Deadly Occupation
A Michael Stoddard American Revolution Mystery
A Michael Stoddard American Revolution Mystery
by Suzanne Adair
Review by Warren Bull
In her latest book about
Michael Stoddard, a lieutenant in the British army fighting to keep the
American colonies under the control of the Crown, author Suzanne Adair continues
to show her ability to combine history and fiction in an eminently entertaining
way.
This time, January of
1781, Stoddard is assigned to investigate the disappearance of a colonial woman
and to look into the activities of an unusual church. His regiment has come into Wilmington, North Carolina, after
irregular local forces fled. It is
not at all clear who supports the Crown and who wants independence.
Stoddard recruits a recent
addition to the regiment, Nick Spry, who more than proves his worth in
disentangling the twist and turns of motivation and questionable information
they are presented with.
As with her other books,
the characters are nuanced, the plot is fairly laid out and the pace never
slackens. I was surprised by the
variety of religious beliefs and practices of that place and time. I always learn from the author’s books
and the process never distracts me from the story.
I enjoyed the humor and
surprises that come with reading Suzanne Adair’s works. She presents the
personal issues and foibles of her characters, which make them such interesting
personalities. I look forward to
the next adventure.
I give this book my
highest recommendation.
See the links below to buy the book:
Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/
Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/
Paperback: http://www.amazon.com/gp/
See the links below to buy the book:
Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/
Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/
Paperback: http://www.amazon.com/gp/
Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B016FJNWA4
Suzanne, Welcome to WWK by way of Warren's review. It was so nice to meet you in person at Bouchercon.
ReplyDelete~ Jim
I look forward to reading your book and learning more about the war in North Carolina
ReplyDeleteHi Suzanne *waves* so nice to meet you at Bouchercon! I know you take your history very seriously, and I love learning new things about an era that I thought I understood from long ago history classes. Your books sound enticing on so many levels! Thanks for the review, Warren, I will have to check these out.
ReplyDeleteSuzanne, now I wish I'd bought your book at Bouchercon. Because I came by plane, I was
ReplyDeletelimited by what I could buy, but I'm writing it down on my TBO list to order. It sounds
like a great book.
Thanks for the welcome, Jim. I've actually been to WWK before, but each time is fun. I enjoyed meeting you at Bouchercon, too. The Guppy lunch and SinC breakfast were great.
ReplyDeleteMargaret, thanks for stopping by. The American Revolution in North Carolina is largely overlooked in history classes. I think that's because 1781 was the year of British victory in North Carolina. The British occupied Wilmington and, with their loyalist allies, kept the Continental Army from moving troops and supplies between South Carolina and Virginia for most of the year. This sounds like such a great environment for murder that I decided to set the Michael Stoddard mysteries there. I hope you enjoy the books.
ReplyDeleteHi Shari! It was great to meet you at Bouchercon, too! And you know that what we learned in high school history class was sanitized, right? That gives me plenty of opportunities to show the real history in my series. :-)
ReplyDeleteGloria, I live about three miles from the Bouchercon hotels, and I lugged home twelve free books. They were heavy! I cannot imagine packing those books inside a suitcase, then trying to heave the suitcase into the overhead storage compartment of an airplane. Enjoy Deadly Occupation when you read it.
ReplyDeleteYour books sound intriguing, Suzaanne. It's always good to know that the author of a historical novel has taken great pains to do research and make it as accurate at possible.
ReplyDeleteThese sound like great Christmas gifts for the history buffs in my family! They get frustrated with the authors who play fast and loose with historic facts, but love books that reflect the era accurately.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad that a new Michael Stoddard mystery is available! I enjoy reading your books, Suzanne, and always learn something. Do you teach classes about writing historical mysteries?
ReplyDelete