Jaffareadstoo is delighted to be hosting today's stop on the The Hanging Women
Blog Tour
 |
| The Book Guild February 2018 My thanks to the author for my copy of the book and to Rachel's Random Resources for my invitation to take part in this blog tour |
What's it all about..
Jack Stevens discovers the bodies
of two women, Philomena Blackstaff and Mary Walsh, tied together and hung by
their ankles in a position resembling the symbol for treachery as depicted on
tarot cards. Though retired and now wealthy, Stevens is an ex-sheriff and
involves himself in the subsequent investigation.
As a result of Jack `stealing'
Philomena's diary and his association with the Pinkerton detective agency, it
is discovered that Mary Walsh worked undercover for the Pinkertons, investigating
the Knights of Labour (the fastest growing workers' rights movements in America
of the late 1800's). The women had been working together, tracing the man who
was selling guns and dynamite to the more extremest factions of the workers
movement. This led them to Ruby's, a secret `nightclub for deviants', where
Stevens and Inspector O'Leary believe the pair fell foul of the man they were
looking for, gang leader Joseph Mannheim.
With the May 4th Haymarket riots
and bombings looming, Stevens must uncover the truth about The Hanging Women
before it's too late.
My thoughts about it...
What an interesting historical thriller
this turned out to be. Set in Chicago in 1886 we are immediately thrown into
the mystery surrounding the discovery of two females who have died in the most
horrific of circumstances. That the finder of the two women is Jack Stevens, an
enigmatic ex- sheriff, who has more than enough skeletons in his own closet,
makes the story all the more fascinating.
From the start of the novel, it
becomes obvious that Stevens is a force to be reckoned with, superbly flawed,
of course, and a man who is more comfortable with a glass of whisky in his hand
than he is with people, but before the investigation is finished, his
association with the great and the good of the city will lead him into some
very dangerous situations.
The author writes this type of
historical thriller with great enthusiasm, always keeping an eye on the plot
and never allowing the overall grittiness to get in the way of telling a good
story. The Hanging Women certainly packs a real punch and with more than enough
twists and turns to keep you guessing, the story is an entertaining read from start to finish.
About the Author
John was born in the mid-fifties
in Dagenham, London, on part of the largest council estate ever built, and was
the first pupil from his local secondary modern school to attend university. He
has now taken early retirement to write, having spent the first part of his
life working in education and the public sector. He was the director of a
college, a senior school inspector for a local authority, and was head of a
unit for young people with physical and mental health needs. When he is not
travelling, going to the theatre or the pub, he writes. His inspiration for his
debut novel came whilst attending a lecture in Denver about the history of the
American midwest, describing a time and place that was very different from that
espoused by popular culture, which started him thinking this would make a
excellent period in which to set a crime story. His book describes how Chicago
was a prototype of much that we consider both good and bad in the current age,
it had a vibrancy and decadence that allowed a few enterprising individuals to
prosper whilst violence and intolerance held back many others. The situation
for some African Americans and women was improving but it was still a time when
to be anything other than white and male made you a second class citizen. The
city was the manufacturing and transport hub of America, the vast influx of
immigrants swelling its already booming population brought great wealth but
also corruption and criminality. The midwest and Chicago typified a way of
life, the ‘gun culture’ which is a euphemism for individualism, from which much
of modern American social values have grown.
John is currently working on a
trilogy of novels set in modern day London. These police procedurals examine
the darker side of modern life in the East End of the city: a Whitechapel noir.
Twitter @JohnMeadAuthor
Follow the tour on Twitter @rararesources
Follow the tour on Twitter @rararesources
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