“Midnight at Malabar House”

 

“…to heal the wounds of history, we must rise above hatred.” (Loc 4693)

What I know about India wouldn’t even begin to fill a thimble. 1950s India... Independence. Partition. Caste. War. Change.

Murder. So many suspects. Secrets. LIes. Corruption. How has the past shaped the investigation? How might the future bring new light to the same investigation? A female detective? Not unusual today, but in 1950? Forensic science in its infancy. No internet. No cell phones. How were crimes solved? Slowly. The heat causes the innocent and guilty both to sweat as they wait for justice.

I was absorbed into a time and place that was both alluring and confusing. But, I understood the wounds of history of which Khan wrote. I understood that as a country, one must rise above hatred. Progress. Patience. A steep learning curve. Solve the murder and move on.

“The Lightening Rod”

 

After reading book one, “The Escape Artist,” what seems like a million years ago…actually April 2018; I had to reacquaint myself with the characters and storyline. Okay - now I’m read\y to put my thoughts down…

Intersections. The characters all seem to be racing toward the same intersection. Zig and Nora have pulled up to the intersection whether they wanted to or not. Nora’s brother, Roddy, is there also. Waggs is waiting at the light. Lies. Murderers. A crime boss. Soldiers. A covert government facility. A video game/communication device. $$$$ missing. 

Intersections. Old lives revealed, showing how the characters came to find themselves at the intersection. Twists. Turns. Not all will survive. Happily-ever-after? Perhaps more of a safe passage through the intersection is all we can hope for.

“How The One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House”

I don’t think I will ever vacation in Barbados after reading this novel.

DISTURBING. Power, Bondage. Freedom. Abuse. Palm trees. Ocean breezes. Pink sand beaches. This book was a lot like seeing a car crash…you just can’t look away. I had to keep reading. I wanted soooo much more for most of the characters. Families mired in lies, half truths, and abuse. Hope on the horizon. Despair. Heartbreak. Escape. 

“Dear George, Dear Mary”

 

“Where there is love, there is freedom.” (Loc. 4725)

If love could conquer all, then this historical fiction would have had a very different ending, and maybe our country’s history. It’s a little weird knowing that Washington did not marry Miss Phillipse. What’s not weird is why. A country racing into a revolution, alliances being made, sides being taken. Loyalist? Patriot? Elitism. Privilege. Wealth.

What Washington wanted to attain was at direct odds with the cause of the Revolution. Breaking into the “…high sphere of society…” (Loc. 3540) Being respected by his English brethren. Being manipulated by those same brethren. The wealthy elite had to choose carefully on how to play their loyalties…which would ensure that they are able to maintain there status and wealth? Do they dare gamble their way of life on an unknown outcome for the Patriots? And, just for good measure, throw a budding love affair into the mix. Washington made choices that changed the trajectory of his life.

Mary Eliza Phillpse - society belle, manipulated by her family. What was to be her destiny? What was broken about her worked for her and against her. Her choices surprised me. Not sure if this novel had a happily-ever-after ending. It does make me wonder how Miss Phillipse must  have felt to learn that George Washington became our first President of the United States of America.