the 1700s was a mainstay of her community. In a time when many women couldn’t read or write, she kept a diary recording births, deaths and other happenings in her family and the community.

When the Kennebec River froze in 1789, the body of a man was trapped in the ice. Martha was called on to examine the body and determine the cause of death. She believes the man was murdered. However, not everyone, particularly the local Harvard trained doctor agrees. The man is one of the men accused of rape four months before. Because of the doctor’s disagreement, Martha is forced to investigate. In pursuit of the truth, she uncovers things that implicate those she loves and force her to decide where her loyalties lie.

Martha is a historical personage and the story is based on the diaries she kept. While the mystery is a major focus of the book. The novel also highlights how women were treated in the 1700s. I thought the author did an excellent job bringing the time to life. Martha is a marvelous character. You can’t help rooting for her. The descriptions are also truly excellent they vividly depict life in a small community in the dead of winter.

I loved this book and can highly recommend it.

Thanks for Net Galley and the publisher for this review copy.

A Teen Searches for Her Father

 

Growing up in Paris with an alcoholic mother, Delphine, was always told her father was Earnest Hemingway. When her mother dies, she goes to the US and stays with her mother’s friends in Harlem. She desperately wants to meet her father. Being an aspiring writer herself, she wants to write something that will impress him, so she works on her novel.

Eventually she leaves Harlem in search of Hemingway. She travels to Havana, Cuba where she meets Hemingway, but fails to take advantage of the encounter to explore their relationship. Leaving Havana abruptly, Delphine returns to Paris.

This is a coming of age story focusing on Delphine. The interaction with Hemingway is unsatisfactory. There is some historical background, but the story is all about Delphine. I thought she was a sympathetic character. I liked her determination. The author did a good job with the descriptions of the various places Delphine visits, they are evocative and made me feel as if I were there.

If you enjoy character driven fiction, I can recommend it.

Thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for this review copy.

A Dark Fantasy Based on the Nutcracker

 

Twins, Clara and Natasha, are born on Christmas Day. Droselmeyer, a magician, appoints himself their godfather. He declares that Clara is light, and Natasha is dark. In spit of Droselmeyer’s ploys to turn the girls against each other, they grow up close. Things come to a head on their seventeenth birthday. Natasha has had a passion of Conrad for years, but on this birthday it is announced that Clara will marry him.

One of Droselman’s gifts is a nutcracker that he gives to Clara which will allow her to enter the magical kingdom of sweets. Furious, Natasha follows her sister into the kingdom and meets the Sugar Plum fairy who is also full of secrets.

This is a dark retelling of the Nutcracker fantasy. The story is filled with greed and selfishness. I can’t say that I liked any of the characters. I felt sorry for Natasha always living in Clara’s shadow, but she didn’t rise to the height of a sympathetic character.

The plot is somewhat slowed by the author’s repetition of the girls’ background. For me it detracted from the story. The setting in the Kingdom of Sweets was marvelous. I thought the descriptions of the delights were the best part of the book.

Thanks for the publisher and Net Galley for this review copy.

A Murder Among British Socialites

 

On his morning run in Hampstead Heath, Detective Caius Beauchamp finds the body of a young woman clad in a party dress. She is Clemmie, a social influences and long time girlfriend of Rupert, a wealthy young man. He celebratied his 30^th birthday the night before Clemmis’s body is found at McDonalds with his cronies. There’s plenty of champagne, cocaine and other drugs of choice.

Detective Beauchamp with with his fellow officers, DS Matty Cheung, and DC Amy Noakes, are given the case. To solve the case they are forced into the world of the incredibly wealthy and well connected where Rupert and friends don’t think the rules apply to them.

The case itself is an interesting police procedural. I like Detective Beauchamp and is crew. They work hard under difficult circumstances. If this novel is prelude to another book featuring these characters, I would like to read it.

The socialites making up Rupert’s circle are another matter. I found them all quite unpleasant. They don’t seem overly bothered by the murder of one of their circle. The author sharpens her satirical pen on these characters to good effect.

The early chapters of the book are slow due to meeting so many characters. Once the police begin to investigate the pace picks up. One of my criticisms is the ending. The plot has several loose ends. This may be the prelude to another novel, but, for me, it was an unsettling way to end.

Thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for this review copy.

A Headstrong Regency Heroine

 

In 1815, titled ladies were supposed to be decorate adjuncts to the men in their lives. When Lady Petra Forsyth’s fiancé dies before the wedding, she announces that she will remain unmarried. Although her father supports her decision, her uncle and other members of the ton are aghast. Whatever others think, Lady Petra remains true to her decision.

When she learns her friend Gwen has died of melancholia, Petra decides to investigate. She learns that Gwen’s physician was questionable. She also learns of a private asylum where wives and daughters who displeased their husbands and fathers were locked away. Undeterred, Lady Petra investigates and finds evidence of murder and danger to herself.

Lady Petra is a strong character. I liked her and thought she had made a good decision to live her life as she saw fit in spite of the rules of society. I believe this book is the start of a new series. Lady Petra will make a fine central character.

The description of the Regency Period was detailed and historically accurate. My only complaint is the setting of the scene slowed the beginning to the book. If you love historical romance, this should not be a deterrent. However, it you’re looking for the mystery, it may be a bit too slow.

Thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for this review copy.