Lincoln's Spymaster: A fascinating history lesson

This fascinating book, geared toward ages 10 to 14, is a great introduction to history. Without talking down to her readers, Seiple conveys Pinkerton’s intriguing and complex career, which spanned the years just before, during, and after the Civil War. 

Pinkerton stumbled into his career when he alerted local law enforcement of a suspicious campsite, which turned out to be the lair of counterfeiters. He moved up through the ranks, eventually accepting a detective’s position in Chicago. The restrictions faced by police forces, particularly state lines, prompted Pinkerton to set up shop as a private eye. With a network that stretched across the nation, Pinkerton was in the perfect position to spy for Lincoln, uncovering and foiling Confederate plots. In later years, the Pinkerton National Detective Agency was involved in the pursuit and capture of renegades robbing the banks and railroads of the newly reunited country. Throughout his career Pinkerton pioneered techniques that are now standard operating procedure in the CIA, Scotland Yard, and police departments and detective agencies worldwide. 

Lincoln’s Spymaster focuses less on biography and more on the more thrilling aspects Pinkerton’s career, reporting both the successes and the scandals. This career provides a framework for the Civil War, the Reno and James Younger gangs, and the Great Chicago Fire - all of which Pinkerton lived through and played a part in. A well-written page turner, this is, for me, the best way to learn history - through the people who lived it.

Seiple, Samantha. Lincoln's Spymaster: Allan Pinkerton, Americans First Private Eye. New York: Scholastic Inc., 2015. 4 star.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The thoughts and opinions expressed in the review are mine alone. 

Review of Maplecroft by Cherie Priest, or, Lizzie Borden took an axe, gave Cthulu 40 whacks...

Infamous Lizzie Borden and her sister, Emma, live an odd life in Fall River, Massachusetts. Though Lizzie was acquitted of the murder of their father and stepmother the verdict was not the end of the sisters’ troubles. Mrs. Borden’s sea glass necklace still whispers from the depths of the pit under the cellar, and strange predatory creatures, perhaps drawn by the sea glass’ hypnotic call, come to Maplecroft in the night. As they are the only ones aware of the deadly creatures invading the town of Fall River Lizzie cannot, in good conscience, leave the area unprotected. She spends most of her time researching ways to destroy the things. Her experiments, trials, and tests have all failed. So far, the only success she’s had is hacking them to pieces with her axe. And still more come tapping, slapping, at the walls of Maplecroft, looking for a way in.

Meanwhile Emma, a frail woman stricken with consumption, does her own research on marine biology. She picks up samples from the beach and studies them, writing articles for prominent journals and corresponding with biologists and professors under the pseudonym E.A. Jackson. She sends a particularly interesting, and odiferous, sample to biology professor Phillip Zollicoffer at Miskatonic University, a frequent correspondent.

Professor Zollicoffer, despite Emma’s warning about the sticky smell that accompanies her find, examines the sample without gloves or protective clothing. He is immediately fascinated by what it could be. He feels compelled to “take care” of it, entranced by it’s tentacular, slimy beauty and immune to it’s horrid stench. He names the creature Physalis Zollicoffris and quickly succumbs to her allure, following her instructions and catering to her desires. 

And as Zollicoffer begins his descent into madness Fall River experiences a wave of violence and illness, and the creatures multiply. 

This novel was incredibly creepy and very well written. The basic facets of Lizzie Borden’s historical record are expanded with fiction and interlaced with Lovecraft’s peculiar mythos and creatures. This weirdly wonderful blending of history and horror is told gradually in journal entries and letters by several characters, each delivering their perspective on the story, enriching the narrative and creating a sense of intimacy for the reader. The deliberate pacing and gothic tone of the novel create a feeling of unease in the back of the mind that grows as the novel progresses. I highly recommend this shiver-inducing novel.

Priest, Cherie. Maplecroft (The Borden Dispatches Series, Book 1). New York: ROC, 2015. 5 stars. 

Looking for a great book? As you wish...

As You Wish is part personal memoir and part film history. Cary Elwes takes his readers from the moment of his casting through his final scene, and his love for the film, cast, and crew is evident in every line.

The Princess Bride was the film that Hollywood thought would never be made. William Goldman’s beloved book, and later screenplay, were too difficult to capture; too hard to pigeonhole. When Rob Reiner finally got the go ahead, the casting had to be spot on. Starting with Elwes, he and his partner Andy Scheinman meticulously gathered the perfect cast and set about making a perfect movie. What is evident in As You Wish is that the camaraderie, the humor, and the sincerity seen on screen are a reflection of what was going on behind the cameras.

If you are expecting a scintillating tell-all book about scandalous goings on during the filming, you will be disappointed. However, if you, like me, have loved this movie for over 25 years, you will enjoy reading about the wonder Elwes experienced making it. From the R.O.U.S (I had no idea people were inside those costumes), to the swordfighting (the result of meticulous training over the course of two months by Patinkin and Elwes),  to the larger than life character who was the real Andre the Giant, Elwes’ revelations made me fall in love with the movie all over again. Reminiscences from other cast members, Rob Reiner, and Andy Scheinman, are scattered throughout, supporting Elwes’ memories of his experience. The book is truly a positive, well-written, and very fluid read, and when I finished it I had a burning desire to see the movie again, this time as an adult, and with Elwes’ viewpoint still firmly in my mind.

Elwes, Cary with Joe Layden. As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of the Princess Bride. New York: Touchstone, 2014. 5 Stars

History's scandals

I love history. Not textbook history, but the seedy underbelly of history that my teachers never talked about. That’s the interesting stuff. When I find a book that promises to give me historical gossip and scandals I just can’t resist.

History Decoded held the promise of being just such a book. The author chose ten things conspiracy theorists love to talk about and tried very hard to find the facts, sometimes debunking the conspiracy theories and sometimes admitting that he just didn’t know. Overall I enjoyed the book. It was very readable (listen-able), the topics were interesting and obviously well-researched, and I learned things about history that I didn’t know. For instance:

da Vinci’s design for the ornothopter flying device was the inspiration for Batman’s cape in the original 1930’s comics.

The vault at Fort Knox, which may or may not still contain gold, once held the Magna Carta, the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, and medical pharmaceuticals.

However, I also had issues with the reader’s voice, the conversational, casual writing style, and the catchphrases that were repeated over and over and drove me bananas. In order to look up some of the snippets I had heard I found the print copy of this book at my library. It surprised me. Each chapter (conspiracy theory) is accompanied by an envelope (bound into the seam) of completely needless pieces of paper. These pages of document reproductions were difficult to get in and out of the envelope and, for me, added nothing to the book.

If you enjoy history, scandal, gossip, and knowing secrets, you’ll like this book. I recommend reading it over listening to it, though. And just ignore the envelopes.

In case you were wondering, here are the ten conspiracies included:

John Wilkes Booth’s life after the Lincoln assassination

Stolen Confederate gold

Who built the Georgia guidestones and why?

DB Cooper

The White House cornerstone disappearance

The Spear of Destiny’s real history and possible location

Was da Vinci psychic?

Is Fort Knox empty?

The government cover up of UFO visits

The Kennedy Assassination

Meltzer, Brad with Keith Ferrell. History Decoded: The 10 Greatest Conspiracies of All Time. New York: Workman Publishing Group, 2013. (read by Scott Brick)

Review replay: Russian teen necromancer...

This review originally appeared in my work blog. I'm recycling it because the series has expanded since this post appeared in 2012, and I plan to dig into the sequels soon:

It’s 1888 in St. Petersburg, Russia, and royal debutante Katerina Alexandrovna, Duchess of Oldenburg, should be concerned with balls, her studies at school, and attracting a rich and powerful husband. Instead she’s trying to hide her necromancy from her family. It’s a dark secret – and a dark power. One best kept to oneself. But Katerina accidentally raises a corpse – or two. Once her secret is out, various powers within the Russian aristocracy scheme to involve her in their intrigues against the crown. Katerina strives to remain loyal to the tsar, but that path may lead to the death of everyone she loves.
The Gathering Storm is a historical paranormal novel rich in detail and description. Katerina is an interesting character, quite headstrong and unique for her time. The fantasy/paranormal aspect of the novel develops gradually, slowly seeping into the realism of the plot. And yes, there’s romance - an unwanted suitor and an impossible no-win love situation. The ending leaves some loose ends, but that’s not unexpected with a series. Overall, this was an enjoyable read, and something a little different for fans of paranormal romance.  

Book 1: The Gathering Storm
Book 2: The Unfailing Light
Book 3: The Morning Star

Bridges, Robin. The Gathering Storm: The Katerina Series #1. New York: Random House Children's Books, 2012.

I'm just too American, and too young, for this book...

This is the story of John Manners, the 9^th Duke of Rutland. What’s different about his biography is not the circumstances of his life, but his effort to keep three separate periods of it a secret from posterity.

John Manners was an avid historian and, in later life, made it his mission to preserve and catalog the entire history of the Rutland family. Letters, menus, household expenses, diaries, etc., all were meticulously sorted and organized. Manners lived in the records room working on this family history up until the moment he died of pneumonia in 1940. After  his death the damp, uncomfortable room in Belvoir Castle was sealed up by his son Charles, the 10^th Duke of Rutland. Never used. Never opened.  

In time David Manners inherited the title and became the 11^th Duke of Rutland. He did not have his father’s issues about the room and allowed Catherine Bailey access to it and the documents it contained. Ms. Bailey was doing research about the area surrounding Belvoir during the years of WWI. The estate, and the Manners family, played a large part in this history. In 1914, the estate consisted of thirty villages. The 9^th Duke of Rutland encouraged his tenants to join the war effort, and a fifth of the men answered the call. 1,700 men went to battle for England, and 249 never returned. One of the men who went to war was John Manners, Marquis of Granby.

While looking through the documents Bailey discovered a mystery: three periods of the Manners family archives were gone. There were no letters, no diaries, no biographical information for a period in August of 1894, a time in June of 1909, and a gap in 1915 during John’s time at the front. 356 days were missing from John’s life, and the lives of the Manners family. Bailey set out to discover what had happened during those missing days, and why the Marquis of Granby, later the 10^th Duke of Rutland, was so desperate to excise them from history.  

I was very disappointed by this book. The title, The Secret Rooms: A True Story of a Haunted Castle, a Plotting Duchess, & a Family Secret, led me to believe it would be full of ghosts, hidden passages, and intrigue. Instead it is a family history and war memoir. The secrets aren’t explosive, the plotting and scheming was not terribly scandalous, and I have no idea why the author used the word “haunted” when there is nothing ghostly or supernatural. However, the book was well researched and written, and I kept reading just to see if anything interesting happened. I think being American, and a few generations removed from this period in history, lessened the impact of the startling revelations Catherine Bailey discovered.

This is not a bad book, its just not for me. Fans of Downton Abbey may enjoy it, though, as the family and estate involved are in Grantham, a mere 98 miles from Newbury and Highclere Castle. Those interested in war memoirs would also enjoy this glimpse into life at home among the aristocracy during the war.

Bailey, Catherine. The Secret Rooms: A True Story of a Haunted Castle, a Plotting Duchess, & a Family Secret. Penguin Books, New York: 2013 

Magic has been set loose in Regency London

The small sealed bottle drops and breaks, and the boring ball Emma Day is attending finally gets interesting. The room lurches.  Emma finds a bruised and bloody debutante in the garden room. A fire breaks out. And the debutante is murdered by black magic.

The breaking of the bottle Emma found in her mothers things has unbound the powers of Emma and her three cousins and opened their minds to a world that had been carefully hidden from them. This world of ghosts, curses, magical traditions and rules is utterly foreign to Emma, Gretchen, Penelope and Godric. Despite their disbelief and confusion, they must all quickly learn to control and harness their powers, Emma most of all. Her mother, before she went mad, was a famously feared and incredibly powerful witch who created a spell that caused everyone to forget...something. Something very important. The daughter of such a witch bears watching, and her actions are judged with extreme prejudice and distrust.

Meanwhile the serial killer is striking throughout London. The targets are getting closer and closer to Emma, and she and her cousins Gretchen and Penelope must find the killer before the cursed deaths bring life to the evil, black, ghostly Greymalkin Sisters, who feed on the magic of the murdered.

Parts of this novel were awkwardly written, but the overall tale was fantastic: full of magic, adventure, romance, and heroines with clever minds and quick wits. Emma is a strong character, and this is primarily her story, though Cormac shares the limelight enough to let the reader know his true thoughts and feelings. The cousins are delightful characters, as is Moira, the magical street urchin, and I think they’ll each be given room to grow as this series progresses. Ultimately, when A Breath of Frost ends and the threads are neatly wrapped up, there’s plenty of magic and romance left in Regency London to fill Moira, Gretchen and Penelope’s novels. 

Harvey, Alyxandra. A Breath of Frost. New York: Walker and Company, 2014.

Write what you know...especially if what you know is murder.

In 1954, Christchurch, New Zealand, was rocked by a murder. A scandalous murder. A murder that brought secrets to light, ruined careers, and disgusted and shocked the entire world. Why such a reaction to something which is, unfortunately, rather commonplace? Because it was matricide, and the murderers were two school friends: Juliet Hulme, age 15, helped her best friend Pauline Parker, 14, murder Pauline’s mother by beating her to death with half a brick. What drove these friends to commit this grisly murder? Was it something in their background? Both girls suffered life-threatening illnesses and separation from their families during childhood. Was it the end product of their active fantasy life? The girls had created their own language and religion, populated their fantasies and stories with movie stars, and were prolific fiction writers. Could their possible lesbian relationship somehow have contributed? It's never been truly determined how physical their relationship was, but there was a definite closeness and infatuation with each other. Or were they simply crazy? Could the simplest explanation be the truest?

Author Peter Graham, a barrister for thirty years before becoming a crime writer, first heard about the Parker-Hulme murder in 1972 when he went to work for the man who had been Hulme’s junior counsel. During Graham's time in Christchurch he frequently met people who had known the families, or had sat in on the trial. Graham’s interest in the case grew, and Anne Perry and the Murder of the Century was conceived. In order to give a full and true accounting, Graham did extensive research and interviewed with those still living. The resulting narrative is mostly impartial. He gives the reader the facts of the case, and of the girls’ lives and backgrounds, and lets us draw our own conclusions on their sanity. The writing style, while occasionally dry, is very readable, and fascinating without being gossipy.

My primary interest in this book was not as a true crime novel, but as a bit of a biography. Juliet Hulme, many years later, went on to have a lucrative and highly prolific career as a historical murder mystery writer. Under the name of Anne Perry, the now 75-year-old Hulme has written over 50 novels – many of which I have read and highly enjoyed. Reading this account of her early life and her part in the murder of Honora Parker was shocking and titillating. It also makes me want to reread her novels, just to see if traces of Juliet Hulme remain.

Graham, Peter. Anne Perry and the Murder of the Century. New York: Skyhorse Publishing, 2013. 

Fading Ads, recovered history

I grew up in a suburb of Birmingham, Alabama, and spent years traveling in and out of the depressed (and now reemerging) city. During these years I noticed fading ads, painted letters, and random words on various buildings, - they're absolutely everywhere - but I never thought much about them. Oh, I had my favorites, but it didn’t occur to me to ponder their origins.

From its founding and initial growth through its heyday and decline, clues to Birmingham’s history are scattered throughout the city in these ephemera. Local author Charles Buchanan has researched these seemingly unrelated pieces of advertising and woven them together into a colorful tapestry depicting the vibrancy of days gone by. Though it is a history book, the text and photographs bring the past to life, both the commercial aspect and many of the characters that helped build and shape the city. Written in an almost lyrical style, it's clear that Buchanan has a passion for his subject, and he's able to pass that keen interest on to the reader. 

Living nearby I thought I knew the city, but Buchanan’s Fading Ads of Birmingham uncovers quirky, fascinating, and sometimes seedy, aspects that I would never have discovered on my own. I highly recommend this entertaining, informative book to anyone interested in history, the city of Birmingham, or the history of advertising.

Buchanan, Charles. Fading Ads of Birmingham. Charleston: The History Press, 2012.

Sneaking in educational content isn't only for kids!

I would like to apologize right now for the vagueness of this review. It's not vague because I didn't really read the book, or because I feel the information imparted is unimportant in any way, it's because I listened to this novel on audiobook, so I have no idea how to spell many of the names of the people, places, or works of art that are so integral to this story. Normally I'd just check out a copy of the print book and double check myself, but the movie of this book (starring George Clooney) is being released in October, so there's a long waiting list for The Monuments Men at the local library. Rather than totally mangle spellings, or wait forever to do this review, I am deliberately leaving out details.

During World War II the U.S. government charged a relatively small group of especially selected, uniquely qualified, enlisted men with protecting the cultural heritage of the countries at war and under attack. These MFAA (Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives) men worked with Army units on the front lines. As the units moved into new territory, the MFAA would evaluate the area’s historical buildings with an eye to preservation and restoration. Additionally, the men would interview local officials in an effort locate known missing artwork. It wasn't only artillery that was endangering the cultural heritage of Europe.

Throughout World War II the Nazi agenda included the confiscation of famous art collections from private collections and, later, museums and galleries. Many of the statues, alter pieces, and paintings are works that are in museums and on display today are only here because of the work of the MFAA.

I sucked at history in school. All through school, in fact, this was my least favorite subject. I’m finding out now that history is way more fascinating than I realized. I was also pleased to find out that one of the Monuments Men, Robert Posey, was from Alabama. Another, Walter Hancock, was an artist whose work I’d studied in art history classes. The Monuments Men pulled me in by following careers of these and other key men in MFAA, and sneakily taught me more about World War II than my history teachers ever managed.

The Monuments Men: Allied Heres, Nazi Thieves and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History by Robert M. Edsel

Publication Date: September 2009

Audiobook Reader: Jeremy Davidson

Length: 14 hours, 15 minutes

Rating (out of five stars): Five stars