Tag Archives: historical fiction

Cover Reveal: Sugar Creek by S.C. Karakaltsas

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I’m very excited to show you the cover for my new novel which will be released to the big wide world 20 November 2023.

I hope you like the cover by Annie Seaton as much as I do.

Blurb

A missing man, a stolen baby and a plot of land where nothing grows. Are they connected? One person knows.

1948: Sugar Creek seemed such a welcoming town for Ellen, a young woman keen to share the news of her pregnancy with her fiancé Billy. When Billy signs up for extra work testing topical creams at the local military base, to earn money for their wedding, Ellen is nervous. Now it seems her fears were founded. Billy has disappeared. Devastated, Ellen begins to ask questions, turning the locals against her and putting her life at risk as she desperately searches for him.

2000: Instead of beginning her career with a dream job as a GP in a suburban practice, Dana has found herself jobless and facing the hospital board for a mistake she made with a patient. Herb Hipworth, mayor of Sugar Creek, is desperate for a town doctor and makes Dana an offer she can’t refuse. But when Dana arrives in the remote tropical town, she discovers the locals are plagued with unexplained health issues. Now, as she digs for the cause, she stumbles upon a decades-long conspiracy leading to an environmental disaster.

Sugar Creek will be available 20 November 2023 but you can pre-order on Amazon.

Book Review: Murder at the Dunwich Asylum by Karen Thurecht

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I recently visited North Stradbroke Island during their annual Arts Trail which I followed to the hall which was once the Dunwich Asylum. There I met author Karen Thurecht who has written a book series about Dr Hamish Hart. Murder at the Dunwich Asylum is the first in the series of mysteries and I couldn’t resist picking it up.

The setting is 1884 when Hamish Hart visits the island to undertake an assessment of the asylum but becomes embroiled in the deaths of two people, one of which is an inmate. The superintendant, keen to downplay the death insists it is suicide. Dissatisfied, Hart begins an investigation and finds evidence that the inmate, Emily Baker was murdered. His friend Rita comes from the mainland and together they begin digging into areas where they shouldn’t and put their own lives at risk.

I loved the island’s description particularly as I could visualise it exactly. I was keenly interested in the historical context woven by the author into the narrative snippets from the newspapers of the time for each chapter heading. I also appreciated the themes around the social problems such as alcoholism, abuse of women and mental health issues and how this was dealt with in the day. Being sent to an institution for being a disobedient wife is just one way.

Hart’s character develops he begins investigating and I particularly liked Wesley Wallace who is introduced in the first chapter. We never really know if he good or bad but his story takes a surprising turn.

If you’re after a bit of a mystery and some fantastic island history then read this one.

Book Review: The Fire and the Rose by Robyn Cadwallader

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This is a moving and brooding story set in 1276 England when persecution of the Jews was rife and a woman’s place was at home.

Eleanor moves to Lincoln to work as a housemaid and meets Asher a Jewish spice merchant. They fall in love in a town where religious divide is rife but they are joined by their shared passion for words and books. Eleanor learnt to read and write which was rare for a woman. When she falls pregnant with Asher’s child she is forced to leave her employment as a housemaid and attempt to use her skills as a scribe.

This is a slow story burying the reader into the small mindedness and unjustness of the time.  She is forbidden to marry Asher and their relationship is as passionate as it is fraught. I was surprised she was allowed to live independently with her child with little consequence but in this story she did with the financial help of Asher and another Jewish woman.

Cadwallader paints a picture of tension, violence and love in a time when prejudice and fairness was dictated by the King and fed into the way people lived.

The characters are well drawn, the writing beautiful and the story compelling despite being a slow burn.

A good one to read for those who like medieval historical fiction.

Book Review: The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell

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My first encounter with this author was reading her novel, Hamnet. In my opinion, The Marriage Portrait is even better.

O’Farrell was inspired by the real life story of fifteen-year-old Lucrezia di Cosimo de’Medici who, in 1560 married the Duke of Ferrara, Alfonso II d’Este. A year later Lucrezia died officially from a ‘putrid fever’. However, rumours circulated that she was indeed murdered by her husband.

And so O’Farrell begins her story on the day when Lucrezia’s realizes she is in danger. O’Farrell then weaves the story back and forth between that day and through Lucrezia’s life. We learn about her childhood as the middle child of a large and powerful noble family, her betrothal and eventual marriage.

We are immediately transported into Lucrezia’s life, inhabiting her thoughts, observations, and intelligence. She has great talents and had she been a male would likely have made a great ruler. But alas, the bindings of being a woman mean that she is cast into a role she does not want, that of a wife and breeder of children. And that of course is in keeping with the time and for years since. In our present day it nevertheless is galling as we cheer on her struggles for recognition and rights.

The structure of the story is clever as the two timelines converge towards a tense crescendo so much so that you cannot put it down.

There is a lot of description and sometimes I find in some stories that it can serve to slow the story down. Not the case for The Marriage Portrait as each detail puts us in Lucrezia’s point of view understanding her surroundings and her acute observations of people which serves to paint a complete picture of her world.

It is a masterpiece of writing, the characters so detailed that we know and fear for them.

This is definitely one to read. Don’t miss out.

The Fortune Men by Nadifa Mohamed

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This book was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 2021 and was a book club pick for May.

It’s 1952. Mahmood Mattan lives in Cardiff and is a petty criminal walking the streets for opportunity. He’s cheeky, a pick-pocket, gambler and a proud Somalian. He is also deeply in love with his three young boys and his estranged wife. When he is accused of murdering a white Jewish woman, he believes in the English legal system and his innocence. His belief slowly crumbles amidst lies, mistaken identity and a system where privilege is not within his reach.

It’s a heart-breaking story and there is no happy ending. If anything, the carriage of injustice makes you angry and depressed. Mahmood is certainly a scallywag which he acknowledges but he admits he’s not a murderer. His blind faith in the legal system reveals the incompetence of all involved and all he has is the undying love of his wife and boys which of course only serves to make it all the more sad.

It is inspired by a true story as revealed at the end where justice was continually sought for years after. But what the author does is humanise the very details, putting us in Mahmood’s shoes, feeling all that he does. And it’s uncomfortable as we experience his fading hope.

It’s a descriptive book, probably a little too much for me as it slowed the story down. Yet the writing is beautiful so I can understand the shortlisting elevation.

It’s not a happy read but it is one about injustice, racial divides, and privilege. And that makes it an important one to read.

Book Review: The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont

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I picked up this novel because I’d seen a documentary about Agatha Christie’s life and was particularly intrigued about the eleven days in 1926 when Agatha disappeared. Her explanation at the time was that she had no memory of what happened.

Agatha was known for her detective novels but her fame was minor until her disappearance, when her car was found abandoned, her fur coat and case still in it. Where did she go? What happened?  De Gramont reimagines the events of those eleven days which makes for a very compelling and twisted tale.

For a start the story is from the point of view of Nan O’Dea who is the lover of Agatha’s husband. Her story, tragic and traumatic made for some very difficult reading yet it was so compelling. I enjoyed the way Nan and Agatha’s story intersected and when Nan’s motivation is finally revealed our sympathy for her certainly escalates.

De Gramont highlights the class divide beautifully and the plight of single pregnant women, the Catholic church, abuse and the role of women in their ‘proper’ place as wives to look after their husbands.

We are given various points of view, though mainly it is told by Nan. At times, it almost seemed a little far-fetched as a double murder occurs reminiscent of one of Agatha’s own stories, until the twist towards the end reveals a plausible  connection to her.

This one was definitely a page-turner and quite well-written. How close it is to any semblance of truth? We will never know.

Book Review: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

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I’ve taken a while to get to this one despite the hype. I adored Daisy Jones and the Six by the same author and after reading this one, I will have to hunt for more of this author’s work, because her books are just so damn good.

The novel follows the life of Evelyn Hugo, a glamorous movie star who rose to fame in the 1950s and 1960s. Evelyn, now in her seventies and has decided to give a tell-all interview to an unknown journalist named Monique Grant. As the two women sit down for the interview, Evelyn begins to reveal the secrets of her past, including her seven marriages, her rise to fame, and the tragedies that have shaped her life. You almost believe she’s a real person but of course it is fiction.

It’s an epic journey through each stage of her life from her early days and her rise to fame. As we progress through the story, we discover that her life is not as it may seem. Secrets are kept hidden and lives fabricated into something entirely different in order to feed the publicity machine for the tabloids and fans. The author gives us an insight into the inner workings of Hollywood and the sacrifices made by actors. It reminded me very much of the lives such as Rock Hudson and Judy Garland both stories hidden from the public.

What makes this story so compelling is the character of Evelyn herself. She is not always a likeable character, but you can’t help but feel sorry for her. She is the product of Hollywood and can never be her true self. Her struggle with this makes you cheer her on while understanding the choices she has made. There’s a nice twist towards the end which I guessed.

Overall, it is a beautifully written novel that is both entertaining and thought-provoking, with well drawn characters. It’s a story that stays with you long after you’ve finished.  I was hooked entirely. Try this one which would be especially good as a holiday read.