The Haunting of Maddy Clare

THE HAUNTING OF MADDY CLARE
Simone St. James
New American Library
March 2012

I have always enjoyed a good ghost story and one set in the post WWI era in England was even more appealing. The historical background and a positive comment from one of my favorite authors, Susanna Kearsley, made The Haunting of Maddy Clare a must read for me.

The utter devastation wrought upon an entire generation by the first mechanized war coupled with the effects of the influenza epidemic of 1918 brought about unprecedented social change. While WWI claimed an estimated 16 million lives, the 1918 influenza epidemic cost an estimated 50 million lives worldwide. It is London in 1922 and Sarah Piper is friendless, without family and working in a series of dreary temp jobs. Jobs have been scarce and Sarah is nearly penniless when she is called out into the rain to meet Alistair Gellis who has a very unusual job offer for her. The very attractive Mr. Gellis is an author who has written books about ghost-sightings in England. His usual assistant, Matthew Ryder, is unavailable to accompany him. Not only that, this particular ghost is known to hate men and the house's owner insists that only a woman can contact the ghost. When the local vicar attempted an exorcism, he was attacked by the ghost and so frightened he gave up his "living" and left the area. As Mr. Gellis is clearly a gentleman and Sarah is so desperate, she agrees to take the job.

Maddy was about 19 years old when she died. She showed up on the family's doorstep 7 years previously, obviously beaten and sexually abused, unable to speak because her vocal cords were damaged in a strangulation attempt. The Clares very kindly take her in and nurse her but they are unable to find out who she is. Maddy remembers her first name, but not her last, and she is known as Maddy Clare from then on. She never leaves the property and is found hanging in the barn with no real explanation. Maddy is a terrifyingly real, powerful, destructive, rage filled spirit and Mrs. Clare is desperate to remove her. Sarah is very frightened by Maddy but made of sterner stuff than she appears.When Matthew Ryder returns the three form a partnership to discover the reasons for the haunting. Alistair, Matthew and Sarah are wounded in body and soul and Maddy threatens all of them. They are also threatened by the living in the village who are guarding a secret or simply believe the three are charlatans.

The Haunting of Maddy Clare is a very effective ghost story and St. James builds believable suspense throughout. It is also a story of friendship, love and healing set in a sometimes forgotten era. I am looking forward to Simone St. James' book and recommend The Haunting of Maddy Clare highly.

Rating- 4 1/2 Stars

This Pirate Ship takes on Water but doesn't sink (quite).

                                          THE PIRATE KING
                                          Laurie R. King
                                          Recorded Books
                                          2011  




I have always been a fan of Laurie King's Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes novels, but this one has been sitting on my iPod for a very long time indeed. The early reviews were pretty dismal, citing problems with an improbable and convoluted plot and even worse- not enough Holmes. I knew I would get to it eventually and now that the release of the next novel in the series, "Garment of Shadows", is imminent and coincides with my yearly "reading vacation" in Maine, the time was last week.

Mary Russell is approached by Inspector Lestrade and is asked to sign on with Fflyte Films as an assistant. It appears that whenever and wherever Fflyte Films is working, a sort of mini-crime wave appears, including gun-running and drugs on the street. Mary is not interested in either films or the case but Sherlock's brother Mycroft is coming for a visit. Mary is not at all pleased with the visit after the events of the previous two books in which she found that Mycroft has manipulated British policy in an untoward manner. She takes the job mostly to avoid Mycroft and that's when the plot begins to become convoluted and even somewhat farcical.

The megalomanical Randolph Fflyte is the hope of the fledgling British film industry. Fflyte Films has had some huge hits and also some huge misses. The newest project is "The Pirate King", a film about the making of a film based loosely (very loosely) on Gilbert and Sullivan's "The Pirates of Penzance". That was a big groaner for me as I find Gilbert and Sullivan both sophomoric and jingoistic. The film has a cast of what feels like thousands what with the 12 daughters and the 12 pirate suitors as well as crew members. Flytte's obsession with realism leads him to refurbish a derelict brigantine and sail off to Morocco with real pirates aboard. Much farce, some fairly agonizing suspense and an international incident later, Mary solves the original mystery with the help of Holmes. I was totally surprised by the culprit but then I had almost forgotten about that plot line.

Having said all that, the elements that I always enjoy most in the Russell/Holmes novels are present in "The Pirate King". Laurie King has a remarkable ability to transport me to a place and time that is completely alien. I think "O Jerusalem" is my favorite of the novels because of the wonderful descriptions of colonial Palestine. She succeeds yet again with her depiction of Morocco. Even though Holmes  is not present in much of the book the oddly assorted but equal partnership still works admirably. I can see that if one has no interest in early film-making those elements might become tedious but I do have at least a passing interest. Laurie King takes a risk with "The Pirate King" and I admire her willingness to do so.

The next novel in the series also takes place in Morocco and features a return of the Hazr "brothers" from "O Jerusalem". I definitely won't wait long to listen to "Garment of Shadows". Jenny Sterlin's able narrations always make Holmes and Russell a "must listen" for me.

Rating- 3 Skulls and Coss-Bones


                 

A Stunning Memoir from Damien Echols of the "West Memphis 3"

LIFE AFTER DEATH
Damien Echols
Penguin Group (Blue Rider)
September 18, 2012




I can't say that "prison writing" has ever been my reading choice, but having seen the HBO documentary, Paradise Lost, about the events and hysteria surrounding the arrests and convictions of three teenagers in the murders of 3 eight-year-old boys I had more than a passing interest in the case. I was able to pick up a readers copy of LIFE AFTER DEATH at BEA this year, even though I missed the actual signing.


On the face of it, the arrests and trials seemed to me one more in a long line of American mob hysterias about satanism and witchcraft. The hysteria was whipped up by the media with sensational and often completely non-factual reporting. Add an incompetent police investigation and you have the classic lynching scenario. Damien Echols was tailor-made to fit the bill as scapegoat. The only "goth" kid in town from an impoverished and thus powerless background the police thought he was an ideal candidate for a quick resolution to a brutal crime. Josh Baldwin made the mistake of being Damien's friend, and Jessie Misskelly was only an acquaintance. Jessie however had a very low IQ and would be easy to coerce into a confession. All three were convicted, but Damien was sentenced to death. Questions were being asked during and as soon as the trial ended about the lack of evidence and the dismal quality of the investigation. Two HBO documentary makers went down to cover the trial and what they expected to be a lurid tale of cult murder and satanism turned into an expose of police and judicial misconduct. Many famous people such as Johnny Depp, Fran Walsh and Peter Jackson, and Henry Rollins; along with many private citizens became supporters. One of those citizens, Lorri Davis, a landscape architect from New York City, became his most staunch and tireless advocate. Lorri moved to Little Rock and the two were married while he was still in prison. The State of Arkansas fought them every inch of the way but the three were finally freed in 2011. Freed, but not exonerated, as they could only negotiate freedom under an "Afton Plea", a concept I cannot get my head around. An "Afton Plea is a guilty plea in which they stipulated that they are not guilty.


No one, not even Damien represents himself as a sterling character. I find his recounting of his early life almost painfully honest. The product of a broken home, dire poverty, a rage-filled fundamentalist step-father and an ineffectual mother (the kindest description I can give of her), Damien got into some minor trouble, failed a couple of grades and was in a state of drift. He had a couple of court mandated stays in mental institutions. Those stays were used to great effect in the trial but I have to question whether wearing black clothing and liking Metallica constitutes mental illness. His abortive attempt to run away with a girlfriend while still in high school got him on the local police radar, and they never let him out of their sights. However, Damien loved to read and was always a spiritual seeker. Those two qualities saved his sanity while in prison along with a determination to survive and see freedom again. He used meditation, Zen practices and journaling to save his sanity and exercise to save what he could of his health. 


LIFE AFTER DEATH is a beautifully written and riveting indictment of the judicial system and the penal system. Today's "supermax" facilities are the modern day equivalent of the medieval oubliette, finely calculated to drive men insane. Twenty-three hours of solitary confinement a day and decades without seeing the sun would drive anyone insane. To survive the brutality he was subjected to and come out with a finely honed writing style and intact soul is a true testament to the strength of the human spirit. Damien does not want to be known as just the guy who got off death row but it was that experience shaped him. I look forward to more from Damien Echols.


Rating- 5 Stars

Happy 110th Birthday, Ms. Heyer

In honor of Georgette Heyer's 110th birthday on August 16, The British Babes Book Brigade and Sourcebooks have a GREAT promotion during the month of August. Georgette Heyer was a very prolific writer known today as "the Queen of Regency Romance". She published a total of 56 novels in the romance, historical fiction and mystery genres. Her romances in particular have been loved by generations of readers for their vivid characterizations, extraordinary plots and historical accuracy.  The regencies are clever and quite often hilarious comedies of manners involving misunderstandings and a great deal of charm and heart. My personal favorite is Frederica, followed closely by The Nonesuch and The Quiet Gentleman. Georgette Heyer's novels are a perfect antidote for the pressures of modern life and are meant to be read and re-read.


Get 30% off any Heyer print book during the month of August at Sourcebooks.com by using the coupon code HEYER at checkout. http://sourcebooks.com/store/fiction/georgette-heyer/


All available Georgette Heyer eBooks are on sale for $2.99 August 14-20. 
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If you are not acquainted with Georgette Heyer or want to add to your collection, this is a great opportunity!

A Journey in Ancient Scotland from the Magical Pen of Juliet Marillier

SHADOWFELL
Juliet Marillier
Knopf Books for Young Readers
Sept. 11, 2012

Juliet Marillier has long been a favorite author. I am a fan of her Sevenwaters books and especially the Bridei Chronicles. I also enjoyed her previous Young Adult novels, Wildwood Dancing and Cybele’s Secret. No other author can transport me as fully into a believable fantasy world and Shadowfell does not disappoint.

Set in Alban (ancient Scotland), Neryn and her father have been on the run for three years from the King’s Enforcers. King Keldec has established a reign of terror, focusing on all magic users in the kingdom. He sends out bands of mounted warriors each fall to find all magic users, even healers, to either kill them or bend them to his will. Friends and neighbors have turned on each other in fear of the Enforcers and no one is safe. Neryn lost her grandmother and older brother in an Enforcer raid and now she is being pursued. Her father has succumbed to grief and a fondness for drink so 16 year old Neryn has become the responsible adult. They are down to the last few coins but her father insists on joining a game of chance. Drinking and losing heavily, he wagers Neryn herself in the game. A cloaked and hooded man wagers and wins her. Neryn is horrified and terrified as he drags her away, only to witness an Enforcer raid on the gambling boat. This begins an epic journey to Shadowfell, hidden base of rebel forces.

Neryn is understandably traumatized and suspicious, especially of Flint, the hooded man. Though only a few years older than herself, he is obviously a seasoned warrior. Flint is unfailingly courteous and kind but refuses to explain exactly who he is and why he is helping her. Neryn’s special ability is that of seeing and speaking with the “Good Folk”, fae woodland beings who are also persecuted by the king. The “Good Folk” think that Neryn has other abilities, abilities that will bring about the overthrow of King. She must pass seven tests on the journey in order to prove herself.

Ms. Marillier weaves magic and folklore into all her books and this is no sanitized, Disney-like tale. Neryn has many tests but the greatest is learning to trust again.  Shadowfell is highly recommended for teens and adults alike. I look forward to the second book of the Shadowfell Trilogy.

Rating- 4 Stars

The All Souls Trilogy Continues

SHADOW OF NIGHT (Book 2 Of The All Souls Trilogy)
Deborah Harkness
Penguin Group
July 10, 2012




Deborah Harkness burst on to the literary scene in 2011 with the first book in the All Souls Trilogy, A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES. Ms Harkness is a professor of history at the University of Southern California and combined her historical knowledge with science in a very different sort of paranormal story. Matthew Claremont is a centuries old vampire geneticist obsessed with discovering the origins of all the supernatural species; vampires, witches and daemons. Diana Bishop is the last of a powerful American line of witches and a scholar studying the history of alchemy at Oxford. Diana's witch powers have never fully manifested and she has spent a lifetime denying her heritage. When Diana calls for a manuscript at the Bodleian Library, Ashmole 782, she sets off a series of events that attract both Matthew and all the other "creatures" in Oxford. The manuscript has been supposedly lost for years but it not only can be called by Diana, it allows her to open it. Her powers begin to manifest and she has no idea how to control them. She slowly comes to trust Matthew to protect her and the two fall in love, thereby violating the greatest taboo in the supernatural world.  The governing body of the creatures, The Congregation, is threatening both Matthew and Diana. Not only does it want to punish them, it wants access to the manuscript and Diana's powers.


SHADOW OF NIGHT picks up right where A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES ends. Diana and Matthew, having discovered that one of Diana's powers is the ability to "time-spin", travel back to England in 1590. Their idea is to  evade The Congregation and to find a witch who can help her find out what her powers are and how to control them, and to find Ashmole 782 in the Elizabethan era. Diana finds that despite her historical knowledge, functioning in the 16th century in an everyday manner is difficult for a woman and she is not able to hide her witch nature. Matthew has a wide acquaintance with such Elizabethan figures as Sir Walter Raleigh, Christopher Marlowe, William Shakespeare, Henry Percy, and Thomas Harriot and in fact is a spy for the court of Queen Elizabeth. The two travel to France to see Phillippe, Matthew's vampire father and to the court of Rudolph II, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Bohemia in Prague. They make many enemies and friends in their travels before returning to modern day France and Diana discovers that she is a very rare "weaver of spells". The relationship between the two deepens as Matthew finally reveals his many secrets.


I was able to read SHADOW OF NIGHT digitally and admit a lot of "googling" back and forth of the historical figures involved. I actually found this added to my enjoyment and learned more about those I only knew superficially. Many of them had an interest in both the occult and science so it was not a great leap to see them interacting with Matthew and Diana. The characters were well rounded and vivid. I particularly enjoyed Philippe, and Kit Marlowe was a villain one truly loves to hate, obnoxious to the end. I grew to be more attached to Matthew and Diana than I was in A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES. The revelation of Matthew's secrets and regrets made him more understandable and I admired Diana's commitment to him despite all the difficulties. The visual descriptions of the magics and places are often breathtaking, almost cinematic.


SHADOW OF NIGHT is a erudite fantasy for grown-ups. I highly recommend it to both fantasy fans and fans of historical fiction and look forward to the final book in the trilogy. Why only 4 1/2 stars? I found the time travel element somewhat confusing and still am not as emotionally connected to Matthew and Diana as I would like to be. I suspect that is just a matter of personal taste.


RATING- 4 1/2 stars

Who do you call when things get REALLY weird?

WHISPERS UNDER GROUND

Ben Aaronovitch

Del Rey

July 31, 2012

After Midnight Riot and Moon over Soho, Whispers Under Ground is another romp through supernatural London with Peter Grant, Police Constable, Apprentice Wizard and all-around smartass. After discovering that he has magical abilities and can see and talk with ghosts at the scene of a horrific murder in Midnight Riot, Peter has been assigned to Scotland Yard’s Specialist Assessment Unit under the tutelage of Inspector Thomas Nightingale. The SAU is called in when things get really weird.

Inspector Nightingale is one of the last practicing wizards in the UK. Most of the other wizards either were killed or gave up magic during WWII. Born at the beginning of the twentieth century, Nightingale has started aging backward and looks about 40. He has his hands full with Peter, a mixed race 20-something who is not only somewhat hyperactive, but has absolutely no reverence for anything.  One thing Nightingale and Peter know for sure is that there is now another wizard operating in England, the Faceless Man. The Faceless Man has gone over to the dark side and must be stopped.

The investigation begins when Peter is called to the scene of the death of American student, James Gallagher. James Gallagher is found in the Baker Street Underground Station and there are traces of vestigia or magical activity. Not only is he American, but he is the son of an American Senator. The FBI insists on sending over an agent to aid in the investigation, Special Agent Kimberley Reynolds. Agent Reynolds doesn’t like the suggestion of magic- not at all.  As Nightingale is occupied with following up leads on the Faceless Man, the investigation largely falls to Peter and his partner, WPC Lesley May. It leads them on a chase through the Underground Railways and London Sewers.

One of the greatest joys of the Peter Grant series is Peter’s encyclopedic knowledge of London architecture and byways. The city of London almost becomes a character in each book. Most of the characters we have met before are back, Inspectors Stephanopoulos and Seawoll, Dr. Walid and especially Lesley May. Lesley is now back working with Peter and Nightingale after her horrific injuries suffered in Midnight Riot. Of course one must not forget Nightingale’s scary housekeeper, Molly. Peter's Mum and Dad also make a brief appearance.

Whispers Under Ground is highly recommended for urban fantasy fans, especially those who like a bit of snark.

Rating- 4 Stars