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Historical Fiction July 2020
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Above the Bay of Angels by Rhys Bowen The setup: A tragic accident presents an unexpected opportunity for Bella Waverly to pursue her seemingly impossible dream of becoming a chef, but only if she's willing to lie about who she is.
What goes wrong: Now known as Helen, Bella is able to get a job working in Queen Victoria's kitchens, where she begins to make a name for herself. But when a duke dies by poison, Bella is a suspect and must find a way to save herself without revealing that she entered the Queen's service under false pretenses. | |
Cartier's Hope : A Novel
by
M. J. Rose
What it's about: Determined to make her mark in Gilded Age New York, a woman journalist investigates rumors and curses swirling around Pierre Cartier’s recently acquired Hope Diamond, before attracting the attention of the blackmailer behind her father’s death.
Why you should read it: Set against the backdrop of New York's glitter and grit, of ruthless men and the atrocities they commit in the pursuit of power, this enthralling historical novel explores our very human needs for love, retribution--and to pursue one's destiny, regardless of the cost.
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The Henna Artist
by
Alka Joshi
What it's about: A talented henna artist for wealthy confidantes finds her efforts to control her own destiny in 1950s Jaipur threatened by the abusive husband she fled as a teenage girl.
What critics say: "Eloquent and moving...Joshi masterfully balances a yearning for self-discovery with the need for familial love."--Publishers Weekly
A recent REESE WITHERSPOON x HELLO SUNSHINE book club pick
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Conjure Women
by
Afia Atakora
What it's about: The pre-and-post-slavery life of Rue, a midwife and healer who learned everything she knows from her late mother May Belle, a "conjure woman" whose skill set also included laying curses on their cruel master.
After the war...the recently emancipated people stay on the grounds of the old plantation, building a new community in the shadow of their former master's burned-out house. When the birth of strange-looking baby precedes an epidemic that Rue can't stop, a traveling preacher condemns her as a witch.
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Hammer to Fall
by
John Lawton
What it's about: Posted in disgrace to remote northern Finland under the guise of a cultural exchange representative, 1960s MI6 spy Joe Wilderness earns money on the side as a vodka smuggler before uncovering a mining operation with possible atomic ties.
Why you should read it: Hammer to Fall is a gripping tale of deception and skullduggery, of art and politics, a page-turning story of the always riveting life of the British spy.
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His Bloody Project: Documents Relating to the Case of Roderick Macrae by Graeme Macrae Burnet What it's about: Everyone agrees that the young crofter Roderick Macrae is obviously guilty of the 1869 brutal triple murder that occurred in his remote Scottish village, but no one -- not the investigators, not his neighbors, not the courts -- can agree on why.
Why you might like it: The story is told from multiple perspectives and is framed as a journey through the documents generated over the course of the investigation, including newspapers, the testimony of Roderick's community, extracts from the book of an "expert" in the emerging field of forensics, and trial transcripts. | | Chariot on the Mountain by Jack Ford What it is: Based on a real trial, this compelling and suspenseful novel tells the story of Kitty Payne, a freed slave who successfully brought a court case against a white man in antebellum Virginia who kidnapped and attempted to make her a slave again.
About the author: Emmy and Peabody Award-winning journalist Jack Ford is also the author of The Walls of Jericho, a murder mystery set in Mississippi during the Civil Rights era. | | The Unquiet Grave by Sharyn McCrumb What it is: an atmospheric and richly detailed look at the 1897 "Greenbrier Ghost" murder case, in which a West Virginia mother convinced the authorities to reopen the investigation of her daughter's death after testifying that the young woman's ghost paid her a visit.
Why you might like it: The story of the trial is told through the eyes of James Gardner, a black attorney who was part of the defense team during the Greenbrier trial and who readers first meet in 1930, after he has been committed to an insane asylum. | | Contact your librarian for more great books! |
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