Chanticleer Book Reviews

Category: Reviews

An Editorial Review of “Swamp Secret” by Eleanor Tatum

With a cast of quirky, lovable characters and a unique, small-town setting of southeastern North Carolina country, Swamp Secret, by Eleanor Tatum, delivers an engaging tale of mystery, suspense, and romance. Readers will enjoy revisiting old friends and meeting new ones in this delightful sequel to Swamp Run.

Suspecting that trouble might be brewing, Sheriff Earl Cunningham orders Deputy Alex Turner to be present at a local town hall meeting. Alex, who had been planning a relaxing evening watching sports on his friend’s large-screen television, is not amused—until he meets Councilman Eugene McLaurin’s niece from Chapel Hill, the lovely Dr. Jillian Royal. Jillian, a medical researcher working on a groundbreaking study into childhood obesity, is instantly attracted to the handsome deputy.

As it turns out, Sheriff Cunningham was right to be concerned: The locals are up in arms over the exorbitant water bills for the properties surrounding the local lake that is the area’s most popular tourist attraction. Ex-Marine Stephen Kinney has organized a protest at the town meeting, which he disrupts by hinting at corruption and graft by the local council members and demanding answers about missing county revenues from the local liquor store chain. Jillian’s uncle becomes uncharacteristically belligerent—so angry, in fact, that he drops dead of a heart attack.

A grieving Jillian and Alex both suspect that something was indeed troubling her normally level headed, ethical uncle. When they question her Aunt Muriel, she admits that her husband had brushed aside similar questions about the water bills from her sister Mildred who lives at the lake, saying that she “not concern herself” and that he “would take care of the problem.” Are the lake residents’ suspicions well-founded? Are liquor store revenues lining the pockets of council members and others in their sleepy town? Or are they just troublemakers?

The mystery deepens when Police Chief Joseph Sutton from Swamp Run fame breaks up a meeting at Mildred’s house on the lake to discuss the water bills, citing an obscure crowd-control ordinance that forbids more than four cars to be parked at one house on the lake without a permit. He wonders if the sheriff is merely concerned about his re-election, or is he a party to rampant graft? And what—if anything—does his connection to the mysterious Mr. Malacouti have to do with recent events? As more lives are put at risk, Jillian must use her medical investigative skills to help Alex unravel the mystery.

Clever dialogue, humor, and a healthy dose of romance between Alex and Jillian will surely delight romance readers. Providing a deft balance of romance and mystery, Tatum plants intriguing clues and steadily builds suspense in a way that had this reviewer eagerly turning the pages to discover who is embezzling town funds and endangering the lives of its citizens.

Swamp Secret by Eleanor Tatum earned First Place for Southern Romance Category, the 2013 Chatelaine Awards, a division of Chanticleer Blue Ribbon Writing Competitions. We look forward to reading the sequel!

August 20, 2014
An Editorial Review of “I Heard a Ram Call My Name” by Diane Duca

Set in rural Mongolia, Diane Duca’s I Heard a Ram Call My Name sets up a moral standoff between predators and prey by detailing a single hunting expedition for the endangered argali sheep.

Interweaving human and animal perspectives, this meticulous and detail-rich novel paints a comprehensive portrait of an argali hunt. By following the story of the expedition from beginning to end, it explores every facet of the process from its shady organization to the devastating and lasting consequences for the hunted animals.

At the novel’s beginning it is centered around a beleaguered German business ambassador working in Mongolia named Helmut. He is desperately trying to make preparations for his company’s executives upcoming hunting trip. Helmut has personal moral misgivings about the practice of argali hunting, but feels compelled by loyalty to his company to complete the task assigned to him. However, in spite of his desire to organize the expedition and wash his hands of the whole business as quickly as possible, the planning is not going smoothly.

Only exacerbating Helmut’s conflicted feelings is his flirtatious friendship with a local Mongolian woman named Sheema. An independent artist with a personal history of caring for and interacting with the argali, Sheema feels a strong connection with the sheep and is passionate about their protection from hunters. For Helmut, she serves as a living reminder of the toll organizing the expedition is taking on his conscience, for the reader, of the cultural significance the argali hold for the Mongolian people.

Helmut’s story is paralleled by that of a wild argali ram named Aries. By following Aries’ life through adolescence and personal conflicts to eventual romance, Duca establishes the argali as people in their own right. They have personalities and relationships that, while somewhat anthropomorphized, are often more engaging than those of the human characters. Although the dialogue between the sheep sometimes feels unnecessary, the story of Aries and his paramour Solongo is compelling, and ultimately culminates in the novel’s most powerful moments.

I Heard A Ram Call My Name is not a perfect novel. The dialogue is awkward at times, and the sudden switch to a completely different cast of human characters halfway through the novel may make it more difficult for some to stay emotionally engaged by the story.

However, Duca’s extensive research and knowledge on the subject of the argali and the controversy surrounding them make this an enlightening commentary on the issue, and a persuasive argument for the protection of the argali.

August 19, 2014
An Editorial Review of “Paul, Betty, and Pearl” by Karl Larew

In the summer of 1941, a ship approaches Honolulu. Watching on deck is young Army Lt. Paul Van Vliet, a 1936 graduate of Cornell University who then joined the US Army Signal Corps, in which he was trained in radar and radio/wire communications.

WWII is well underway in Europe, and Japan has begun its imperial foraging for new territory in the Far East, but where will it stop? Could Japan envision an assault on US territories—or even the United States itself? Stepping up preparedness in Hawaii is underway.

Karl Larew’s excellent work of historical fiction starts with Paul Van Vliet’s introduction to life and military duty in Hawaii. Paul’s sister Dottie, married to pineapple and sugar plantation owner Sam Lauterbaugh, is delighted to have her younger brother so close and soon invites him to a dinner party.

Paul is immediately attracted to another guest, Betty Lundstrom, wife of the often absent Navy Lt. Eric Lundstrom. The somewhat melancholy Betty is equally attracted to Paul. However, neither has any intention of a relationship beyond friendship based on a common interest in music and Paul’s offer to give ukulele lessons to six-year-old Rosalie Lundstrom.

On the duty side, Paul meets his superior officers, Capt. Bascom, as loose with his language as he is with his liquor, and Col. Tothill, very much the diplomat. Paul begins his assigned work—an assessment of what the Army Signal Corps in Hawaii might need to support a war in the Pacific.

In the months to come, Paul becomes a frequent visitor at the Lundstrom home. As Rosalie’s lessons progress, however, so does the relationship between Paul and Betty.

Then, one Sunday morning—to be precise, Dec. 7, 1941—Paul awakes at about 0800 to the sounds of change. Japan has just hit Pearl Harbor with a disastrous air strike. Soon, the U.S. is at war in both the Pacific and Europe.

Paul plays a major role in getting radio and wire communications established and coordinated and is promoted to Army Captain. Betty and Rosalie are evacuated—to spend the rest of the war with Betty’s parents in Washington, D.C.

The story of the “Pearl Harbor surprise attack” and its aftermath is brought to life by its telling through conversation and letters, a technique Larew expertly uses to draw his readers back in time, right into history (and his story). Larew’s personal experience (this book is dedicated to his father, Brigadier General Walter B. Larew [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][1904-1973], U.S. Army Signal Corps) greatly enhances his description of Paul’s work, as well as of military communications equipment and operations during WWII.

When Paul is ordered to Washington, he and Betty cannot resist seeing each other. They become convinced that they are destined to marry. But Paul is sent to Algiers in Sept. 1943, and then to London. Another promotion, to Major, accompanies his assignment to command one of the new JASCO (Joint Assault Signal Company) communications units, destined to land on Omaha Beach on D-Day. Paul’s rising star is assured by his performance on the European front, including during the Battle of the Bulge.

As we all know, WWII ended in Europe in May 1945 and in the Pacific three months later. But as peace descends on the military fronts, new battles escalate in Washington—between Democrats and Republicans in Congress, as to how (and why?!) Japan was able to approach Pearl Harbor undetected; and between the Army and the Army Air Forces, as to whether the latter should break away to become the U.S. Air Force. Well, that’s history—look it up.

On the family front, well, that’s Karl Larew’s story of Betty and Paul—read this fascinating and enjoyable book. And don’t stop with “Paul, Betty, and Pearl.” It’s just the first of three.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

August 8, 2014
An Editorial Review of “Waking Up Dying: Caregiving When There is No Tomorrow” by Robert A. Duke

An intensely personal and compelling narrative, Waking Up Dying offers an insider’s perspective of the passage through cancer beginning with Duke’s wife’s diagnosis of stage IV glioblastoma brain cancer—typically a fatal condition.

Duke found the entire caregiving experience an agonizing, non-stop emotional rollercoaster: unbelievably frustrating, emotionally searing and increasingly chaotic.

The author’s story of his dedicated and loving role as caregiver entails four phases of this tortuous journey: the couple’s daily coping with the disease; the author’s struggle through the health care system; the emotional reality of caregiving his dying wife; and the carefully documented material put forward as a basis for reforming the care system.

Duke took on the mantle of caregiver for his wife, Shearlean, with no practical experience, no history of what it is like to take care of a loved one with an acute health condition, or little knowledge of what was involved or to be expected from the U.S. healthcare system, nor from him as her advocate and caregiver. Nevertheless, Duke immediately committed to her treatment and care. His goal appeared simple:

She would remain at home throughout the course of her illness and would die at home in her own bed with me beside her when it was time.

But life in the cancer ward was never about simple. While Shearlean confronted a regimen of powerful medications, facing the effects of radiation and chemotherapy, and piecing together a quality of life, Duke had his own challenges. Over an 18-month period, Duke chronicles his caregiver’s routine: managing medications, diet, medical bills, schedules, and fights with a never-ending bureaucracy that undermined his every effort to facilitate care. The physical, psychological and financial burdens that he shares with his readers are beyond comprehension.

Help and encouragement from friends and hired help weren’t all the support the couple needed. Shearlean suffered the effects of aphasia, affecting the brain’s language center, seriously affecting her academic livelihood as a journalist and teacher. She believed that working with a speech therapist could help repair the damage of cancer and surgery, including a serious loss of skills in reading, writing, speaking, typing and listening.

There was nothing that the speech therapist could do for her. Her recommendation was only that Shearlean stay out of groups, where language would be more difficult to manage, even for a highly educated person. Over the course of her disease, Shearlean’s language abilities remained, allowing her to continue teaching, although speaking intelligibly was highly dependent on her overall emotional condition and physical strength.

The author summarizes their life together with terminal cancer. He deemed it…

A death sentence—[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][which] should have obliterated any semblance of normal life. There were days when this was true, like when Shearlean had great pain, but mostly it wasn’t. A balm to our souls was how ordinary life remained… although things were hard, confusing and frustrating; we were also okay in many respects.

The health care system was another, even more horrendous story, characterized by “bad medicine and underwhelming care” was what Duke said he experienced. Physicians could be inaccessible, indifferent and/or negligent; prescription snafus commonplace occurrences; medication lists impossible to decipher. And, he found insurance companies to be arrogant corporate entities, with a single goal: the bottom line of profit, regardless of patient need. Assertive caregivers felt that they were not welcome, even actively rebuffed, from participating in their loved one’s care or for advocating for their patients’ rights, Duke posits.

When pursuing essential help, Duke stated that he was often dismissed by doctors and nurses alike: “We have other patients.” How unbelievably heartless and inhumane.

Duke is adamant about how medical personnel should interact with cancer patients:

“Reception and administration should be limited, efficient, personal, knowledgeable and considerate. They should never preempt the patient’s tranquility, equilibrium, peace of mind or personhood.”

The author could have written a simpler book, just the story of the final months of his 40-year love affair with Shearlean, his intelligent, accomplished wife. Instead, he took on far more: the intimacy of caregiving and the battle to understand and document why the system was failing him and his loved one.

Waking Up Dying is a blockbuster; a hit between the eyes. Duke challenges the reader to take those tortuous steps he has—feel his sorrow, elation and pain, walk his walk through the everyday rituals of care, and talk the talk of his analysis of much-needed system reform.

As a doctor of sociology, a professional caregiver consultant, educator and researcher of caregivers and their patients, I know of no other book on caregiving that details the precise obstacles that caregivers may encounter and must contend with because of a disorganized, broken system. This book is a must-read for caregivers. Be prepared for a mind-blowing, ultimately, illuminating and educational experience.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

July 12, 2014
An Editorial Review of “Measure of Danger” by Jay Klages

This techno-thriller pitches “The Chapter,” a high-tech, well-organized, and ruthless para-military organization, against a former intelligence officer with a behavioral disorder that makes him an unpredictable anomaly to all sides.

In Measure of Danger by Jay Klages, The Chapter has infiltrated every level of government, and their financier, a drug cartel, has upped the ante and their demands. The United States is in imminent danger, but no one knows from whom or from what, and the clock is ticking.

Kade Sims feels he has been unfairly dumped from his former position in Army Intelligence because of out-of-control behavior due to a condition called hypomania. He’s bored, out of shape, and stuck working part-time at Home Depot instead of at the Pentagon. So when the FBI knocks on his door of his Virginia apartment and asks him to go undercover in Oregon to infiltrate a mysterious quasi-militia group called The Chapter, he’s eager to go to work for his country again.

His training goes well, but on his initial scouting mission into The Chapter’s territory, the plan goes awry when his Jeep hurtles off a muddy mountain road. Kade wakes up strapped to a bed in The Chapter’s compound. He is now inside The Chapter sooner and with a lot less control than he or the FBI planned. To make matters worse, his brutal guards know not only who he is, but where his beloved sister goes to school. When they can’t break him, they decide to use his skills to their advantage, confident they can control him at every step with a computer chip they implanted into his head.

But Kade’s hypomania proves to be a benefit when it gives him resistance to The Chapter’s hi-tech mind-control methods. He finds creative ways to communicate with the FBI, his roommate, and family, and the game is on as each side seeks to control the situation.

But there are more than two players in the deadly game. The Chapter is hiding under the banner of an agricultural biotech company called AgriteX, whose most popular crop is bio-engineered marijuana. A drug cartel is its biggest client. However, the cartel believes that AgriteX has violated their contract to supply supercharged marijuana seeds, and the AgriteX leaders are now on the cartel’s hit list.

The Chapter is dangerous both to its recruits and to the American government along with just about anyone they come into contact with. As Kade becomes more involved in the shadowy organization, his contacts with outside parties and his resistance to being controlled make The Chapter’s leader suspicious of his loyalty. Will he survive his assignment with mind and body intact? As the suspense builds to a fiery nationwide conclusion with all weapons drawn, thriller readers will be glued to the pages to find out what happens next as the plot twists and spins with unrelenting action and surprise as the pieces and clues come together.

Measure of Danger, Jay Klages’ debut novel is a page-turning techno-thriller written by a former military intelligence officer and a West Point graduate. Klages experience and expertise is revealed with his believable dialog, details, and operative descriptions. The work features military trained Kade Sims, and his accountant sidekick, Alex Pace; we can’t wait to read what other dangerous puzzles this unlikely dynamic duo will be called on to solve.

July 8, 2014
An Editorial Review of “Dark Seed” by Lawrence Verigin

Genetic engineering, murder, corporate-conglomerate profiteering, Interpol, and a plot to control humanity make Dark Seed, by Lawrence Verigin, a suspenseful thriller novel.

When jaded journalist Nick Barnes learns that Dr. Carl Elles has contacted him to say that Barnes’ recent article about the positive contributions of Naintosa Corporation is all wrong, Barnes feels compelled to educate the scientist about information laundering—the strategic planting of false information in the media so the planting organization can quote the media later for their own benefit. “It makes total sense,” Dr. Elles replies. “Naintosa employs that strategy on a regular basis.” Nick was about to explain to the scientist why he needed to check Dr. Elles’ information, when the scientist soon proves to Nick that the journalist is the lazy dupe who just published Naintosa’s propaganda in a complimentary article.

Nick Barnes is a likeable, self-deprecating, and disillusioned investigative reporter who has been burned before. He now seems incapable of personally investigating much of the information that falls into his lap, preferring to play it safe. However, the time is 2000, so computerized data and communication systems were not as widely available as they are today.

Nick agrees to help Dr. Elles write an exposé about the actual results and implications of Naintosa’s genetic engineering projects. Then Elles is murdered and suspicious events cause Nick to realize that both he and Dr. Elles’ daughter Morgan are next on the hit list. They team up and run for their lives.

Through the data in Dr. Elles’ notebooks and clues revealed through meditations and dreams, they discover terrifying links between corporations that produce genetically engineered foods, agricultural chemicals, and pharmaceuticals. The implications are so wide-ranging and so frightening that soon Nick and Morgan find they can no longer trust anyone. And they become more and more convinced that they cannot event trust the food that they eat.

The author’s personal knowledge of Seattle and Maui, as well as the city of Vancouver, and other places in British Columbia, Canada, shine through with the vivid and detailed descriptions of these locales as the characters race through them. Morgan and other secondary characters are not fleshed out in great detail, but their roles serve to advance the plot efficiently. Verigin deftly includes enough scientific information to ground this “Lab Lit” novel while keeping the reader entertained and in suspense.

Dark Seed: No One Knows What Evil Grows, is a strong debut novel by Lawrence Verigin that adeptly tackles the pertinent and socially relevant topic of GMO’s with tight writing and fast-paced action. This thriller’s premise of international corporations controlling the food supply and sacrificing human health for the sake of profits is so plausible that it is horrifying. Readers will find themselves rapidly turning the pages to see what happens next in this disturbing “OMG this could really happen” novel.

July 3, 2014
An Editorial Review of “Dark Seed” by Lawrence Verigin

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July 1, 2014
An Editorial Review of “Double or Nothing” by Meg Mims

Murder, mystery, intrigue, and romance make “Double or Nothing” by Meg Mims a historical Western page turner. The plot twists, engaging characters, and keen writing will keep you in suspense to the very end.

The mystery is set during the rough and tumble California mining days of 1869. The author, Meg Mims, vividly brings these times to life with her accurate historical research and her clear and striking imagery of bustling towns, dangerous quicksilver mines, and rugged landscapes.

Lily, our protagonist, is a spirited and headstrong young woman who is recovering from her two-thousand mile cross-country journey by train (that was not anywhere as safe and luxurious as she had previously read about in newspapers).

She is still in mourning for her beloved father who died a few days before her twentieth birthday. Lily believes he was murdered in cold blood by one of his trusted business associates whom he was a partner with in a California quicksilver mine. Lily is determined to find the murderer and bring him to justice. She heads out immediately after the burial to Sacramento to her guardian uncle, her father’s brother, who also was a partner in the same mine with her father.

Upon her arrival, Lily’s Uncle Harrison immediately throws her (Lily will inherit her father’s fortune on her 21st birthday) into socializing, attending soirees and hosting his dinner parties. She quickly finds out he has a hidden agenda; he is intent on marrying her to a business associate in order to further his political ambitions before she comes of age and becomes independent of his guardianship. Harrison has forbidden her from seeing the one she truly desires, “Ace” Jesse Diamond. He is the ruggedly handsome gunslinger who saved her life more than once on her dangerous journey to Sacramento from her Evanston, Illinois home.

Lily is introduced to the man her uncle has planned for her to marry—Santiago—at a formal dinner soiree. Sparks and witty repartee fly when Ace enters the room and is seated next to them. He looks just as dashing in his cutaway coat and fancy white shirt as he did on horseback wearing his trail clothes. His good looks, southern drawl, and disarming smile reaffirm Lily’s feelings for him.

Ace, as it turns out, is Santiago’s business partner. Uncle Harrison then announces to the room of two hundred guests that Santiago and Lily are engaged to be married. Ace leaves the dinner party in a huff after spitting out a toast to “the couple.” And the story has just begun.

Headstrong Lily plans to use a visit to her friends in San Francisco as a way to escape the clutches of her uncle before he forces her into marrying Santiago. The rebellious Lily decides never to return to her uncle. She is also determined to find Ace so she can explain that she had no idea about the engagement and that she would never marry Santiago.

Lily’s disappearance sets off a chain of events. In way over her head, Lily’s strength is tested when she realizes just how deep the devious mine owners’ scams go and how connected they are to the politicians. She discovers just how low they will go to obtain and to keep their wealth and power when they frame Ace for a deadly explosion. And Lily is the only one who can prove his innocence.

“Double or Nothing” by Meg Mims was awarded the Laramie Awards for Western Fiction First Place for Mystery. An entertaining Western mystery read with just the right amount of romance. It is the second novel in the Lily Granville Western Mysteries series and we look forward to reading more about more of Lily’s adventures. Thank goodness that Meg Mims leaves her readers with the knowledge there is more to come!

June 19, 2014
An Editorial Review of “Home Fires” by Judith Kirscht

Home Fires by Judith Kirscht is a deeply emotional and dramatic story that unearths buried secrets kept by a family that spans three generations. The author unflinchingly faces the darker and often concealed sides of families and marriages and the dysfunctions that surface in a myriad of unexpected ways.

Kirscht takes the reader to sunny Goleta, California, where her protagonist, Myra, takes her morning ritual of a walk by the tide pools. Then, immediately we learn the need for the ritual. Myra is fighting to keep troubled feelings about her marriage at bay. The story takes off at breakneck speed when Myra can no longer deny her suspicions that her husband, Derek, has recently had an affair. When Myra confronts Derek, their conversation opens a Pandora’s Box of pent up feelings in her. Realizing this is not the first, nor likely will this be the last time he will cheat on her, Myra falls into a depression.

Myra finds herself on the receiving end of several differing opinions as to what she should do about Derek’s infidelity. Derek’s mother tells Myra that in Derek’s profession, that of college professor, his behavior is to be expected, but more than that, it doesn’t make their relationship less important. She tells Myra that their men will always come back home to them after they become bored with their latest dalliance.

Despite these reassurances Myra cannot bring herself to forgive Derek for what he has done. Myra decides to stay with Derek for the time being for the sake of their two teenage children, Peter and Susan.

Late one night though, dark fears arise in Myra’s mind. Accusations and suspicion abound when Myra hears her daughter cry out and catches Derek coming out of her room. He tries to convince Myra that their daughter was merely having one of her many nightmares, but she is unable to believe him.

Myra divorces Derek and begins a new life for herself. But when Derek makes a sudden reappearance, her world is turned upside down with new doubts, fears, and suspicions.

Although this novel masterfully renders the emotional hardships and tragedies that are sometimes part of dysfunctional relationships, it is not depressing to read. It is an evocative story that does not force opinions or an agenda.

Home Fires is an intelligently written, fast-paced family drama that unfolds into a suspenseful page-turner. With spot-on dialog and believable characters, Kirscht explores the complexities of human nature and family bonds that sometimes lurk beneath seemingly idyllic veneers of normalcy.

June 4, 2014
An Editorial Review of “Ephemeral Palaces” by Nancy Foshee

A winsome romantic mystery that takes place in the Gay Nineties or, also known as the Gilded Age of the Robber Barons.

Ephemeral Palaces, by Nancy Foshee, transports us to Chicago, 1893, when the city was hosting the World’s Columbian Exposition (aka the World’s Fair). The magnificence of the exposition was unparalleled in the event’s history with more than 27 million people attending its six month run.

The author unfolds her fast-paced story that deals with the submerged conflicts of the time that are just beginning to erupt to the surface: the emerging labor movement in counterpoint with the Robber Barons, the first Skyscraper emerging from the ashes of the Great Chicago Fire, and the swirling together of cultures from different nations and religions from the European mass migration. People from all walks of life were converging at first to build the exposition, then to work at it, and then to attend it. Different levels of the social strata converged at the exposition, along with the new public parks, sprawling roads and railways, and industrial works that were creating the now great city of Chicago. The women’s suffrage movement was beginning and starting to gain momentum, and the country was starting to finally heal from the American Civil War.

Readers will be swiftly caught up in this story of love at first sight, treachery, family secrets, sabotage, and technological innovations of the time, meshed with the conflicts between the classes, religions, and national origins. Foshee intertwines her cast of characters against the subtext of this backstory to make for a lively novel that historical, cozy mystery and romance fans will enjoy reading.

Shakespearean charades and surprises ensue when one of Chicago’s most prominent and most eligible young heiresses, Alexandra Schaffer, beguiles an up-and-coming young architect, Logan McConnell. They meet when she helps Logan pick up items from a display that he accidentally knocked over in the grandiose Marshal Fields department store. Meanwhile, Alexandra’s brother, Joey, has fallen head over heels in love with the Schaeffer family’s Swedish maid’s daughter Ingrid, but he is forbidden to pursue the relationship by the family patriarch.

Foshee adds elements of mystery and suspense, with a dash of ominous threats to this romantic story that takes place in this volatile time of American history. She deftly explores the dynamics of the Gilded Age and some of the era’s significant events that will impact the future of America and its capabilities to take on the challenges that the future will bring. Ephemeral Palaces is an engaging historical novel of the Gilded Age that was well-researched and well-written and a pleasure for this reviewer to have read.

June 3, 2014