Things Half in Shadow is a roller coaster ride of a story, taking the reader through both high and low society in Philadelphia in 1869. Alan Finn has brought together spiritualism and showmanship, mediums and P.T. Barnum, in a tale of murder and suspense. Edward Clark, a young crime reporter, orphan, and Civil War veteran with a well-heeled fiancée, is dragged into the world of spiritualism through his job. He is asked to do a series of articles that debunk the various mediums operating in the city. The first one he goes after, Lucy Collins, turns out to be the wrong thread to pull, one that threatens to unravel his entire life.
Though the start of this story was a little shaky, it quickly picked up pace and ended up barreling through all sorts of crazy situations, one after another. Though the story went well into the realm of the unbelievable, it was of the best sort, the kind that makes for a very entertaining read. I believe this is first in a series and I'll be interested to see where it goes from here. (There are no cliffhangers or anything like that. This book works perfectly well as a standalone.)
The back of the book says "Alan Finn is the pen name of an acclaimed author of mysteries and thrillers". Well, unable to resist any mystery, I did a bit of Googling and and came across this fascinating article. It's worth a read if you've ever wondered why an established author might change their name mid-career.
Listening for bees,
K
This one is on its way to me from the library for preview. I'll keep that in mind about the beginning and give it a longer chance.
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoy it!
DeleteI'm hoping to read this one sometime this spring. I think the cover looks wonderful and it really attracted my attention. Nice review!
ReplyDeleteThank you! I was glad that the story was as good as the cover and blurb. :)
DeleteOOH this looks good!
ReplyDeleteThere seem to be quite a few supernatural historical fictions lately but this is definitely one of the best of them!
DeleteI was hoping to nab this in ARC form, but there was an archiving snafu. Sounds as fun as I hoped; it's definitely staying on my TBR list.
ReplyDeleteAwesome! It's worth finding.
DeleteThat was an interesting article! I wonder how often that happens -- I can see how it would help an author to have a new name to publish under. INTERESTING.
ReplyDeleteI know. I always wonder about what makes a specific author do it (even JK Rowling).
DeleteI love the title(what is that from, though--I can hear the full poem, is it, in my head, but can't recollect the source), and the cover, and the premise sounds so interesting. The 1800s were such a bizarre time--so many quasi-scientific theories and practices!
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