The Circle
By Sara Hughes
3/5
()
About this ebook
July, 1868. On receiving a commission from Matthew’s cousin Luther to look into the suspicious death of Lafayette Baker, Head of the US National Detective Police, private investigators Matthew Grand and his business partner James Batchelor leave London for Washington, DC. They find a country still scarred by the bitter legacy of the Civil War and even in death Lafayette Baker remains one of the most hated men north or south of the Potomac.
The newly-created Ku Klux Klan wanted him dead. So did the Washington brothel-keepers, bar-owners, and gamblers whom Baker had closed down. What does beautiful former spy Miss Belle Boyd know that she’s not telling them? And could the President himself be involved?
Matthew Grand finds he has come home to a mixed reception, while Batchelor struggles as an Englishman abroad. Will either of them survive long enough to uncover the truth?
“Trow’s absorbing historical will please Civil War buffs as well as readers who relish the mysteries of Will Thomas and Charles Finch” ―Library Journal
“A plot packed with skulduggery . . . sometimes dangerous, sometimes comic, sometimes bizarre adventures.” ―Booklist
Sara Hughes
M.J. Trow was educated as a military historian at King’s College, London and is probably best known today for his true crime and crime fiction works. He has always been fascinated by Richard III and, following on from Richard III in the North, also by Pen and Sword, has hopefully finally scotched the rumour that Richard III killed the princes in the Tower. He divides his time between homes in the Isle of Wight and the Land of the Prince Bishops.
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Reviews for The Circle
2 ratings1 review
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5This historical fiction mystery is based on the real murder mystery involving Lafayette Baker, a spy for the North during the Civil War, and later head of the Union Intelligence Service. His story is quite interesting, at least in terms of the Wikipedia entry. This book, on the contrary, seemed a bit amateurish, with such frequent, awkwardly-placed name dropping of famous historical figures it bordered on parody. Further, I didn’t really get a sense of the two main protagonists, detectives Matthew Grand and James Batchelor. They almost seemed like empty props to enable the author to talk about the historical figures. Frankly, I would have preferred straight non-fiction for this story. This book was only saved, in my opinion, by the very interesting nature of the actual story upon which it was based.