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Debra Hamel is the author of a number of books about ancient Greece. She writes and blogs from her subterranean lair in North Haven, CT. Read more.

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Blog stats:
BOOK REVIEWS: 624
BOOK NOTICES: 255
2003: 50
2004: 68
2005: 66
2006: 75
2007: 58
2008: 88
2009: 81
2010: 57
2011: 48
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Updated 11-20-23. [Book reviews are longer and have ratings. Book notices do not have ratings.]

Books by Debra Hamel:

THE BATTLE OF ARGINUSAE :
VICTORY AT SEA AND ITS TRAGIC AFTERMATH IN THE FINAL YEARS OF THE PELOPONNESIAN WAR
By Debra Hamel


Kindle | paperback (US)
Kindle | paperback (UK)

KILLING ERATOSTHENES:
A TRUE CRIME STORY
FROM ANCIENT ATHENS
By Debra Hamel


Kindle | paperback (US)
Kindle | paperback (UK)

READING HERODOTUS:
A GUIDED TOUR THROUGH THE WILD BOARS, DANCING SUITORS, AND CRAZY TYRANTS OF THE HISTORY
By Debra Hamel


paperback | Kindle | hardcover (US)
paperback | hardcover (UK)

THE MUTILATION OF THE HERMS:
UNPACKING AN ANCIENT MYSTERY
By Debra Hamel


Kindle | paperback (US)
Kindle | paperback (UK)

TRYING NEAIRA:
THE TRUE STORY OF A COURTESAN'S SCANDALOUS LIFE IN ANCIENT GREECE
By Debra Hamel


paperback | hardcover (US)
paperback | hardcover (UK)

SOCRATES AT WAR:
THE MILITARY HEROICS OF AN ICONIC INTELLECTUAL
By Debra Hamel


Kindle (US) | Kindle (UK)

ANCIENT GREEKS IN DRAG:
THE LIBERATION OF THEBES AND OTHER ACTS OF HEROIC TRANSVESTISM
By Debra Hamel


Kindle (US) | Kindle (UK)

IT WAS A DARK AND STORMY TWEET:
FIVE HUNDRED 1ST LINES IN 140 CHARACTERS OR LESS
By Debra Hamel


Kindle | paperback (US)
Kindle | paperback (UK)

PRISONERS OF THE PELOPONNESIAN WAR
By Debra Hamel


Kindle (US) | Kindle (UK)





Book-blog.com by Debra Hamel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution - Noncommercial - No Derivative Works 3.0 License.


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Melikan, Rose: The Blackstone Key

  Amazon  

4.5 stars

Mary Finch's great adventure begins in 1795, when she leaves her teaching position at Mrs. Bunbury's school for young ladies to visit her only relative, a wealthy uncle from whom her father, now dead some three years, had long been estranged. Mary hopes that her uncle's summons implies an interest in reconciliation, and with that in view she travels alone, her determination to do so the first sign of her unusual pluck. But the journey is not without incident, and Mary finds herself swept up in a mystery that starts with the incomprehensible warnings of a dying man and involves Mary in the seedy worlds of smuggling and espionage and, not least, the polite society of Suffolk. Along the way she encounters two eligible bachelors--the eminently practical Captain Holland and Mr. Déprez, late of the West Indies. But which of the two is the more trustworthy is itself a mystery that eludes Mary for the better part of the book.

The Blackstone Key is the first in a proposed trilogy. The second installment is due out in 2009, and that is very good news indeed: Rose Melikan's debut novel is a delightful read. Mary is a likable heroine, a feisty orphan who struggles politely against the mores of her day. The book offers both mystery and romance--both engaging, and both played out against a backdrop of war with France. The book is written as a pseudo-Victorian novel, with its intricate sentences and attention to the manners of the day. It is a slow read, so you should not undertake it if you're in the mood for a plot that will grab you by the throat. This is, rather, a book to relish over tea, with your feet up and an afternoon at your disposal.

Comments

1.

This looks like the sort of story I'd love. I need a new author.

I love the cover too -- very inviting!

2.

Try it! I was very happy that there will be a sequel. Sometimes you just want something slow-paced and well-written.

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