QUICK FACTS
Title: Under a Veiled Moon
Series: An Inspector Corravan Mystery (Book 2)
Author: Karen Odden
Genre: Historical Mystery, Detective Mystery, Victorian Mystery
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books (October 11, 2022)
Length: (336) pages
Format: Hardcover, eBook, & audiobook
ISBN: 978-1639101191
Tour Dates: November 14 – December 19, 2022
BOOK DESCRIPTION
In the tradition of C. S. Harris and Anne Perry, a fatal disaster on the Thames and a roiling political conflict set the stage for Karen Odden’s second Inspector Corravan historical mystery. September 1878. One night, as the pleasure boat the Princess Alice makes her daily trip up the Thames, she collides with the Bywell Castle, a huge iron-hulled collier. The Princess Alice shears apart, throwing all 600 passengers into the river; only 130 survive. It is the worst maritime disaster London has ever seen, and early clues point to sabotage by the Irish Republican Brotherhood, who believe violence is the path to restoring Irish Home Rule. For Scotland Yard Inspector Michael Corravan, born in Ireland and adopted by the Irish Doyle family, the case presents a challenge. Accused by the Home Office of willfully disregarding the obvious conclusion and berated by his Irish friends for bowing to prejudice, Corravan doggedly pursues the truth, knowing that if the Princess Alice disaster is pinned on the IRB, hopes for Home Rule could be dashed forever. Corrovan’s dilemma is compounded by Colin, the youngest Doyle, who has joined James McCabe’s Irish gang. As violence in Whitechapel rises, Corravan strikes a deal with McCabe to get Colin out of harm’s way. But unbeknownst to Corravan, Colin bears longstanding resentments against his adopted brother and scorns his help. As the newspapers link the IRB to further accidents, London threatens to devolve into terror and chaos. With the help of his young colleague, the loyal Mr. Stiles, and his friend Belinda Gale, Corravan uncovers the harrowing truth—one that will shake his faith in his countrymen, the law, and himself.
MY REVIEW
This is a book by a new to me author and I was absolutely enthralled. Not quite Sherlock Holmes, but witty and resourceful all the same, Inspector Corravan was an absolute delight. Mickey has his own unique voice in a world that has potential for more mysteries. There were so many threads and layers to this mystery. I wasn’t quite sure how it was all going to turn out.
Mickey Corravan is on point, with all the barriers in his way. The least of these being he is Irish. He gets pressure from government leaders to come to a decision quickly about what caused a wreck between two vessels on the Thames that kills hundreds. Mickey keeps his heard while investigating the disaster and finding threads to other seemingly unrelated events. Who is really to blame for the disaster?
Utilizing his friends and connections, Mickey finds an unlikely reason for the strange happenings. In the midst of this he is fighting to save the only family he has truly known.
This mystery was absolutely a must read. It was wonderfully written and I got caught up in the well written story with a compelling lead character. I need to find the first book in the series to get to know Mickey better and I am certainly looking for more.
I received an advanced copy from the author, and this is my honest review. I am truly honored to be a part of this blog tour and add my praise to that of others.
ADVANCE PRAISE
“[An] exceptional sequel . . . Fans of Lyndsay Faye’s Gods of Gotham trilogy will be enthralled.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review
“Victorian skulduggery with a heaping side of Irish troubles.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Charismatic police superintendent Michael Corravan is back in a gripping sequel about the mysterious sinking of the Princess Alice. Odden deftly weaves together English and Irish history, along with her detective's own story, in a way that will keep readers flipping pages long into the night.” —Susan Elia MacNeal, New York Times bestselling author of Mother Daughter Traitor Spy and the Maggie Hope series.
AUTHOR INTERVIEW
Read an exclusive interview with author Karen Odden
PURCHASE LINKS
AUTHOR BIO
Karen Odden earned her Ph.D. in English from New York University and subsequently taught literature at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She has contributed essays to numerous books and journals, written introductions for Victorian novels in the Barnes & Noble classics series and edited for the journal Victorian Literature and Culture (Cambridge UP). Her previous novels, also set in 1870s London, have won awards for historical fiction and mystery. A member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime and the recipient of a grant from the Arizona Commission on the Arts, Karen lives in Arizona with her family and her rescue beagle Rosy.