Book Review: Lincoln's Melancholy: How Depression Challenged a President and Fueled His Greatness by Joshua Wolf Shenk *****

Lincoln's Melancholy: How Depression Challenged a President and Fueled His Greatness: How Depression Challenged a President and Fueled His Greatness by Joshua Wolf Shenk
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A wonderful look at how depression shaped Lincoln's life and how his struggles with it, painful as they were, helped make him the great man the US needed to bring us through our darkest hours. Not only did it provide extraordinary detail about his life and personality, mostly but not entirely through that lens, but there was also quite a bit of context provided, such as how people of that era saw strong emotions in men, as well as some of the intellectual currents in which he was immersed.

Richard M. Davidson, the narrator, was also a pleasure to listen to and enhanced my enjoyment of the book.

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Book Review: Murder at Black Oaks by Philip Margolin ***1/2

Murder at Black Oaks by Phillip Margolin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I had often considered trying one of Philip Margolin’s books and this one looked intriguing, so I figured I would give it a shot. A creepy, isolated mansion with a curse on it, a group of near-strangers gathered together when the roads are washed out by a storm, a murderous escapee from a nearby mental hospital on the loose - what’s not to like? Thankfully, although Robin Lockwood is a series character, that didn’t affect my ability to get up to speed, possibly a benefit of taking her out of her regular surroundings.

Robin is originally contacted by Frank Melville, a former prosecutor who had put college student Jose Alvarez on death row for the murder of his girlfriend. Then, years later, the real killer confessed to him but made it impossible for him to bring justice to the wrongly convicted man. Now circumstances have changed, and he wants Robin to take on the case. After Jose is freed, Frank invites him and Robin to his house, a transplanted (or recreated - I wasn’t clear on which) English mansion, complete with a rumored curse - featuring werewolves, yet! The other elements of the classic “country house mystery” fall into place in quick succession, and soon after that the first murder happens, in a novel twist on the classic “locked room.” Finally, after several tense hours, the party is put back in touch with the rest of the world, but it is only some time later that Robin manages to pull all the threads together and expose the killer.

I had slightly mixed feelings about this book. On the whole, I enjoyed it and I didn’t guess the killer, which I see as a positive as long as I feel like I had a decent chance, but I'm not sure how well the plot fits into the Christie-esque framework. It also seemed amazingly coincidental that everything (most of which was beyond the killer’s control) came together as it did, but then Margolin does have a short blurb offering this book up as a homage to Golden Age mysteries. I’ve been reading quite a few of those recently and it’s amazing how much coincidence features in those, so intentional or not, I suppose that gives it authenticity. One thing that I did feel weakened it slightly right at the start was beginning with Frank’s story in Chapter One and then having him retell the same story to Robin when he talks to her, but that was a pretty minor detail.

Final verdict: If I could, I would give this book 3-1/2 stars, but I will round up and give it 4

I received a copy of Murder at Black Oaks from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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Book Review: The Killer of the Princes in the Tower: A New Suspect Revealed by M.J. Trow ***

The Killer of the Princes in the Tower: A New Suspect Revealed by M.J. Trow
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

What happened to Edward V and his younger brother Richard (the “Princes in the Tower”) is one of the most intriguing mysteries in history. Were they murdered? If so, by whom, and if by so many people’s favorite villain, their uncle Richard III, why did he cover it up, which seems to many of us to defeat the purpose? If they weren’t, what happened to them. (Personally, I like Buckingham for it.) I was interested in reading this book, which promised a new suspect when, apart from utter unknowns, there are so few available who had motive, means, and opportunity.

A good part of the book is laying out the history, debunking other accounts, particularly that of Sir Thomas More, and examining the usual suspects, which I felt was well done and goes a long way toward my rating not being lower, if maybe a bit too snarky in places for some people’s tastes. Then….drum roll…the new suspect was revealed, and I’m sorry to say that I found them (I’ll use a neutral pronoun here)…disappointing.

One weakness - at least in the flow of the writing - comes almost immediately, when we are given an exhaustive history of the person’s family almost literally from the time of the Norman Conquest. Then we get the case. Sadly, it fails to convince - at least this reader. The person certainly had means and opportunity, but everything else (except possible evidence of greed, which many people are guilty of but which hardly indicates a murderous disposition) seems to come straight from the author’s imagination. The examination of their alleged personality, a crucial aspect of what he claims as the motive (a psychopath, acting “because [they] could”) fails - again, to me, because there isn’t enough evidence to determine that, and the reconstruction of the “crime” also is backed by as much evidence as More’s account - that is to say, none. Then this person is accused of another murder (which I have never seen portrayed as anything but a tragic natural death) almost 20 years later. The most that can be said, in my opinion, is that it’s out of the box and within the bounds of possibility, but I would need far more evidence to buy it, which as Mr. Trow admits, is unlikely to be forthcoming.

I received a copy of The Killer of the Princes in the Tower: A New Suspect Revealed from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

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Book Review: Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao *****

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In a future society based on traditional China, complete with female subservience and foot-binding, young men and women pilot vehicles called Chrysalises, powered by qi (life force) to fight the Hunduns, who have taken over their planet and threaten their civilization. The only catch for the “concubines,” however, is that they are usually drained of qi and die in the process, and as in so much else, the men get all the credit. Wu Zetian, a poor but strong-willed young woman, volunteers as a concubine with the aim of avenging her older sister’s death, but things go differently than she had planned. The pilot she blames for her sister’s death is killed, but by means of her qi rather than the mundane hairpin she had taken with her, and she is hailed as an “Iron Widow” and paired up with the strongest and most dangerous of the other pilots, Li Shimin. She then must work with Shimin; Yizhi, a rich young man from her village who is in love with her; and with other, much less savory characters to defeat the Hunduns and the battle strategists alike and to ensure that no more young women will die. In the process, she will discover explosive secrets about both the pilot system and the war itself.

The world-building in this book seemed a little vague at times, and I’m not sure whether that is a weakness or a strength. Hopefully, we will learn more about the society and its backstory in the next book, particularly considering the revelation at the end. I found Zetian to be a compelling and at times terrifying character, particularly after the final battle, and at least at that point she is not sympathetic, even though we have been in her head and understand her motivations, but again, I hope we will see her grow into wisdom and compassion as her story continues. I do not demand characters who are “likable”; I just want them to be well-rounded people who make me care about what happens to them, and Zetian fits the bill. I eagerly await the second installment.

The author notes at the beginning of the book that Zetian is inspired by Empress Wu, the only woman who ever ruled China in her own right, and this book makes me want to know more about her as well.

I received a copy of Iron Widow from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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Book Review: The Dark Queens: The Bloody Rivalry That Forged the Medieval World by Shelley Puhac ****1/2

The Dark Queens: The Bloody Rivalry that Forged the Medieval World by Shelley Puhak
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What I learned about the Merovingians in school and most of my previous reading (not counting the fevered imaginings of Dan Brown and the authors of Holy Blood, Holy Grail) was short, simple, and boring: the “long-haired kings” of the Franks, after Clovis I converted to Christianity, eventually deteriorated to “do-nothing kings” and were overthrown by the father of Charlemagne. The Dark Queens: The Bloody Rivalry That Forged the Medieval World by Shelley Puhac brings this dynasty to life through its portrayal of two of its rival queens.

Brunhild was a Visigothic princess who married Sigebert, a grandson of Clovis; Fredegund was a slave in the court of Sigibert’s brother Chilperic. After Brunhild’s sister, who had married Chilperic, was murdered and replaced by Fredegund, who had previously been his mistress, the fight was on. Over the course of the next forty years, the two queens schemed and plotted against one another using everything from diplomacy to assassination and military moves, and mainly working through the men in their lives - husbands, sons, and in Brunhild’s case grandsons - given that women were not allowed to wield overt power in the Frankish culture. Obviously, both were strong-willed and charismatic, and at times Puhac’s “narrative nonfiction,” while based on the original sources, is riveting and at times reads like a novel. Sadly, after their deaths, those who followed them made sure that their memories were either erased or vilified.

The only issue that I had was that at first, I found it difficult to keep some of the names straight, given that many were not only unfamiliar to me but similar to one another as well, such as Fredegund and Radegund or Chilperic and Childebert, although that got easier since they became more fleshed out as the narrative progressed. I would recommend bookmarking the list of characters at the beginning for easy referral.

I received a copy of The Dark Queens from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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