September 2023 MBR The Historical Fiction Shelf

The Historical Fiction Shelf

The Stockwell Letters
Jacqueline Friedland
https://jacquelinefriedland.com
SparkPress
c/o Spark Point Studio
www.gosparkpress.com
9781684632145, $17.95, PB, 328pp

https://www.amazon.com/Stockwell-Letters-Novel-Jacqueline-Friedland/dp/1684632145

Synopsis: A passionate advocate for the abolition of the slave trade from her earliest years, Ann's activism was derailed just before her twenty-fourth birthday, when she fell sick with a mysterious illness. In order to protect her fragile health, her husband, the famous abolitionist Wendell Phillips, forbade her from joining any further anti-slavery outings. Even so, when fugitive slave Anthony Burns is apprehended in Boston, Ann is determined to help him, no matter what it costs her.

Critique: A deftly crafted historical novel by Jacqueline Friedland, "The Stockwell Letters" accurately portrays the social and political restrictions upon those nineteenth-century women who sought to effect positive changes such as the freeing of the slaves and the ending of the slave trade in America. "The Stockwell Letters" give contemporary readers an accurate accounting of the truly horrific conditions of the antebellum South and the obstacles faced by abolitionists who fought tirelessly to eradicate slavery. Informative and inherently fascinating from first page to last, "The Stockwell Letters" is especially and unreservedly recommended for community library Historical Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Stockwell Letters" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.49).

Editorial Note: Jacqueline Friedland (https://jacquelinefriedland.com) is the author of He Gets That From Me, That's Not a Thing, and Trouble the Water. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and NYU Law School, she practiced briefly as a commercial litigator in Manhattan and taught Legal Writing and Lawyering Skills at the Benjamin Cardozo School of Law. She returned to school after not too long in the legal world, earning her Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Sarah Lawrence College. Jacqueline regularly reviews fiction for trade publications and appears as a guest lecturer.

A Bakery in Paris
Aimie K. Runyan
William Morrow & Company
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
www.harpercollins.com
Blackstone Audiobooks
https://www.blackstonelibrary.com
9780063247710, $18.99, PB, 384pp

https://www.amazon.com/Bakery-Paris-Aimie-K-Runyan/dp/0063247712

Synopsis: 1870: The Prussians are at the city gates, intent to starve Paris into submission. Lisette Vigneau (headstrong, willful, and often ignored by her wealthy parents) awaits the outcome of the war from her parents' grand home in the Place Royale in the very heart of the city.

When an excursion throws her into the path of a revolutionary National Guardsman, Theodore Fournier, her destiny is forever changed. She gives up her life of luxury to join in the fight for a Paris of the People. She opens a small bakery with the hopes of being a vital boon to the impoverished neighborhood in its hour of need. When the city falls into famine, and then rebellion, her resolve to give up the comforts of her past life is sorely tested.

1946: Nineteen-year-old Micheline Chartier is coping with the loss of her father and the disappearance of her mother during the war. In their absence, she is charged with the raising of her two younger sisters.

At the hand of a well-meaning neighbor, Micheline finds herself enrolled in a prestigious baking academy with her entire life mapped out for her. Feeling trapped and desperately unequal to the task of raising two young girls, she becomes obsessed with finding her mother. Her classmate at the academy, Laurent Tanet, may be the only one capable of helping Micheline move on from the past and begin creating a future for herself.

Both women must grapple with loss, learn to accept love, and face impossible choices armed with little more than their courage and a belief that a bit of flour, yeast, sugar, and love can bring about a revolution of their own.

Critique: An inherently fascinating and skillfully written historical novel by author Aimie K. Runyan, "A Bakery In Paris" will have a very special appeal for fans of family life fiction and historical fiction. While also available for personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99) as well as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Audio, 9798212693066, $41.99, MP3-CD), "A Bakery In Paris" is an original and unreservedly recommended addition for community library Historical Fiction collections.

Editorial Note: Aimie K. Runyan (https://aimiekrunyan.com) is an author of historical fiction. She has been nominated for a Rocky Mountain Fiction Writer of the Year award and two Colorado Book Awards.

A Beautiful Rival
Gill Paul
William Morrow & Company
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
www.harpercollins.com
Blackstone Audiobooks
https://www.blackstonelibrary.com
9780063245112, $18.99, PB, 384pp

https://www.amazon.com/Beautiful-Rival-Helena-Rubinstein-Elizabeth/dp/0063245116

Synopsis: They could have been allies: two self-made millionaires who invented a global industry, in an era when wife and mother were supposed to be the highest goals for their sex. Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubinstein each founded empires built on grit and determination --and yet they became locked in a feud spanning three continents, two world wars, and the Great Depression.

Brought up in poverty, Canadian-born Elizabeth Arden changed popular opinion, persuading women from all walks of life to buy skincare products that promised them youth and beauty. Helena Rubinstein left her native Poland, and launched her company with scientific claims about her miracle creams made with anti-ageing herbs.

And when it came to business, nothing was off-limits: poaching each other's employees, copying each other's products, planting spies, hiring ex-husbands, and one-upping each other every chance they had. This was a rivalry from which there was no surrender! And through it all were two women, bold, brazen, and determined to succeed -- no matter the personal cost.

"A Beautiful Rival" by Gill Paul is a sweeping historical novel about two larger than life fashion icons embedded with all their passion, bitterness, and ambition as they each tried to create the American dream for themselves.

Critique: A deftly crafted work of fiction based on the lives of two very real and iconic women, Gill Paul's historical novel "A Beautiful Rival" is a fun, fascinating, and informative read from cover to cover. While also available for personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Audio, 9798212694865, $41.99, CD), "A Beautiful Rival" is a very strongly recommended pick for community library Historical Fiction collections.

Editorial Note: The novels of Gill Paul (http://gillpaul.com/author) include "The Secret Wife", "Women and Children First", "The Affair", "No Place for a Lady". Her nonfiction includes "A History of Medicine in 50 Objects", "World War I Love Stories", and "Royal Love Stories". Gill's expertise is often called upon for talks on historical subjects, including the sinking of the Titanic.

The Last Masterpiece
Laura Morelli
William Morrow & Company
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
www.harpercollins.com
Blackstone Audiobooks
https://www.blackstonelibrary.com
9780063205987, $18.99, PB, 416pp

https://www.amazon.com/Last-Masterpiece-Novel-World-Italy/dp/006320598X

Synopsis: In the summer of 1943, Eva Brunner is taking photographs of Nazi-looted art hidden in the salt mines of the Austrian hinterland. Across the ocean in Connecticut, Josephine Evans is working as a humble typist at the Yale Art Gallery.

When both women are called to Italy to contribute to the war effort, neither imagines she will hold the fate of some of the world's greatest masterpieces torn from the Uffizi Galleries and other Florentine art collections in her hands.

But as Italy turns from ally to enemy and Hitler's plan to destroy irreplaceable monuments and works of art becomes frighteningly clear, each woman's race against the clock (and against one another) might demand more than they were prepared to give.

With the publication of "The Last Masterpiece", novelist Laura Morelli takes her readers on a heart-pumping adventure up the Italian peninsula, where nothing is as it seems and some of the greatest works of art and human achievement are at stake. Who might steal and who might save a work of art -- and at what cost?

Inspired by the incredible true story of the Monuments Women, the Fifth Army WACs, and the looted Florentine art collections during World War II, "The Last Masterpiece" plunges readers into the heart of war-torn Italy.

Critique: A work of fiction that is based on historical facts with respect to the Nazi attempt to acquire and then hide some of the most famous art pieces in European history, "The Last Masterpiece" is itself a masterpiece of storytelling set in the Italian theater of World War II. Original, riveting, knowledgeable, memorable, and solidly entertaining from first page to last, "The Last Masterpiece" by Laura Morelli is unreservedly recommended for community library World War II Historical Fiction collections. It should be noted for the growing legions of Laura Morelli fans that "The Last Masterpiece" is also available for their personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Audio, 9798212693189, $41.99, CD).

Editorial Note: Laura Morelli (https://lauramorelli.com) holds a Ph.D. in art history from Yale University and is an award-winning historical novelist. Laura has taught college students in the U.S. and in Italy. She has covered art and authentic travel for TED-Ed, National Geographic Traveler, Italy Magazine, CNN Radio, and other media. Laura is the author of the popular Authentic Arts guidebook series that includes Made in Italy. Her historical novels, including The Night Portrait and The Gondola Maker, bring the stories of art history to life.

A Council of Dolls
Mona Susan Power
Mariner Books
www.marinerbooks.com
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
www.harpercollins.com
Blackstone Audiobooks
https://www.blackstonelibrary.com
9780063281097, $30.00, HC, 304pp

https://www.amazon.com/Council-Dolls-Mona-Susan-Power/dp/0063281090

Synopsis: From the mid-century metropolis of Chicago to the windswept ancestral lands of the Dakota people, to the bleak and brutal Indian boarding schools, "A Council of Dolls" by novelist Mona Susan Power is the story of three women, told in part through the stories of the dolls they carried.

Sissy, born 1961: Sissy's relationship with her beautiful and volatile mother is difficult, even dangerous, but her life is also filled with beautiful things, including a new Christmas present, a doll called Ethel. Ethel whispers advice and kindness in Sissy's ear, and in one especially terrifying moment, maybe even saves Sissy's life.

Lillian, born 1925: Born in her ancestral lands in a time of terrible change, Lillian clings to her sister, Blanche, and her doll, Mae. When the sisters are forced to attend an "Indian school" far from their home, Blanche refuses to be cowed by the school's abusive nuns. But when tragedy strikes the sisters, the doll Mae finds her way to defend the girls.

Cora, born 1888: Though she was born into the brutal legacy of the "Indian Wars," Cora isn't afraid of the white men who remove her to a school across the country to be "civilized." When teachers burn her beloved buckskin and beaded doll Winona, Cora discovers that the spirit of Winona may not be entirely lost...

Critique: "A Council of Dolls" by author Mona Susan Power is thought-provoking, quietly devastating, reader engaging, and ultimately hopeful novel of healing and love by a gifted novelist who has chosen to focus on the echoing damage wrought by Indian boarding schools that still resonants today, as well as the historical massacres of Indigenous people. A masterpiece of literary elegance and emotional eloquence, "A Council of Dolls" is unreservedly recommended for personal, community, and academic library Contemporary American Literature collections. It should be noted that "A Council of Dolls" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Audio, 9798212693660, $41.99, CD).

Editorial Note: Mona Susan Powers (https://www.monasusanpower.com) is the award winning author of four books of fiction, including The Grass Dancer (a National Bestseller awarded a PEN/Hemingway Prize), Roofwalker (a collection of stories and essays awarded the Milkweed National Fiction Prize), Sacred Wilderness (a novel which received the Electa Quinney Award), and A Council of Dolls, forthcoming from Mariner/HarperCollins in August 2023. Mona is also an enrolled member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe (Iha kt u wa na Dakhota), born and raised in Chicago. During her childhood she was a member of the Chicago Indian Village movement, a group organized to protest the conditions of Native people lured to urban areas with promises of secure jobs and good housing, that seldom materialized.

Voice of the Ancient
Connilyn Cossette
Bethany House Publishers
c/o Baker Publishing Group
6030 East Fulton Road, Ada, MI 49301
www.bethanyhouse.com
9780764241314, $29.99, HC, 352pp

https://www.amazon.com/Voice-Ancient-Kings-Connilyn-Cossette/dp/0764241311

Synopsis: When a nearby city is attacked, Avidan fights for the newly crowned King Saul. When one of his cousins goes missing during the battle, he searches for him and instead stumbles across Keziah -- the daughter of a powerful man. Traveling together, they must rely on each other to stay alive and learn to trust the King of Israel to guide their every step.

Critique: A blending of romance with action/adventure and taking place in ancient Israel during the reign of King Saul, "Voice of the Ancient" by novelist Connilyn Cossette is a deftly crafted, riveting, and simply fun read that will have a very special and particular appeal to fans of Biblical Fiction and Historical Romance Fiction. While highly recommended as a pick for community library historical fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Voice of the Ancient" is also readily available in a paperback edition (9780764238918, $16.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).

Editorial Note: Connilyn Cossette (www.connilyncossette.com)is a Christy Award and Carol Award-winning author whose books have been found on ECPA and CBA bestseller lists.

The Keeper of Hidden Books
Madeline Martin
Hanover Square Press
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
www.harpercollins.com
Blackstone Audiobooks
https://www.blackstonelibrary.com
9781335005779, $30.00, HC, 416pp

https://www.amazon.com/Keeper-Hidden-Books-Novel/dp/1335005773

Synopsis: All her life, Zofia has found comfort in two things: books and her best friend, Janina. But no one could have imagined the horrors of the Nazi occupation in Warsaw. As the bombs rain down and Hitler's forces loot and destroy the city, Zofia finds that now books are also in need of saving.

With the death count rising, Zofia jumps to action to save her friend and salvage whatever books she can from the wreckage, hiding them away and even starting a clandestine book club. She and her dearest friend never surrender their love of reading, even when Janina is forced into the newly formed ghetto.

As Warsaw creeps closer toward liberation, Zofia must fight to save her friend and preserve her culture and community using the only weapon they have left: literature.

Critique: With a very special appeal to readers with an interest in World War II novels, "The Keeper of Hidden Books" by novelist Madeline Martin is an original, compelling, and memorable read from start to finish. Exceptionally well written with distinctive characters and unexpected plot twists and a dramatic conclusion, "The Keeper of Hidden Books" is a celebration of the power of literature, reading, and the human spirit in a time of unimaginable horror and destruction. While a strongly recommended pick for community library Literary Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Keeper of Hidden Books" is also readily available in a paperback edition (9781335455024, $18.99), in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99), and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Audio, 9798212658775, $41.99, CD).

Editorial Note: Madeline Martin (https://madelinemartin.com) is the award winning author of historical fiction and historical romance with books that have been translated into over twenty different languages.

The Keys to Corfe Castle
Linda Sindt
Mystic Publishers Inc.
https://www.mysticpublishersinc.com
9781948266437, $26.95, PB, 358pp

https://www.amazon.com/Keys-Corfe-Castle-Linda-Sindt/dp/1948266431

Synopsis: In an age of knights and castles the starring warrior is a "lady"! This very real Lady was Mary Hawtrey Bankes, a woman who inspired a war-weary nation, including even her foes when she dared to oppose the Parliamentary forces in fierce face-to-face combat with her young daughters by her side.

Not exactly a socially acceptable role for "proper" ladies of that era, but who could blame them? The enemy (their neighbors) not only wanted to destroy their castle but to abolish Christmas!

Lady Mary's story is one of tender romance in an era of arranged marriages. It celebrates family at a time of paramount fear and despair.

Critique: Lady Mary Bankes (c. 1598 - 11 April 1661) was a Royalist who defended Corfe Castle from a three-year siege during the English Civil War from 1643 to 1645. She was married to Sir John Bankes, Lord Chief Justice of the Common Pleas and Attorney-General of King Charles I. Although a work of fiction, "The Keys to Corfe Castle" by Linda Sindt is solidly based on a real 17th Century historical person and her impressive accomplishments in factually portrayal of heartbreaking loss and betrayal as well as fervent love and hope. Exceptionally well written, thoroughly researched, and a fun and engaging read from first page to last, "The Keys to Corfe Castle" will hold a very special appeal to fans of historical fiction and biography alike. While highly recommended for community library collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Keys to Corfe Castle" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $8.99).

Editorial Note #1: There is an informative Wikipedia page devoted to Lady Mary Bankes at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Bankes

Editorial Note #2: Linda Sindt (https://lindasindt.com/author) is a retired United States Air Force Colonel. "The Keys to Corfe Castle" is Linda's first novel. 10% of the author's royalties will go to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network in memory of her husband to promote pancreatic cancer research. Anyone facing this dreadful disease can check out their website (https:// www.pancan.org) for help and support - and opportunities to create a world in which all pancreatic cancer patients will thrive. The Military Women's Memorial in Arlington, VA, https:// womensmemorial.org will also share 10 % of the author's royalties in special tribute to the inspiring military exploits of Lady Mary Hawtrey Bankes.

Price of Passage
Larry F. Sommers
DX Varos Publishing
https://www.dxvaros.com
9781955065580, $19.95 Paper/$4.99 ebook

https://www.amazon.com/Price-Passage-Tale-Immigration-Liberation-ebook/dp/B0B1DZN2S9

Fans of historical fiction who enjoy stories about immigration and pioneer experience will find Price of Passage: A Tale of Immigration and Liberation just the ticket for an absorbing tale of evolution and enlightenment.

The story opens in Norway in 1853, where Anders Gunstensen is facing an abusive uncle while dreaming of his imminent departure to new opportunities in North America. When he actually leaves, fleeing the law, it's with the intention of finding the honor missing from his life in Norway. He didn't anticipate finding love on the journey, but boat-builder's daughter Maria is irresistible and is on her own course for a life change, and the two come together and marry.

The other thing they didn't anticipate finding in their new country of opportunity was elements of some of the things they each fled from in their home countries. Slave Daniel, found hiding in their barnyard, draws Anders and Maria into a conflict in their newfound home and land, introducing issues of racism and slavery that test their ability to build a family and make a difference in their new home.

Author Larry F. Sommers provides a different immigrant focus than most. He juxtaposes elements of a new life purpose with social challenges that force Maria and Anders to reconsider their revised roles and attitudes towards past and present obstacles and opportunities alike.

As a blossoming civil war brings with it demands to respond in different ways, each character assumes a role that takes them deeper into the concept of the land of the free and the responsibilities this promise brings. Sommers moves between the viewpoints of Maria, Anders, and Daniel. These are clearly outlined in chapter headings which make the transitions smooth as each character builds an independent image of their influences, interests, and ethical conundrums.

The result is an immigrant story that melds the rise of social change into an arrival experience that holds unforeseen opportunities and dangers. Libraries looking for a vivid story of immigrant experience in a historical presentation that adds the backdrop of Civil War encounters will find Price of Passage a vivid inspection and reflection that takes three seemingly disparate lives and unifies their purpose and drive to not just survive, but make a difference. Ideally, Price of Passage will also attract historical novel book clubs contrasting the similarities and differences between immigrant and slave perspectives in mid-1800s America.

Expulsion
Sherry Ostroff
KDP
9798830483568, $14.99 Paper/$9.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Expulsion-Inquisition-Sherry-V-Ostroff/dp/B0B5WY8168

Expulsion is a historical novel of the Spanish Inquisition that cultivates a different point of view than most fictional writings of these times. It delivers the viewpoint of a woman charged with surviving not only the Inquisition, but the Edict of Expulsion, imparting a "you are here" feel by employing the first person and adding the observations and experiences of women who surround Basseva, the youngest daughter in a Segovian family.

From the very beginning (which opens with a woman's scream), Sherry Ostroff cultivates the kinds of observations that bring history to rich life. A young bride-to-be is set to enter into an arranged marriage with one she's known about for most of her life, convinced that "My wedding day would be the happiest day of my life. Nothing in the world would alter that." Eventually she realizes that even greater changes are in the wind. Ostroff's ability to create characters that are realistic and memorable, from cooks and washerwomen to those who, like Basseva, operate in higher strata of society, provides keys to understanding the events, politics, and impact of the Spanish Inquisition from a more intimate vantage point than most historical novels on the subject.

Her depiction of Basseva's growing knowledge that the interrogations which have become part of daily life are changing and threatening it, drawing ever closer to her world to transform her experiences and mindset, are particularly revealing. This captures the events of the Inquisition to bring history to life as Basseva finds herself navigating more than marriage and a husband, which were the trajectory of her life before politics and strife changed everything.

From a Jewish father who becomes Catholic, but preserves his Jewish roots in his heart, to a queen who aspires to sainthood and Bassiva's arrest and trials, Ostroff's story embraces the extent of the Inquisition era. It deftly depicts the social and political forces that drive not only inquisitors, but those who bow under them or struggle to survive without betraying their heritages.

The origins of her characters, the facts of their lives and times, and the history all receive added discussion at book's end. This lends to its assignment in classrooms studying this era and these events. Students will appreciate the opportunity to absorb and debate events on a more accessible, personal level than most nonfiction or even fictional accounts offer.

If only one book were to be chosen about the Inquisition experience, it should be Expulsion. Its attention to melding historical facts with women's experiences and viewpoints, and its outstanding portrait of revised lives and struggles for survival, have their roots in many facts about the times, which Ostroff researched in depth.

Bitter for Sweet
Daryl Potter
Paper Stone Press
www.paperstonepress.com
9781990388026, $14.99 Paper/$3.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Bitter-Sweet-Daryl-Potter/dp/1990388035

If one of historical fiction's attractions is its ability to bring bygone times and old concerns to life for modern audiences, then it's well evident that Bitter for Sweet more than fits this charge. It examines the lives of two very different young women of 76 BCE, which are powered by the influences of Middle East politics and society.

The story opens with a girl fleeing into the desert, pursued by the Moabite raiders who are slaughtering her people. The experience moves from the child's desperate flight to the observations of great carrion birds with wingspans of nine feet who watch as events unfold, creating an intriguing contrast in perspectives that enhances the story as thirteen-year-old Cypros struggles to survive.

Daryl Potter creates an intriguing disparity not just in perspectives, but in lives as he weaves unusual approaches to both into his descriptions: "She intended to marry a Jewish governor's son next year. Eight raiders pursued her."

He also takes the time to thoroughly capture the environment and its dissimilar peoples, setting the stage for political and social conflicts that evolve in the course of the story to create a satisfying "you are here" feel to its narrative. This is part of what separates an engrossing historical fiction piece from one which is so fact-centered that it teeters on the dryness of nonfiction. Potter's ability to place readers on firm ground in this era, even without any prior familiarity with its events, history, or peoples, makes for a story that is compelling both for those familiar with the ancient times and readers who may hold little prior interest or expertise in the era.

As lessons in old Hebrew and Jewish traditions are surveyed and passed down, readers receive an education in Jewish history and Middle East peoples alike, as seen through the eyes of two very different women. Matters of family, home, and political alliances emerge, powered by the logic of history and the emotional connections of women who face many changes and conflicts over their roles in life.

As the two young women move towards a confrontation with these forces (and, eventually, one another), readers who look for powerful female-centered perceptions and experiences will especially appreciate the strong presence of both in a story steeped in these times.

Bitter for Sweet is an example of historical fiction at its best, firmly resting on facts, but powered by the dilemmas and strengths of characters faced with transformative encounters that change their life trajectories and their relationships. Libraries looking for historical fiction able to attract beyond its genre readership will find Bitter for Sweet a strong pick recommended not just for historical novel readers, but followers of women's fiction, history, and experience.

Denali
Neil Perry Gordon
Independently Published
9781732667747, $16.99 Paper/$4.99 ebook

https://www.amazon.com/Denali-Alaskan-Adventures-Percy-Goldfield/dp/1732667748

As the third and final book of a trilogy, Denali: The Alaskan Adventures of Percy Hope holds the promise of resolution to the story, which is set in the early 1900s.

Percy Hope is on his way to New York in search of his missing son Walter and his fugitive mother, Peggy Greenburg. This mission is diverted when he stumbles upon the journal of former friend Magnus Vega, who drowned a year earlier in the Bering Sea. It chronicles a voyage of discovery and riches that promises the same to Hope and his best friend Liam. They decide to travel into this uncharted wilderness, map in hand, for certain riches and adventure.

The story's action and adventure ramps up from the moment the toy boys deliver Magnus's legacy (six pieces of gold) to George Magnus, a grieving father who appears to be a drunken mess. The duo uncovers a journal of mystery and promises, quickly attracts the attention of the nefarious Diamond Jim, faces George's disappearance with the gold, and embarks on a journey that soon becomes one of not just gold-seeking fever, but metaphysical revelation.

Readers seeking either a historical action piece or a tale of riches won't expect this injection of spirituality, but Neil Perry Gordon realistically portrays its rise, possibilities, and impact on Hope and Magnus's lives as a cave exploration turns into a quest for proof of an unimaginable spiritual realm. Gordon moves between Hope and Magnus with first-person descriptions that juxtapose the journal entries of the past with Hope's present-day obsession.

The atmosphere of the times comes to life as these events evolve, from San Francisco and New York to Knik, Alaska and beyond. One reason why Gordon's story is so vibrant and realistic is the observations and experiences of the social milieu of the late 1800s. Gordon weaves this atmosphere so deftly into dialogues and reflections that readers absorb the feeling of the times without even thinking.

As Hope comes full circle in many ways, readers will find the story completely engrossing as he returns to his original quest with newfound wisdom. Yes, Denali: The Alaskan Adventures of Percy Hope represents the concluding volume to a trilogy that will primarily attract prior readers of Hope's adventures. But it will also appeal to newcomers with its ability to build upon past events while moving forward into the next phase of Hope's life.

Libraries strong in fiction that holds a strong historical backdrop but comes to life with action and adventure, especially those interested in turn-of-the-century Alaskan backdrops, will find Denali: The Alaskan Adventures of Percy Hope a solid acquisition that is highly recommended for its unique brand of action, adventure, and character evolution.

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