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SUMMARY: 1868 Ottawa
D’Arcy McGee is assassinated. As John A. Macdonald cradles his friend’s bloody head, he blames transplanted Irish terrorists: the Fenian Brotherhood. Within a day, Patrick James Whelan is arrested. After a show trial, Whelan is publicly hanged. That much is history. But did Whelan do the deed?
The BookViral Review: Genre – Historical British and Irish Literature
Captivatingly authentic historical drama unfolds with Clara Swift determined to unravel the full truth behind ‘Canada’s first nationalist’ Thomas D’Arcy McGee’s death. It’s not a delicate story for hardship prevails throughout with the bitter undertones of political unrest and the shadow of violence ever-pervasive, but this is life as it was in 1868 and Shortell captures it with unbridled passion. Striking a faultless balance between lavish detail and an intriguing narrative that readily captivates the imagination readers should be in no doubt there’s an acerbic mind behind the pen with Shortell ably translating historical fact into a fiction that manifests a palpable sense of time and place.
This alone makes for compelling reading, but Shortell’s novel is further elevated to a class of its own through her proclivity for dialogue that is both haunting and revealing. Encouraging reflection and begging the question, how much have the years really changed us? For whilst Clara Swift’s story is constrained to a tightly defined period, it is a tale that repeats itself time after time as deeply ingrained social and religious prejudices prevail.
A superb read from Ann Shortell and a must read for discerning fans of Historical and Mystery Fiction. Celtic Knot is recommended without reservation.
Too many thrillers are essentially machines to inject a shock into their readers every few minutes but Aguilar gives us a novel that is rich and atmospheric and a pleasure to read for those who like a story to unfold cleverly over a full arc, instead of coming in short mindless bursts.
The thought and care which has evidently gone into the layout and presentation of this collection of poetry is evident as one aspect compliments the other making up a veritable treasure trove of adventure.
We are constantly and enduringly fascinated with fictional accounts of parallel existence, alternative realities and genetic engineering. Films such as ‘The Fountain’ present immortality as attainable, whilst books such as ‘The Book Thief’ (Markus Zusak) explore the nature of death, in this case by death himself acting as narrator.
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