Historical Fiction Challenge 2013 Wrap-up

I participated in the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge for the second year in 2013. It is sponsored by Historical Tapestry. My goal was the Medieval level - 15 books. 

Unfortunately I aimed too high, but I still read a good number of historical novels. As usual, all were from the crime fiction genre.

Books read and reviewed for this challenge:
 
The Smoke by Tony Broadbent
Archie Meets Nero Wolfe by Robert Goldsborough
Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley
Eye of the Red Tsar by Sam Eastland
Except the Dying by Maureen Jennings
A Red Herring Without Mustard by Alan Bradley
I Am Half-Sick of Shadows by Alan Bradley 
Silver Pigs by Lindsey Davis
A Night of Long Knives by Rebecca Cantrell
Dark Star by Alan Furst
The Yard by Alex Grecian
Kaleidoscope by J. Robert Janes
The Holiday Murders by Robert Gott


The majority of the historical mysteries that I read this year were set in the years before, during, or after World War II. That is a favorite time period for me. There is so much to learn about that time period, and I will never run out of books to read about that time. Most of them are set in Europe, but Devil in a Blue Dress is set in California in 1948, and The Holiday Murders is set in Australia, during the war.

A Night of Long Knives: Rebecca Cantrell

A Night of Long Knives is the second book in a four book series by Rebecca Cantrell. The series is set in Germany in the 1930's prior to World War II. This book takes place in 1934, in the cities of Munich and Berlin. This is one of my favorite books of the year, and I find it hard to review. To tell much about the story, I have to reveal some events that unfold in the first book. I don't want to do that so my synopsis will be brief and incomplete

Hannah Vogel was a journalist in Berlin three years earlier, but circumstances forced her to flee Germany. She has lived in Brazil since then. This story starts with Hannah making a trip from Brazil to Switzerland via zeppelin, enticed to Switzerland to write a story about the trip. This trip could give her a rare opportunity to spend some time with her lover, Boris. Unfortunately, the zeppelin does not get to Switzerland. It is rerouted to Germany and Hannah is kidnapped by Ernst Rohm, head of the SA.

The story is told in first person, by Hannah. She is headstrong and independent, and willing to take risks. She is also anxious about the situation she is in and doubts her ability to survive at times. She comes across as a brave young woman, struggling with the situation she has been placed in. On the days following her capture, the Nazi purge called the Night of the Long Knives begins, and she escapes. Nevertheless, she is still in a dangerous situation.

This is the second book in a row that I have read written by a female author and featuring a strong, independent female character. In addition, Hannah Vogel's story shows us Germany at a time when many are forced to join the Nazi party in order to keep their jobs, where parents are afraid to speak their mind because their children may inform on them.

I enjoyed this book immensely. My review of the first book, A Trace of Smoke, is here. I borrowed this book from my husband and he has the entire series. He liked all of the books, but the third was his favorite, so I am looking forward to continuing the series.

At the author's web site, these quotes describe very well what I thought of this amazing book:

 “In the midst of an action-filled plot, A NIGHT OF LONG KNIVES will make you think. It should remind you of all that we take for granted on a daily basis. The blending of historical facts and the passionately imagined lives of these characters makes for a thought-provoking, riveting read.” –Jen Forbus at jensbookthoughts

“A Night of Long Knives” does what I love historical fiction to accomplish. It makes me interested in learning more about the times presented and as a sequel it shows characters from previous books moving forward as individuals and evolving in their relationships with each other…Brava on a job well done and I’m looking forward to more adventures with Hannah and Co.” – Jayne at dearauthor.com

“This is a fascinating, meticulously researched view into Germany in the 1930′s.  Hannah again shows her bravery matches anyone, and she finds a way to deal with some of the world’s most evil people, coming out on top…The characters are fully drawn and both inspiring for bravery, as well as inspiring hate, for their horrific actions.  I felt like I was in a Germany of a time we wish could be erased.  The setting is extraordinarily well done.  I look forward to the next book in the series.” — Maggie Mason, Deadly Pleasures Magazine

“Rebecca Cantrell has written another exciting thriller and with Hannah Vogel’s sometimes frenetic first person narrative she gives the reader a feeling of what it must have been like to be in Germany during those terrible years. She has cleverly blended her fictional story in with real life events and real life characters, such as British journalist Sefton Delmer, while cleverly imparting snippets of information that add to the atmosphere.” — CrimeScraps

Eye of the Red Tsar: Sam Eastland

Summary from the author’s website for this series:

It is the time of the Great Terror.

Inspector Pekkala - known as the Emerald Eye - was once the most famous detective in all Russia, the favourite of the Tsar. Now he is the prisoner of the men he once hunted.

Like millions of others, he has been sent to the gulags in Siberia and, as far as the rest of the world is concerned, he is as good as dead. But a reprieve comes when he is summoned by Stalin himself to investigate a crime.

Eye of the Red Tsar falls into several categories I like. Historical fiction is a favorite, especially stories set between World War I and World War II. Mysteries set in Russia; I don’t know why but stories of Russia intrigue me. The story is told in alternating sections; one section will focus on the time of the story, the other is flashbacks to earlier times. I have always liked books that use this format and I especially enjoyed the flashbacks in this book.

For at least the first three-quarters of the book, I loved the way the story was told and had no criticisms. I was immediately pulled in by the story and the peek back at earlier days in Pekkala’s life. Toward the end of the book, I began to have reservations and I did not see the ending as fulfilling the promise of the rest of the book.

Some of the characters could have been developed more fully. We know a lot about Pekkala, his experiences and the strength of his convictions, but he doesn’t have a lot of depth. Pekkala’s brother is involved in the investigation, but the relationship and the issues between them were glossed over. Perhaps saved for future books? I did like the characterization of Kirov, the young officer who assists Pekkala. He was formerly in training to be a chef, and cooks for them.

Two of the characters, the Tsar (from the flashbacks scenes) and Stalin, are real historical characters and I was surprised at their depiction. Based on my very minimal knowledge of Russian history, I thought that they would be depicted in a more negative light. There have been complaints from some reviewers that they are depicted too sympathetically. Myself, had the ending been better executed, I could have easily ignored that issue.

Sam Eastland is a pseudonym used by Paul Watkins, an American author who has been publishing novels since 1988. At a post on the Inspector Pekkala Website Blog, he shares an interview he did for a newspaper in Finland. He answers questions about who he based the main character on. At the time he was finishing up the fifth book in the series, and planning to begin the sixth book.

Because I enjoyed this novel for the most part, and I think the author shows a lot of promise for continuing the series, I do recommend this book. If you like historical mysteries, I think it is worth a try, and certainly it has gotten a lot of positive reviews. I borrowed this book from my husband, and he has the second book in the series. With the ease of availability, I will definitely give the series another try.

For other’s views, see these reviews:
At Reactions to Reading, at Murder by Type, and at Mysteries in Paradise.

Historical Fiction Reading Challenge 2013

I enjoy reading historical fiction and I read a lot of historical mysteries. So I am joining in on the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge for the second year. It is sponsored by Historical Tapestry ... a very interesting site.

The rules are:

• everyone can participate, even those who don't have a blog
• any kind of historical fiction is accepted (HF fantasy, HF young adult,...)
• The challenge will run from 1 January 2013 to 31 December 2013.  
• Choose one of the different reading levels:

20th century reader - 2 books
Victorian reader - 5 books
Renaissance Reader - 10 books
Medieval - 15 books
Ancient History -25+ books

Go here to review the rules in more detail. And to sign up for the challenge.

This year I am going with this level: Medieval - 15 books.That level is challenging but not out of reach, keeping in mind all the other books I plan to read.

These are some historical novels in my TBR stacks that I can choose from:

The Return of Captain John Emmett by Elizabeth Speller
The Alienist by Caleb Carr 
An Impartial Witness by Charles Todd
Murder on the Yellow Brick Road by Stuart Kaminsky
A Night of Long Knives by Rebecca Cantrell 
Silver Pigs by Lindsey Davis
Silesian Station by David Downing
The Nightingale Gallery by Paul Doherty

Books read and reviewed for this challenge:
The Smoke by Tony Broadbent
Archie Meets Nero Wolfe by Robert Goldsborough
Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley
Eye of the Red Tsar by Sam Eastland
Except the Dying by Maureen Jennings
A Red Herring Without Mustard by Alan Bradley