Category Archives: Historical (30s)

May 2, 2022 · 12:01 am

Review: The Texas Job by Reavis Z. Wortham

Title: The Texas Job by Reavis Z. Wortham
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
Genre: Historical (30s), Action, Adventure
Length: 418 pages
Book Rating: C+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

Some men are destined for danger

Texas Ranger Tom Bell is simply tracking a fugitive killer in 1931 when he rides into Kilgore, a hastily erected shanty town crawling with rough and desperate men—oil drillers who’ve come by the thousands in search of work. The sheriff of the boomtown is overwhelmed and offers no help, nor are any of the roughnecks inclined to assist the young Ranger in his search for the wanted man.

In fact, it soon becomes apparent that the lawman’s presence has irritated the wrong people, and when two failed attempts are made on his life, Bell knows he’s getting closer to finding out who is responsible for cheating and murdering local landowners to access the rich oil fields flowing beneath their farms. When they ambush him for a third time, they make the fatal mistake of killing someone close to him and leaving the Ranger alive.

Armed with his trademark 1911 Colt .45 and the Browning automatic he liberated from a gangster’s corpse, Tom Bell cuts a swath of devastation through the heart of East Texas in search of the consortium behind the lethal land-grab scheme.

Review:

The Texas Job by Reavis Z. Wortham is an action-filled novel which takes place in 1931.

Texas Ranger Tom Bell finds more than the fugitive he is searching for when he rides into a booming oil town. He discovers the sheriff has no interest in fighting the crime in his town so Bell takes matters into his own hands. He is soon the midst of ruthless criminals, corruption and gangsters as he looks into the mysterious deaths plaguing the wives of greedy husbands. Bell ends up in the crosshairs of ruthless gangsters who do not want him to find the answers he is searching for.

The Texas Job is an entertaining adventure set in the lawless oilfields of east Texas. Tom is a dedicated lawman who is somewhat larger than life as he evades the criminals who are after him. The criminals are rather one dimensional as they go to extreme lengths in their quest for riches. The storyline is a little convoluted with a plethora of characters. The oil town is richly detailed and springs vividly to life.  Reavis Z. Wortham brings this well researched novel to a dramatic conclusion.

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Filed under Action, Adventure, Historical, Historical (30s), Poisoned Pen Press, Reavis Z Wortham, Review, The Texas Job

February 28, 2022 · 12:02 am

Review: The Saints of Swallow Hill by Donna Everhart

Title: The Saints of Swallow Hill by Donna Everhart
Publisher: Kensington Books
Genre: Historical, Fiction
Length: 376 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

Where the Crawdads Sing meets The Four Winds as award-winning author Donna Everhart’s latest novel immerses readers in its unique setting—the turpentine camps and pine forests of the American South during the Great Depression. This captivating story of friendship, survival, and three vagabonds’ intersecting lives will stay with readers long after turning the final page.

It takes courage to save yourself…

In the dense pine forests of North Carolina, turpentiners labor, hacking into tree trunks to draw out the sticky sap that gives the Tar Heel State its nickname, and hauling the resin to stills to be refined. Among them is Rae Lynn Cobb and her husband, Warren, who run a small turpentine farm together.

Though the work is hard and often dangerous, Rae Lynn, who spent her childhood in an orphanage, is thankful for it–and for her kind if careless husband. When Warren falls victim to his own negligence, Rae Lynn undertakes a desperate act of mercy. To keep herself from jail, she disguises herself as a man named “Ray” and heads to the only place she can think of that might offer anonymity–a turpentine camp in Georgia named Swallow Hill.

Swallow Hill is no easy haven. The camp is isolated and squalid, and commissary owner Otis Riddle takes out his frustrations on his browbeaten wife, Cornelia. Although Rae Lynn works tirelessly, she becomes a target for Crow, the ever-watchful woods rider who checks each laborer’s tally. Delwood Reese, who’s come to Swallow Hill hoping for his own redemption, offers “Ray” a small measure of protection, and is determined to improve their conditions. As Rae Lynn forges a deeper friendship with both Del and Cornelia, she begins to envision a path out of the camp. But she will have to come to terms with her past, with all its pain and beauty, before she can open herself to a new life and seize the chance to begin again.

Review:

The Saints of Swallow Hill by Donna Everhart is a captivating historical novel which takes place in the turpentine camps of Georgia during the Depression.

Delwood “Del” Reese is a hard worker but his penchant for womanizing soon becomes his downfall. Barely escaping with his life, he lives an itinerant life before hiring on at a Georgia turpentine camp. Del immediately upsets the status quo by working alongside the Black men who “cat face” the pine trees. He and woods rider Crow intensely dislike one another and their rivalry intensifies after Del’s promotion makes them equals.

Rae Lynn and Warren Cobb have a small turpentine operation on their farm in North Carolina. Rae Lynn works as hard as Warren because of their lack of workers. Warren is well known for his clumsiness and eventually he is in a tragic accident. Rae Lynn flees the farm disguised as man so she can work in a turpentine camp in Georgia. Through a series of unfortunate and almost deadly events, Rae Lynn’s deception is discovered.

Commissary owner’s wife Cornelia Riddle is stuck in an abusive marriage but meeting Rae Lynn becomes a saving grace. Despite her best efforts not to anger her husband, she is often the target of his frustration. When Rae Lynn’s deception is uncovered, their friendship is the only thing that makes her life tolerable. With Del and Rae Lynn’s encouragement, Cornelia makes a decision that is truly life changing.

The Saints of Swallow Hill is an atmospheric historical novel that is quite fascinating. The various characters are vividly drawn and for the most part, very appealing. Rae Lynn has not had an easy life but she is compassionate and stands by her convictions. Del undergoes tremendous growth after his life altering experience. Cornelia is a sympathetic character that is caught in untenable situation.  The turpentine camp work is hard, the conditions deplorable and workers are often in debt to the company who hires them.  In spite of the hardship and poverty, Donna Everhart brings this vibrant, historically accurate novel to an uplifting conclusion.

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Filed under Donna Everhart, Historical, Historical (30s), Kensington Books, Rated B+, Review, The Saints of Swallow Hill

June 11, 2021 · 12:01 am

Review: The Constant Man by Peter Steiner

Title: The Constant Man by Peter Steiner
Willi Geismeier Series Book Two
Publisher: Severn House
Genre: Historical, Mystery
Length: 221 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary: 

Former Munich police detective Willi Geismeier is drawn out of hiding to find a deranged serial killer.

Former Munch detective Willi Geismeier is a wanted man. He sacrificed his career and put his life on the line by exposing a high-ranking Nazi official as a murderer, and is now in hiding in a cabin deep in the Bavarian forest.

But when his friend, Lola, is savagely attacked, Willi returns to Munich in disguise and under a new identity – Karl Juncker – determined to find the perpetrator. Meanwhile, the discovery of the body of a woman in the River Isar leads Willi’s old colleague and friend, Detective Hans Bergemann, to uncover similar disturbing murders stretching back years. A serial killer who preys on young women is running loose on Munich’s streets. Could they be responsible for the attack on Lola, and can Willi catch a deranged murderer before the Gestapo catches him?

Review:

The Constant Man by Peter Steiner is a historical mystery that takes place in Nazi Germany. Although this latest release is the second installment in the Willi Geismeier series, it be read as a standalone.

Willi Geismeier is no longer a detective and he is in hiding from the SS, Gestapo and his former colleagues.  But when he hears his childhood friend Lola Zeff has been attacked, he is willing to risk everything to find the person who harmed her. With the assistance of his friend and former partner, Detective Hans Bergemann, Willi returns to Munich under an assumed name. Although he tries to remain under the radar, Willi cannot stop himself from investigating the murders of several young women who appear to have killed by the same person.

Willi manages to live a mainly low-key life while he and Lola become reacquainted. He also befriends a neighbor who keeps him apprised of the goings on around his apartment. Willi finds a new occupation to keep him busy until new evidence provides him with a viable lead in finding the killer. But his past collides with his present before the murderer is brought to justice.

Factual information about Nazi Germany is incorporated with Willi’s hunt for the killer. The Gestapo and Stormtroopers are taking action against Jews and perceived political enemies. Hitler is working towards finalizing his invasion plans of nearby countries. He is also building up the German army to an incredible number of soldiers which break the Treaty of Versailles.

The Constant Man is an intriguing mystery with an interesting cast of characters. Despite a bit of a slow start, the story quickly picks up speed. The investigation into the serial killings is sometimes eclipsed by the historical information about Nazi Germany. However, these details are quite fascinating especially in context with real world events today. With a stunning twist and a daring escape, Peter Steiner brings this clever historical mystery to a very satisfying conclusion.

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Filed under Historical, Historical (30s), Mystery, Peter Steiner, Rated B, Review, Severn House Publishers, The Constant Man, Willi Geismeiser Series

November 23, 2020 · 11:58 pm

Review: Irena’s War by James D. Shipman

Title: Irena’s War by James D. Shipman
Publisher: Kensington Books
Genre: Historical, WWII, Fiction
Length: 342 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

Based on the gripping true story of an unlikely Polish resistance fighter who helped save thousands of Jewish children from the Warsaw ghetto during World War II, bestselling author James D. Shipman’s Irena’s War is a heart-pounding novel of courage in action, helmed by an extraordinary and unforgettable protagonist.

September 1939: The conquering Nazis swarm through Warsaw as social worker Irena Sendler watches in dread from her apartment window. Already, the city’s poor go hungry. Irena wonders how she will continue to deliver food and supplies to those who need it most, including the forbidden Jews. The answer comes unexpectedly.

Dragged from her home in the night, Irena is brought before a Gestapo agent, Klaus Rein, who offers her a position running the city’s soup kitchens, all to maintain the illusion of order. Though loath to be working under the Germans, Irena learns there are ways to defy her new employer—including forging documents so that Jewish families receive food intended for Aryans. As Irena grows bolder, her interactions with Klaus become more fraught and perilous.

Klaus is unable to prove his suspicions against Irena—yet. But once Warsaw’s half-million Jews are confined to the ghetto, awaiting slow starvation or the death camps, Irena realizes that providing food is no longer enough. Recruited by the underground Polish resistance organization Zegota, she carries out an audacious scheme to rescue Jewish children. One by one, they are smuggled out in baskets and garbage carts, or led through dank sewers to safety—every success raising Klaus’s ire. Determined to quell the uprising, he draws Irena into a cat-and-mouse game that will test her in every way—and where the slightest misstep could mean not just her own death, but the slaughter of those innocents she is so desperate to save.

Review:

Based on a true story, Irena’s War by James D. Shipman is an interesting yet poignant novel set in Poland during World War II.

Irena Sendler watches in horror as the Nazis march into Warsaw in 1939. She is a social worker who has been distributing food and supplies to those in need.  After the Nazi invasion, Irena wrestles with her conscious when Gestapo agent Klaus Rein offers to allow her to continue her job. Finally deciding to continue caring for her fellow citizens, Irena works long hours to secure food as it becomes scarce due to the war and occupation. After the Jewish population are forced to move into the ghetto, Irena turns her attention to helping her friends care for those living in crowded conditions with little food. After she becomes a resistance fighter, Irena risks everything to help the orphaned children in the ghetto escape when the Nazis begin sending the Jews to Triblinka extermination camp.  But, with a traitor in their midst, Irena must hurry to save a final group of children before time runs out.

With her estranged husband in a German POW camp, Irena lives with her bedridden mother. She has little patience with her mother and she resents the time it takes to care for her.  Irena is not a particularly likable woman but it is easy to admire her dedication to helping those in need. She is deeply devoted to saving as many people as she can and she does not hesitate to take risks to help them. Irena is impatient and easily frustrated when things do not move as quickly as she would like. With Klaus Rein closing in on her operation, Irena’s rescue operations are becoming increasingly dangerous to her and those assisting her.

Irena’s War is a well-researched novel with highlights the heroic and tireless work of the Polish resistance and Irena Sendler during World War II. The storyline is engaging but the pacing is a little uneven. Irena is a difficult person to like initially but as the story progresses, she becomes less abrasive. James D. Shipman shines a much needed light on this incredible story of Irena Sendler and the resistance group, Zegota.

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Filed under Fiction, Historical, Historical (30s), Historical (40s), Irenas War, James D Shipman, Kensington Books, Rated B, Review, World War II

September 21, 2020 · 11:58 pm

Review: Eli’s Promise by Ronald H. Balson

Title: Eli’s Promise by Ronald H. Balson
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Genre: Historical (’30s, 40’s, 60s), World War II, Fiction
Length: 342 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

A “fixer” in a Polish town during World War II, his betrayal of a Jewish family, and a search for justice 25 years later—by the winner of the National Jewish Book Award.

Eli’s Promise is a masterful work of historical fiction spanning three eras—Nazi-occupied Poland, the American Zone of post-war Germany, and Chicago at the height of the Vietnam War. Award-winning author Ronald H. Balson explores the human cost of war, the mixed blessings of survival, and the enduring strength of family bonds.

1939: Eli Rosen lives with his wife Esther and their young son in the Polish town of Lublin, where his family owns a construction company. As a consequence of the Nazi occupation, Eli’s company is Aryanized, appropriated and transferred to Maximilian Poleski—an unprincipled profiteer who peddles favors to Lublin’s subjugated residents. An uneasy alliance is formed; Poleski will keep the Rosen family safe if Eli will manage the business. Will Poleski honor his promise or will their relationship end in betrayal and tragedy?

1946: Eli resides with his son in a displaced persons camp in Allied-occupied Germany hoping for a visa to America. His wife has been missing since the war. One man is sneaking around the camps selling illegal visas; might he know what has happened to her?

1965: Eli rents a room in Albany Park, Chicago. He is on a mission. With patience, cunning, and relentless focus, he navigates unfamiliar streets and dangerous political backrooms, searching for the truth. Powerful and emotional, Ronald H. Balson’s Eli’s Promise is a rich, rewarding novel of World War II and a husband’s quest for justice.

Review:

Eli’s Promise by Ronald H. Balson is a poignant novel that takes place during three distinct time periods.

In 1939, Eli Rosen and his family are happy and prosperous. Eli works with his father Jakob in the family business. His wife Esther is a nurse who works in a local hospital. They are very proud of their young son Izaak. But trouble is on the horizon as Adolf Hitler begins his invasion of Poland. Eli rather naively believes Hitler’s troops will never reach their town, but Esther is correct in her assumption that it is only a matter of time before the Nazis arrive. They watch with shock and dismay as the Nazis systematically target the Jewish community and force them into work camps and ghettos. With their business seized by the Nazis, Eli and his father have no choice but to cede control to the Germans and Maximilian Poleski. Eli pays Max to keep Jakob, Esther and Izaak safe, but the opportunistic profiteer betrays the Rosens in the worst possible way.

After the war has ended, Eli and Izaak live in an American run displacement camp.  Eli and his son are anxiously awaiting a visa so they can begin their life anew, but the emigration process is plagued by quotas in most countries. He is working with camp leaders  to expand housing when he hears that someone is selling visas on the black market. The description of the man who is illegally selling the visas leads Eli to believe Max is behind the scam. Will he and the others locate Max who has answers that Eli has desperately been searching for?

In the mid 1960s, Eli is living in Chicago just as the Vietnam War is just beginning to ramp up. His landlady Ruth Gold and her daughter Mimi are extremely curious about their newest tenant and wildly speculate about his job. Mimi and Eli are on friendly terms and when he needs assistance with a possible corruption scandal, he enlists her aid. Will they succeed in their plan to bring down a lucrative enterprise?

With chapters seamlessly alternating between the various time periods, Eli’s Promise is an engrossing novel. The Nazi atrocities against the Jewish citizens in Poland are absolutely heartrending. The aftermath of the war is equally difficult as the Jewish survivors struggle to find new homes amidst harsh living conditions. Eli’s plight is heartbreaking but he remains steadfast in his quest for justice. Ronald H. Balson brings this historically accurate novel to a very satisfying conclusion.

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Filed under Eli's Promise, Fiction, Historical, Historical (30s), Historical (40s), Historical (60s), Rated B, Review, Ronald H Balson, St Martin's Press

September 14, 2020 · 11:58 pm

Review: The Librarian of Boone’s Hollow by Kim Vogel Sawyer

Title: The Librarian of Boone’s Hollow by Kim Vogel Sawyer
Publisher: Waterbrook
Genre: Historical (’30s), Christian, Romance
Length: 368 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

A traveling librarian ventures into the mining towns of Kentucky on horseback—and learns to trust the One who truly pens her story—in this powerful novel from the best-selling author of A Silken Thread.

During the Great Depression, city-dweller Addie Cowherd dreams of becoming a novelist and offering readers the escape that books had given her during her tragic childhood. When her father loses his job, she is forced to take the only employment she can find—delivering books on horseback to poor coal-mining families in the hills of Kentucky.

But turning a new page will be nearly impossible in Boone’s Hollow, where residents are steeped in superstitions and deeply suspicious of outsiders. Even local Emmett Tharp feels the sting of rejection after returning to the tiny mountain hamlet as the first in his family to graduate college. And as the crippled economy leaves many men jobless, he fears his degree won’t be worth much in a place where most men either work the coal mine or run moonshine.

As Addie also struggles to find her place, she’ll unearth the truth about a decades-old rivalry. But when someone sets out to sabotage the town’s library program, will the culprit chase Addie away or straight into the arms of the only person who can help her put a broken community back together?

Review:

Set in 1936, The Librarian of Boone’s Hollow by Kim Vogel Sawyer is a heartfelt Christian romance that is based on true life events.

Adelaide “Addie” Cowherd is almost finished with her junior year of college. Her much older parents have fallen on very hard times and they have been unable to pay her tuition. Thanks to the kindness of her co-worker, Addie has a place to stay until her job at the library finishes.   She is hoping to find a job in Lexington so she can pay her tuition and assist her parents financially until her father can find another job. Just as she is getting desperate, Addie accepts a position as a packhorse librarian in the very small town of Boone’s Hollow.

Emmett Tharp also attends the same college as Addie but he is a senior who is graduating. Like Addie, he immediately begins his job search, but he is turned down every place he goes. Disappointed, Emmett returns to his hometown of Boone’s Hollow  with hopes of finding employment in one of the nearby towns. On the verge of giving up hope, Emmett finds  unexpected job opportunities.

Addie is an independent and intelligent young woman with a strong faith. She is very devoted to her parents and she will do what it takes to help them. Kind and compassionate, Addie would never knowingly hurt anyone’s feelings. She also forms her own opinions so she chooses to live with the town’s pariah Nanny Fay Tuckett.

Emmitt is finding it difficult to settle back into life in Boone’s Hollow. His mom is very proud of him but his relationship with his father remains strained. And once they finally do find common ground, Emmett is uncertain whether or not he should do anything to upset their growing closeness.

Bettina Webber is thrilled that Emmett has returned from college. She has long harbored a crush on him and she immediately sets a plan in motion to capture his heart. Bettina’s life drastically changed after her mother passed away and she will go to any lengths to escape living with her father.

The Librarian of Boone’s Hollow is a captivating novel with a vibrant setting and colorful characters. The plot is gripping and Kim Vogel Sawyer’s meticulous research brings this marvelous story vividly to life. The characters are guided by their faith and their ability to forgive and offer kindness no matter the situation reflects their deep spirituality. Although there is a slight romantic element, it is very understated. This heartwarming and engaging novel comes to beautiful, uplifting conclusion. Highly recommend this marvelous story to fans of the genre.

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Filed under Christian, Historical, Historical (30s), Kim Vogel Sawyer, Rated B+, Review, Romance, The Librarian of Boone's Hollow, WaterBrook