Category: historical novel

The Caleb Carr Code

~ Wendy-Marie ~ Leave a comment

Books that combine my interests in history, true crime and epics seem to fall off the shelves. Let’s face it, there’s a ready crop of these bricks at the book sales and used book shops. But what makes something worth a read versus only good enough to prop open the old windows in my apartment?

The book has to have a spark, a strong historical background and not feel like the author is playing with paper dolls. So if anyone asked me “Hey Gwen what’s a good historical read?”, Caleb Carr would definitely be on the short list.  The Alienist and The Angel of Darkness will keep you pinned to Mr Couch until the bitter end, emerging back into the real world at 1:30 am going “Frosted Pop Tart, I gotta be at work in 5 and half hours!” while Blacklight pops out of his lair on a beer mission asking “hey, what are YOU doing awake?”. Duh, reading!

And on the way to training this week, listening to the Edward Herrman narrated abridged audiobook of The Alienist, it struck me. Not another car! A thought beyond “do I get Starbucks now or go to Target and get it during lunch?”  and “I wonder just how bad it would be to make a sausage “double down” sandwich?”. Those are valid thoughts (answers: wait until lunch and NO because I want to live to see 40). The Caleb Carr thought was “gee…The Alienist and The Angel of Darkness are pretty much the same. Awesome on their own, but still, I could write a third book in the series myself”

The Caleb Carr Code Breakdown…

****WARNING*** SPOILERS BELOW****READ AT YOUR OWN RISK*****

The team/The X-Men:

  • Dr Kreizler /Professor X: disabled leader who forms a team of experts, has his own institute/school for “troubled” youths
  • Stevie Taggart/Wolverine: small, strong, likes his tobacco, legendary for brawn, one of Kreizler’s most trusted men
  • John Schuyler Moore/Tony Stark: drunken, high society lady killer, uses his money and journalist connections to help the team solve problems but gets in trouble along the way
  • Sara Howard/Pepper Potts: the only woman on the team, driven, handy with a gun that she keeps hidden somewhere on her person, don’t mess with her, does not take ANY of John’s bull for a moment
  • The Detectives Marcus and Lucius Isaacson/The Beast: big, muscle bound, cultured, and brilliant. Always update on the latest, cutting edge forensics

The Crime: always involves a child victim(s). Boy prostitutes in The Alienist and kidnapped children in The Angel of Darkness.

The Villain: Smart, clever, tricksy with a bad childhood involving premature sexuality and being under close watch by parents. The Villain also has real life true crime parallels/inspirations.

  • John Beecham/Japheth Dury (The Alienist): loner male who targets boy prostitutes and leaves very messy/graphic crime scenes. Subjected to intensive mental and verbal abuse by his mother until he was a teenager. Possible real life inspirations: Jeffrey Dahmer, Albert Fish, Jack The Ripper, Jesse Pomeroy, Mary Bell
  • Elspeth Hunter/Libby Fraser/Libby Franklin (The Angel of Darkness) : nurse with tragic past involving murdered children and dead spouse. Possible real life inspirations: Diane Downs, Marybeth Tinning, Waneta Hoyt and Genene Jones

The Hunt: follow leads upstate, find out the villain’s secret and true name.

  • The Alienist:The young Japheth Dury was torturing small animals, raped by an older man who his brother trusted on a camping trip, killed his parents and made it seem like Native Americans from the West killed the elder Durys as a revenge killing.
  • The Angel of Darkness: Libby Franklin gave birth to an illegitimate child, killed said child, assumed the name Libby Fraser, caused the death of an infant and it’s father, married an older man, bore three children, two of which died after being shot by a “stranger” after her husband’s death. Libby isn’t the maternal type but she’ll try and try again even if it means innocent children die.

The The End: final showdown with the villain results in the team almost being killed, the latest victim being rescued, but the villain dying before they can be brought to justice. Dr Kreizler is saddened that he could not study the villain further.

  • The Alienist: John Beecham/Japheth Dury gets shot by Connor and dies. Kreizler does an autopsy but finds nothing unusual about the brain.
  • The Angel of Darkness: Elspeth Hunter/Libby Fraser/Libby Franklin dies from a poison dart (you are GOING TO HAVE TO READ THE BOOK!). Baby Ana is found safe and special guest Teddy Roosevelt rides to the rescue. Go Teddy Go!
  • So if Caleb Carr never wrote another book in the series what would my idea be? How about something with a Black Widow killer like Martha Beck and Raymond Fernandez with a little Belle Gunness  tossed in with Sara Howard as narrator? Get on it Caleb Carr before I do!

The Union Quilters

~ Wendy-Marie ~ Leave a comment

The last time I sewed anything more complicated than hemming a pair of pants I stabbed myself bloody with a needle. And let’s not talk about the time I spilled pins all over the floor and then walked on them on IN BARE FEET. Or the fact that when I head to JoAnn’s Fabrics to track down a bird decoration (long story) that I’m going to break into hives surrounded by all the twee. In spite of this total lack of craftiness, I still snap up the latest Elm Creek Quilts novel the second I see it on the Rapid Reads rack next to the circulation desk at the library and gobble it up like it’s bag of Easter Hershey’s Kisses (another item to add to the Target shopping list!).

So if Blacklight wants to know why I didn’t do the dishes on Thursday night I’m going to so blame Jennifer Chiaverini. Also because Maeve Binchy took the blame for why I took three days to get the ironing done last week. And Miss Read the week before.

The Elm Creek Quilters series jumps between the current Elm Creek Quilters and Elm Creek’s past. The Union Quilters is a historical Elm Creek tale. It’s the early 1860s and the War Between the States is in full swing. Some of the men are marching off to war. And some are staying behind. And in the quilting circle, there’s trouble too. The ladies have managed to finance and build a meeting hall and try to fight the good fight for their men. But can they survive their internal differences?

And will their men survive? If you have even a passing knowledge of the Civil War there’s one bit where I swear I was on Mr Couch clutching The Union Quilters and muttering “please don’t let it be Andersonville, please don’t let it be Andersonville”. Blacklight was convinced I had lost my damn mind for a minute. Then he just decided it was “girl hormones time” and kept washing the dishes. Bastard! Thank Heavens The Union Quilters doesn’t have moments like that on every page because a) it would be annoying b) that’s not Chiaverini’s gentle but compelling style and c) making your readers have heart attacks/History Channel flashbacks ISN’T the way to grow your readership!

The Union Quilters isn’t going to inspire me to snap up fat eights or caress a sewing machine like it’s the Xoom or a lovely Droid but it’s great way to spend a few cozy hours on Mr Couch while getting a little learn on. and bonus! The Union Quilters will not crush you if you happen to doze off while reading (I’m looking at YOU Under The Dome!)