The Mazarinette and the Musketeer-- Lesbian Swordswomen in Historical Adventure Novelette

This is a review of a book I read at the end of February and didn't have a chance to review in that short month.

So I came to a point when I really wanted ESCAPISM.  The news was terrifying, and the last book I read was so dispiriting that I didn't want to promote it by putting my review on a blog.  Fortunately, I had recently downloaded a free book from the author's website that was just the thing I needed. It was The Mazarinette and the Musketeer by Heather Rose Jones.  Jones says on her website that she wrote it in response to  a challenge to create a musketeer story containing only female characters.  I just love sword wielding women.

                               

As a fan of Alexandre Dumas' musketeer novels, I already figured out that the Mazarinette must be one of the seven actual nieces of a real historical personage, the powerful minister of Louis XIII and Louis XIV, Cardinal Mazarin.  See their Wikipedia article  for further information.   Jones says in her historical notes that the Mazarinettes really did wear the uniforms of their uncle's musketeers. The Mazarinette in this novelette was Hortense Mancini.  I have copied a public domain painting of Hortense from her own Wikipedia article below.

                            

                              
There were other real women among the characters in The Mazarinette and the Musketeer.  It does seem likely that Anne Lennard, Countess of Sussex, did have a lesbian relationship with Hortense Mancini as portrayed in Jones' tale.  Julie d'Aubigny, who appears in The Mazarinette and the Musketeer as a teenager, was the subject of a number of fictional accounts about her during her lifetime.  It's difficult to know what's true and what isn't.   She was supposed to have traveled with her fencing master doing sword fighting exhibitions.  Finally,  Aphra Behn  was the first woman to have earned her living writing plays.  She also really was a spy for King Charles II of England as shown by Jones in this novelette.  She's one of my favorite historical personages and I find it impossible to pass up a book that contains her as a character.

The Mazarinette and the Musketeer was as entertaining as I expected with lots of sword fights and women disguised as men. I thought that the female characters were all delightful. This is my idea of a fun read.

The Peddler of Wisdom: A Tale of A Village Revolt

I'm glad to be reviewing a historical fiction with a strong woman protagonist during women's history month.  I won a digital copy of The Peddler of Wisdom by Laura Matthias Bendoly in a giveaway on the Historical Fictionistas group on Goodreads.  The author sent it to me as a gift from Amazon, and this is my honest review.

                           

Central character Irène Guéri is a healer and a diviner who resides in Les Échelles, a fictional village in the south of 17th century France. Les Échelles was invaded by an army of  Sardinians led by Domenico, a tyrannical nobleman with strange obsessions that involved cruel practices.  When Domenico demanded that the villagers consult his alchemist/physician instead of Irène, I expected that she would become the victim of a witchcraft hysteria which were quite common in the 17th century.  It turned out that I was being too pessimistic.  While there were a few collaborators with the invaders,  most of the village wanted to resist Domenico. So Irène became a rebel. I love women who take a stand.

There were other amazing female characters. One of them was Bijou, a female raptor who was very protective of Noisette, the ten year old girl who'd adopted Bijou.  I was also impressed by the courage of  Irène's closest friend, Simone.

There's a romance element in The Peddler of Wisdom.  We even get a HEA ending.  Yet I wouldn't categorize this novel as a romance.  I think that the romance content is insufficient.  I would say the same about characterizing The Peddler of Wisdom as a fantasy.  There is a great deal of discussion about magic, but there are relatively few magical acts.   

I wouldn't count Irène's Tarot readings as magic.  For me, they exhibit insight/intuition.   Some would say that the 17th century was too early for Tarot divination since the earliest historically recorded use of Tarot for that purpose was in the 18th century.  Tarot images were originally utilized for playing cards, not as divination tools.  I should point out that recorded history has tended to focus exclusively on the doings of the wealthy and powerful.   Irène learned about divination with Tarot cards from a Romani woman.  It seems to me at least possible that the Romani might have been reading Tarot somewhat earlier than history indicates.

The Romani are called "gypsies" in this book.    I have been guilty of using the term "gypsies" myself, but that was before I learned the history of  "gypsy" as a pejorative.  It's enough for me that members of this ethnic group prefer Romani.   My policy is that people should be called what they want to be called.  Of course, 17th century Irène wouldn't have known better.  It did bother me that Irène was insulting toward Romani  at the end of the book.   Hurtful stereotypes about the Romani have been common and they still do have a great deal of currency.  Irène seemed advanced in a number of ways.   That comment caused me to think less of her.  It also left a bad taste in my mouth since it was literally the last thing Irène said.

The protagonist of The Peddler of Wisdom was by no means perfect, nor did she need to be perfect.   Characters seem more real if they have flaws or complexity.   A number of characters in Bendoly's book were well-developed including the villainous tyrant Domenico who had a background, and an unpredictable degree of ambivalence.

I had some minor problems with this novel that I won't discuss here.  I did like The Peddler of Wisdom for the most part, and was glad to have the opportunity to read it.                       

The Last Painting of Sara de Vos

I love books that focus on artists, and have always been fascinated with the 17th century Dutch Masters.  Their work always seemed to be telling me stories about people's lives.  When I lived in New York, I felt privileged to be able to look at the Vermeer painting, "Girl Asleep" at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I mention this because Dominic Smith, the author of The Last Painting of Sara de Vos, placed a condition on winning a copy of this book on Authorbuzz.  He wanted readers to e-mail him about a 17th century Dutch painting. So I won my copy  by posting him a message regarding "Girl Asleep" and my experience of the painting.   This means that I must mention that I got the book for free from the author, yet this is still an honest review.

                               

At the time when I was a teen obsessing about the Vermeer work mentioned above, I didn't know that there were woman painters in 17th century Holland.  Sara de Vos in Smith's novel is a fictional character, but there were real female 17th century Dutch Masters.  The best known is probably Judith Leyster. The Wikipedia article about her that I've linked contained a self portrait of Leyster that I can reproduce below because it's public domain.

                               

I don't imagine that Leyster normally wore a ruff when she was painting because it would have gotten spattered with paint.  The fictional 17th century painter, Sara de Vos,  wouldn't have dressed that way either when she was working.    This self portrait represents how Judith Leyster wanted to be viewed. She dressed formally in order to gain respect.

 The Last Painting of Sara de Vos deals with women in the art world needing to be respected.  There were two female protagonists.   In addition to Sara de Vos, there was the contemporary art historian and curator, Ellie Shipley.   Ellie was hiding a crime that she committed when she was a poor struggling art history student during the 1950's.  Sara de Vos was also impoverished, and violated the regulations of her art guild.   Poor individuals may be forced to earn money in ways that society condemns.   If they become more prosperous, they have the luxury of becoming more circumspect,  but the past still haunts them.

It seems to me that Ellie felt a kinship with Sara de Vos, and that this was why she included Sara in her doctoral dissertation on Dutch woman painters of the 17th century even though this artist had only one authenticated surviving work at the time.  Ellie wanted to be Sara de Vos.  Ellie's advisor  thought Ellie should scrap her chapter on Sara de Vos saying "If Dickens had written a single book none of us would know his name."   I disagree and I'm pretty sure that Ellie did too.  There are some writers who are only known for one work that has echoed down the ages.  For example,  Miguel de Cervantes is only known for Don Quixote.  More recently,  Harper Lee may have written two books, but her reputation was built on only one.  I think that if Dickens had only written A Tale of Two Cities, we would still have remembered him.  The work by Sara de Vos is portrayed memorably in Smith's novel.  When I wish I could see a painting by a fictional artist, I know the author has done an excellent job of ushering the reader into the world of the character's creation.

Marty de Groot, the contemporary owner of the Sara de Vos painting that is the main focus of the narrative, was unsympathetic for a large portion of the novel. Another author would have allowed him to become a caricature, but Dominic Smith develops him so that he has dimension.  I didn't identify with Marty de Groot as I did with Ellie Shipley, but ultimately I felt that he was trying to be a decent human being.

I read a review of The Last Painting of Sara de Vos on Goodreads which said that "nothing happened in the end".   That reviewer meant that there wasn't a big dramatic blow up over Ellie Shipley's crime.  Yet I felt that there was satisfying karmic balance even though it wasn't conventional justice.  

   

  

Tidewater: Can There Be An Authentic Pocahontas Novel?

I am one of the many people who loves and cherishes the mythical Pocahontas.  In fact, I played Pocahontas in a Thanksgiving play in elementary school.  This was long before she became the subject of a Disney movie, by the way.  Disney didn't invent the legendary Pocahontas.  Disney didn't even popularize the story.  Pocahontas became a popular legend during her own lifetime.  She achieved celebrity status and was the darling of London society when she was barely out of her adolescence.

 It was Paula Gunn Allen's biography, Pocahontas: Medicine Woman, Spy, Entrepreneur, Diplomat that caused me to re-examine the myth.  Allen was a Native American author who sought to revolutionize the way history is written. She wrote her biography in such a way that she could include speculation and imaginative re-creation of events in the manner of historical fiction.

This leads me to Tidewater by Libbie Hawker.  I think that if Hawker included a list of the roles that Pocahontas played in the title of her novel as Allen did, it would be rather different.  Perhaps her title would read Jester,Linguist,Political Adviser and Spy.  The only thing that Hawker and Allen would agree on is that Pocahontas was a spy.  It seems to me that every author who has written about Pocahontas has their own version of her.

How authentic is Hawker?  How much authenticity is possible when it comes to Pocahontas?  How much authenticity is desirable within the context of historical fiction?  These are questions that I will be tackling in this review. I received a copy of this book for free from the publisher via Net Galley.

                                                   
It's important to realize that we don't have any contemporary account of Pocahontas written by her.  It would have been theoretically possible for Pocahontas to have kept a diary after John Rolfe taught her to read and write in English, but I think she was too busy living her life to write about it.  The only contemporary account that we have is the one that catapulted her to the 17th century equivalent of superstar status.  It was authored by John Smith.    Keep in mind, that this was a man who made his living by writing self-aggrandizing memoirs.   He was neither the first nor the last writer whose career centered on inventing himself.  Can we believe anything that he wrote?  In her author's note, Hawker wrote that she found Smith sympathetic and selectively credible.   Unfortunately, it's difficult to decide what is truth and what has been concocted by the author to make him look good when there is only one source available.    It comes down to individual judgment and preference.  Both of these involve subjectivity.  This is how we can have different versions of Pocahontas that are all completely valid.  We don't really know the truth about her.

I believe that when you are writing any kind of fiction you need to tell a good story about characters who the readers will consider interesting and plausible.  When you are writing fiction about a historical personage, you are constrained by what can be definitely known.  We do know the birth and death dates of Pocahontas.  If Pocahontas was a child when she first encountered John Smith, as seems to be the case,  it is not plausible that she would have fallen in love with him.  This is why Libbie Hawker didn't give us a Pocahontas who was motivated by romantic feelings toward Smith even though it certainly does make a good story.

Is Hawker's Pocahontas interesting?  She is complex, but not always sympathetic.  I included political adviser in the list of Pocahontas' roles in this book even though she made some poor recommendations.  She was too young to have mature judgment and she was trying too hard to be influential.  Ambition was her most significant flaw.  As she grew older, she came to understand that  ambition had caused her to make some serious mistakes.  Unfortunately, this didn't stop her from making more of them.  She was blinded by her desire for recognition. 

Hawker believes that Pocahontas showed John Rolfe how to grow tobacco successfully in Virginia's climate.  If she married Rolfe for the sake of her people as she claimed in this novel, then that sort of assistance was another serious error. This was a colony that was established for profit. Pocahontas apparently wasn't aware that the colony hadn't produced anything that gave the Virginia Company any return on their investment.  If  John Rolfe hadn't successfully grown a profitable strain of tobacco, it's very possible that the colony would have been terminated and the Powhatan Confederacy might have ceased to have an English problem--for that generation at least.

Hawker provided a glossary of terms in the language of  Pocahontas' people, the Powhatans.This is one of the few novels that I've encountered in which terms that are in the glossary were hyper-linked within the text in the digital version.  This makes the glossary more useful in this format.  Looking for terms in the glossary using search is much more time consuming.  I wish that hyperlinks in the text were standard for all novels that have a glossary.

I think that Tidewater is a good novel that's well-plotted with memorable characters.  Though I do wish that Paula Gunn Allen had decided to write a novel about Pocahontas instead of her non-traditional biography.  Then we would have had two compelling fictional versions of Pocahontas that contravene the myth.

  

The Masque of a Murderer: A Mystery in the Aftermath of Disaster in 17th Century London

Publication Date: April 14, 2015

Minotaur Books/St. Martins Press

Formats: Hardcover, eBook

Pages: 323

Series: Book Three, Lucy Campion Mysteries

Genre: Historical Mystery

In Susanna Calkins’ next richly drawn mystery set in 17th century England, Lucy Campion, formerly a ladies’ maid in the local magistrate’s household, has now found gainful employment as a printer’s apprentice. On a freezing winter afternoon in 1667, she accompanies the magistrate’s daughter, Sarah, to the home of a severely injured Quaker man to record his dying words, a common practice of the time. The man, having been trampled by a horse and cart the night before, only has a few hours left to live. Lucy scribbles down the Quaker man’s last utterances, but she’s unprepared for what he reveals to her—that someone deliberately pushed him into the path of the horse, because of a secret he had recently uncovered.

Fearful that Sarah might be traveling in the company of a murderer, Lucy feels compelled to seek the truth, with the help of the magistrate's son, Adam, and the local constable. But delving into the dead man’s background might prove more dangerous than any of them had imagined.

In The Masque of a Murderer, Susanna Calkins has once again combined finely wrought characters, a richly detailed historical atmosphere, and a tightly-plotted mystery into a compelling read.

Lucy Campion Mystery Series Titles

Book One: A Murder at Rosamund's Gate
Macavity Award Finalist Sue Feder Historical Mystery Award (2014)
Barnes & Noble Bookseller's Selection ("Mystery Pick" and "Featured New Arrival")
Chicago Book Review - Best Books of 2013

Book Two: From the Charred Remains (Paperback release on March 17, 2015)
Short-listed for the Bruce Alexander Historical Mystery Award (2015)

Book Three: The Masque of a Murderer (coming April 2015!)

***REVIEW***

I  hadn't read the previous two Lucy Campion novels when I agreed to participate in this blog tour.  After I downloaded it from Net Galley, I decided to read A Murder at Rosamund's Gate for background.  It turned out not to be necessary.  Susanna Calkins provides all the background about Lucy in  The Masque of a Murderer.  Yet readers who are curious about what Lucy's life was like as a chambermaid should pick up that first book.

 I'm more interested in Lucy's unusual apprenticeship to a printer myself.   The only reason why such a thing was possible is because this novel took place in the aftermath of the Great Fire of London.  This disaster wreaked death and chaos on the city of London which brought about social change.  I noticed that it didn't change social attitudes.  Lucy couldn't be admitted to the printer's guild as an official apprentice.  Her master didn't treat her the same way as his male apprentice and didn't have the same expectations of her.  Lucy probably felt that she was lucky to get the opportunity to learn the printer's trade.  She probably also knew that if she demanded official status, she would lose her position.  Attitudes usually change slowly.   Without someone like Lucy working in a printer's shop to show that it's possible for women to enter this profession,  there could have been no progress.

Lucy also showed courage and persistence in her pursuit of the killer.  When the men who become involved in this investigation try to sideline her, she refuses to allow them to stop her.  Her role was crucial because she had access to the Quaker household in which the victim resided, and Quakers were willing to talk to her.

The Quakers of 17th century England were very different from modern Quakers.  They were troublemakers.  They aggressively sought conversions, and probably thought that persecution would bring more people into the fold.  This had been the strategy of the early Christian martyrs of ancient Rome. I expect that toleration wouldn't have suited their aims.  They valued their non-Quaker allies, but seemed to expect that they would become Quakers.  I didn't find these Quakers very sympathetic.  Their missionary zeal irritated me.  Lucy had far more patience with them than I would have had in her place.

The mystery became predictable at a certain point.  The perpetrator  had the same sort of background that we find in contemporary crime novels.  Since I have read so many of them, I found it too easy to spot the pattern.   Then the plot became more about taking the killer into custody than discovering whodunit.

I liked Lucy and several of the other characters, and found the book entertaining, but I don't think it was particularly memorable.  I would definitely be willing to read future books dealing with this protagonist.  As a printer's apprentice  who is exposed to all the latest political and religious tracts, Lucy has a finger on the pulse of her times.   She is certain to get swept up in all sorts of controversies.  This series has loads of potential.

                                             

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About the Author

Born and raised in Philadelphia, Susanna Calkins lives in Highland Park, Illinois with her husband and two sons, where she is an educator at Northwestern University. With a PhD in history, her historical mysteries feature Lucy Campion, a 17th century chambermaid-turned-printer’s apprentice. Her first novel, A Murder at Rosamund's Gate, was a finalist for the Sue Feder Historical Mystery Award (Macavity). The second in this series, From the Charred Remains, is currently a finalist for the Bruce Alexander Historical Mystery Award. Her third, The Masque of a Murderer, will be released in April 2015.

For more information and to subscribe to Susanna Calkins' newsletter please visit her website. You can also follow her blog, and connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

The Masque of a Murderer Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, March 16

Review at Bibliophilia, Please

Tuesday, March 17

Review at Flashlight Commentary

Guest Post at Bibliophilia, Please

Wednesday, March 18

Interview at Flashlight Commentary

Friday, March 20

Spotlight at Historical Readings & Reviews

Monday, March 23

Review & Interview at Oh, for the Hook of a Book!

Wednesday, March 25

Review & Interview at The Emerald City Book Review

Tuesday, March 31

Review at With Her Nose Stuck in a Book

Wednesday, April 1

Character Interview at Boom Baby Reviews

Thursday, April 2

Review at Just One More Chapter

Monday, April 6

Review at Ageless Pages Reviews

Tuesday, April 7

Spotlight at The Genre Queen

Thursday, April 9

Review at The Lit Bitch

Guest Post at A Literary Vacation

Friday, April 10

Review at Book Nerd

Monday, April 13

Review at CelticLady's Reviews

Tuesday, April 14

Review at Book Babe

Thursday, April 16

Review at Jorie Loves a Story

Spotlight at Layered Pages

Friday, April 17

Spotlight & Giveaway at Passages to the Past

Letters to Kezia

Publication Date: January 14, 2015

iUniverse

Formats: eBook, Paperback

Pages: 208

Series: Book Two, The Puritan Chronicles

Genre: Historical Fiction

It is 1693 in Hereford, Connecticut, when Mary Case, the spinster daughter of a Puritan minister, finds herself hopelessly smitten by the roguish thief, Daniel Eames. Betrothed to a man she does not like or love, she is soon compelled to help Daniel escape from jail. Suddenly, she finds herself on the run, not only accused of being Daniel's accomplice, but also of murder.

The fugitive pair soon finds solace-and a mutual attraction-among the escapee's Algonquin friends until two men from Daniel's dark past hunt them down. After Mary is captured and returned home to await trial, a tragedy takes the life of her younger sister, revealing a dark secret Mary's father has kept for months. But just as Mary learns she is pregnant, she makes a horrifying discovery about Daniel that changes everything and prompts her to develop an unlikely bond with his mother, Rebecca, who soon saves Mary from a shocking fate. It is not until years later that her daughter, Kezia, finally learns the truth about her biological father and family.

Letters to Kezia shares a courageous woman's journey through a Puritan life and beyond as she struggles with adversity and betrayal, and discovers that loyalty can sometimes mean the difference between life and death.

*****REVIEW*****

The strength of this book is in its characters and the relationships between them.  I did not read the first book, but I was very moved by historical personage Rebecca Eames when she eventually appeared in this novel.  She was portrayed as an admirable woman.  I also really liked the protagonist, Mary Case, who was very genuine in her struggle to survive while still trying to be a decent human being. 

Letters to Kezia was a compelling page turner that caused me to stay up well past my bedtime.   I was glad that readers only see brief excerpts from the letters because epistolary novels tend to lack immediacy.  The novel is mostly told as a long flashback.  It's very understandable that Mary was unable to speak about her past.  That's what makes the letters narrative framework necessary.  She couldn't just tell her daughter, Kezia, the story.  It would have been too upsetting emotionally for Mary, and it would also have been harder for Kezia to deal with.  So the narrative format did work for me.

Readers who love dogs may find a couple of scenes in this novel too troubling to read.  There was one scene in particular that I found very cruel from an emotional standpoint to male protagonist Daniel Eakins' loyal dog.  So consider yourselves warned.

I also have to admit that I found all the major plot developments predictable.  There were no surprises for me.   As a reader, it's not always necessary for me to be surprised.  I was invested in the characters, and that carried me through the book.  For the most part, I enjoyed reading Letters to Kezia very much.

I would like to thank Peni Jo Renner for the free copy of this book which I received through this blog tour.


                                               
                                             

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About the Author
PENI JO RENNER is the author of the IPPY award-winning novel, Puritan Witch: the Redemption of Rebecca Eames. Originally from North Dakota, Peni now lives with her husband in Maryland where she is currently researching for the third book in the Puritan Chronicles series.

For more information please visit the Puritan Witch Website and Facebook Page. You can also follow Peni Jo Renner on Twitter.

Letters to Kezia Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, March 9

Interview at Flashlight Commentary

Guest Post at What Is That Book About

Tuesday, March 10

Review at Oh, For the Hook of a Book

Review at With Her Nose Stuck in a Book

Wednesday, March 11

Guest Post at Oh, For the Hook of a Book

Thursday, March 12

Guest Post at Mythical Books

Spotlight & Giveaway at So Many Precious Books, So Little Time

Friday, March 13

Review at Just One More Chapter

Review at Peeking Between the Pages

Monday, March 16

Interview at Becky on Books

Spotlight at A Literary Vacation

Tuesday, March 17

Review at Deal Sharing Aunt

Wednesday, March 18

Review at Quirky Book Reviews

Thursday, March 19

Review at Book Nerd

Interview at Dianne Ascroft Blog

Friday, March 20

Review at 100 Pages a Day

Review at Bibliophilia, Please

Review & Interview at Jorie Loves a Story

Monday, March 23

Spotlight & Giveaway at Passages to the Past

Friday, March 27

Review at Book Babe

The Witch Hunter's Tale

Publication date: January 6, 2015

St. Martin's Press

Formats: eBook, Hardcover

Pages: 320

Series: Book Three, The Midwife Mysteries Series

Genre: Historical Mystery

Sam Thomas takes readers back to Puritan England with midwife Bridget Hodgson, hailed by the Cleveland Plain Dealer as "one of the most fascinating detectives in contemporary mystery fiction."

Winter has come to the city of York, and with it the threat of witchcraft. As women and children sicken and die, midwife Bridget Hodgson is pulled against her will into a full-scale witch-hunt that threatens to devour all in its path, guilty and innocent alike.

Bridget—accompanied once again by her deputy Martha Hawkins and her nephew Will Hodgson—finds herself playing a lethal game of cat and mouse against the most dangerous men in York, as well as her sworn enemy Rebecca Hooke. As the trials begin, and the noose begins to tighten around her neck, Bridget must answer the question: How far will she go to protect the people she loves?

*****REVIEW*****

I recently read and reviewed The Harlot's Tale, which is the previous book in Sam Thomas' mystery series dealing with the 17th century English midwife Bridget Hodgson.  You can find that review on this blog here. Now that I was caught up on the lives of Bridget and other significant characters, I could go on to read the latest book in the series which I received from the publisher via Net Galley in return for this honest review.

In The Harlot's Tale, Bridget had begun to develop into a kinder and more compassionate individual, but her principles are still very important to her.  In  The Witch Hunter's Tale, Bridget is tested to the breaking point during a witchcraft hysteria that is orchestrated by her ambitious Puritan nephew, Joseph Hodgson.  Bridget has to ask herself whether she values her integrity more than the lives of the people she cares about most. 

In the context of the witchhunt which impacts the entire city, the murder of a prominent alderman at the beginning of the book, seems to recede into the background.  There is very little investigation of the murder.  Events overtake Bridget, and she can only take defensive action against them.  The truth about the murder does eventually surface and it is an important plot development, but neither Bridget nor her resourceful servant Martha can be said to be responsible for uncovering the truth.  

There are few surprises in this novel.  I have read numerous books about Puritan witchcraft hysterias.  They are very similar in their progression and the motives of those who instigate them.  As usual, politics and class antagonism played prominent roles in this witchcraft hysteria. 

The strengths of The Witch Hunter's Tale are its dramatic intensity and Bridget's continuing character growth.  If there is a next novel in this series, it will be absolutely astonishing because there is no single predictable path for Bridget Hodgson in the aftermath of this book.  That's really rather marvelous because she has the freedom to shape her own life for the first time.   I was glad to see a proper resolution that is still open ended.

                                           

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About the Author

Sam Thomas is an assistant professor of history at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. He has received research grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Newberry Library, and the British Academy. He has published articles on topics ranging from early modern Britain to colonial Africa. Thomas lives in Alabama with his wife and two children.

For more information please visit Sam Thomas's website. You can also find him on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

The Witch Hunter's Tale Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, February 9

Review at With Her Nose Stuck In A Book

Spotlight at What Is that Book About

Tuesday, February 10

Review at Flashlight Commentary

Spotlight at The Lit Bitch

Wednesday, February 11

Review at Build a Bookshelf

Friday, February 13

Spotlight at A Literary Vacation

Monday, February 16

Review at Book Babe

Spotlight at Let Them Read Books

Tuesday, February 17

Review at The Emerald City Book Review

Wednesday, February 18

Review & Interview at Back Porchervations

Friday, February 20

Spotlight at Passages to the Past

Monday, February 23

Interview at Mina's Bookshelf

Spotlight at Historical Fiction Obsession

Tuesday, February 24

Review at A Book Geek

Wednesday, February 25

Review at A Chick Who Reads

Spotlight at CelticLady's Reviews

Thursday, February 26

Review at Beth's Book Nook Blog

Spotlight at Brooke Blogs

Friday, February 27

Review at So Many Books, So Little Time

                                                         
                                               
                                             

Charitable Hatred: Puritan Preaching Leads To Murder in The Harlot's Tale

The Harlot’s Tale is the second book in a historical mystery series that takes place in 17^th century England whose protagonist is the midwife Bridget Hodgson.  She is a widow from a noble family who is accustomed to wielding authority, but she is also highly principled.  When I started reading the first book in this series, The Midwife’s Tale, I thought she was arrogant, self-righteous and intolerant.   I almost gave up on the book because I found her too unsympathetic.   

Fortunately, I became interested in Martha Hawkins, her new maid.  The very fact that Bridget gave Martha a chance despite her background showed that Bridget had more compassion than I had imagined.  I continued reading because of Martha.  She is clever, courageous and resourceful. She also has some very interesting skills that make her useful for crime investigation in both books.

                                             

                                                 

In this second book, I think that Martha has influenced Bridget for the better.  She seems more open to new ideas and approaches.  She has become more supportive toward women in unfortunate circumstances which also puts her on the wrong side of the law. As a midwife, Bridget is supposed to report all women giving birth to children out of wedlock so that they can be publicly whipped.  In Puritan dominated York, the city where this series takes place, Bridget’s newfound sympathy can be dangerous to her.

The case in The Harlot’s Tale involves a series of murders of prostitutes.  The killer leaves Biblical verses in the hands of the victims.  This leads Bridget to suspect that some fanatical Puritan is the perpetrator, but this gives her a great many suspects.  The religious zeitgeist had become increasingly fanatical.  There is a popular Puritan preacher in York who calls for “charitable hatred” toward individuals that Puritans consider immoral.  This phrase is never explained.  How can hatred ever be charitable?  It sounds like war for peace or freedom within slavery.   When I analyze it from a Puritan perspective, I imagine that a Puritan might consider it merciful to kill someone who is sinful so that they will sin no more, and won’t enrage God any further.  From a modern secular viewpoint that kind of thinking seems bizarre.  

 This is the sort of environment that leads to witchcraft hysterias.  So it’s fairly predictable that this is the subject of the third book, The Witch Hunter’s Tale in which I imagine that Bridget is in some serious jeopardy.  Midwives have often been suspected of witchcraft during witchcraft hysterias.   I will be reviewing The Witch Hunter’s Tale for a blog tour in February.

Although the situation in The Harlot's Tale is scarcely unexpected during this period of England’s history, there are some plot twists that made for a good mystery.  The plot complications and character growth caused me to consider this novel an enjoyable read.