BLOG TOUR - Under a Veiled Moon

 

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.

BUY LINKS:

Bookshop.org | Amazon | Goodreads

MY THOUGHTS:

 

Title:   Under a Veiled Moon

Author:  Karen Odden

Series:  Inspector Corravan #2
Publisher:  Crooked Lane Books

Genre:   Historical Mystery

Format:  Kindle ARC

No. of Pages:   336

Date of Publication:   October 11, 2022

My Rating:   5 Stars 

Before I read the second book in the Inspector Corravan series, I was able to get the first book, Down a Dark River, from my library as an audiobook. 

I am so glad that I did, as I was able to really familiarize myself with Inspector Michael Corravan. Both books, including Under a Veiled Moon, that I have for review, were easily both five star reads for me.  

For this second book, Corravan works exceptionally hard on his newest case. A pleasure boat called The Princess Alice had a huge disaster resulting from a collision, and with 600 passengers, there were only 130 survivors. He is determined to prove that the devastating loss was due to sabotage and that the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) was not responsible. 

Corravan’s superiors do not agree with his assessment, so he has to work even harder to bring those responsible to justice. This disaster, and the conspiracy, could have far-reaching effects. Meanwhile, Corravan finds himself distracted and with good reason. When Corravan was younger he was taken in by the Doyle family and was treated as if he was one of their own. The youngest Doyle, Colin, has joined a dangerous gang. Loyalty and love move Corravan to do whatever he can to get Colin out of the gang no matter what it takes. 

So Corravan truly has his hands full. Not only is Colin fervently resisting any help from Corravan, the IRB might be doing more harm, and Corravan must find a way to stop them if that is the case.  

What an intense read! As I read both books back-to-back, I really felt that I was pulled into Corravan‘s world. His adopted family. His relationship with Belinda. His job at Scotland Yard. Corravan is a very rounded character, one whose values stand out. As mentioned, loyalty was a strong suit of Corravan’s, and this drew me to him even more. I really hope there are more books in this series as Karen Odden is a remarkable author that I am glad to have had a chance to read her stunning work.

Many thanks to Crooked Lane Books and to AustenProse for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Please enjoy my YouTube video review - 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

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.