The Piano Player by Maybelle Wallis, the sequel to Heart of Cruelty, picks up about eight years later in Dublin. Dr. William Doughty works in Meath Hospital amidst both the Great Famine and a cholera epidemic. Meanwhile, Jane and her actor husband Edmond are newly arrived in Dublin on their theatre troupe’s tour. Jane and William’s paths intertwine once more as Edmond gets involved in suspicious gambling scheme via Dr. Wright, who is also William’s superior at the hospital.

Witnessing the day to day brutality of famine, starvation, disease, and immeasurable poverty, both Jane and William begin to unravel a conspiracy involving Dr. Wright. This intrigue plays out on a backdrop of political turmoil–Irish nationals, a doctor colleague involved, resist English colonial rule and abuses via demonstrations and dissemination of nationalistic poems and songs. Jane finds a fast friend in Anna, a wealthy young woman whose poems make their way into the Irish movement.

Wallis expertly weaves Jane and William’s stories, as well as all the moving pieces in the periphery (resistance, famine, disease, etc.) to resolve onto one central path. The tension-filled dynamic between Jane and William is realistic and not overly romanticized. Their actions and choices reflect their conflicted past, the story resolving in a way that makes sense to their character arcs. Nothing feels rushed, but earned. It should also be noted that the author’s own medical background provides detailed and interesting descriptions of mid-19th century medical practices and pathological processes.

I’m looking forward the the last book in the trilogy, Daughter of Strangers.