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Benedict Hall #1
Benedict Hall
In this richly layered debut novel, Cate Campbell introduces the wealthy Benedict family and takes us behind the grand doors of their mansion, Benedict Hall. There, family and servants alike must face the challenges wrought by World War I--and the dawn of a new age brimming with scandal, intrigue, and social change.
Seattle in 1920 is a city in flux. Horse-drawn carriages share the cobblestone streets with newfangled motor cars. Modern girls bob their hair and show their ankles, cafés defy Prohibition by serving dainty teacups of whisky to returning vets--and the wartime boom is giving way to a depression. Even within the Benedicts' majestic Queen Anne home, life is changing--above and below stairs.
Margot, the Benedicts' free-spirited daughter, struggles to succeed as a physician despite gender bias--and personal turmoil. The household staff, especially longtime butler Abraham Blake, have always tried to protect Margot from her brother Preston's cruel streak. Yet war has altered Preston too--not for the better. And when a chance encounter brings a fellow army officer into the Benedict fold, Preston's ruthlessness is triggered to new heights.
An engineer at the fledgling Boeing company, Frank Parrish has been wounded body and soul, and in Margot, he senses a kindred spirit. But their burgeoning friendship and Preston's growing wickedness will have explosive repercussions for everyone at Benedict Hall--rich and poor, black and white--as Margot dares to follow her own path, no matter the consequences.
Seattle in 1920 is a city in flux. Horse-drawn carriages share the cobblestone streets with newfangled motor cars. Modern girls bob their hair and show their ankles, cafés defy Prohibition by serving dainty teacups of whisky to returning vets--and the wartime boom is giving way to a depression. Even within the Benedicts' majestic Queen Anne home, life is changing--above and below stairs.
Margot, the Benedicts' free-spirited daughter, struggles to succeed as a physician despite gender bias--and personal turmoil. The household staff, especially longtime butler Abraham Blake, have always tried to protect Margot from her brother Preston's cruel streak. Yet war has altered Preston too--not for the better. And when a chance encounter brings a fellow army officer into the Benedict fold, Preston's ruthlessness is triggered to new heights.
An engineer at the fledgling Boeing company, Frank Parrish has been wounded body and soul, and in Margot, he senses a kindred spirit. But their burgeoning friendship and Preston's growing wickedness will have explosive repercussions for everyone at Benedict Hall--rich and poor, black and white--as Margot dares to follow her own path, no matter the consequences.
378 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
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926 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews
June 2, 2013
I must say right off I bought this book for two reasons...First reason: I love the cover of this book, The Second reason: I bought it was because it indicated if you liked Downton Abbey, then you will probably like this book. It really didn't remind me much of Downton Abbey, other then the fact that it was set in the 1920s, not in England, but in Seattle, Washington.
However, Cate Campbell, the author did a good job with her debut novel. The story was full of intrigue, conspiracy, and a bit of light romance. I was drawn into the story by the characters, all different in their own way. Some of them you come to love, some you just like, and then there was Preston, who I grew to hate. He was so much a part of the story, I just don't know if I liked this story or not. When you hate a vindictive character so much it makes it difficult to even like the story, I guess that makes the author unique, some authors just don't have that kind of talent.
As far as how many stars I will award this book...I will have to think about this story some more, but for now I will award it 3*** I liked it but I'm on the fence as to how much I liked it. It was a historical novel which I enjoyed, so that made it a bit more interesting to me, but all-in-all I just can't decide whether I like it alot or just like it....
This book is a part of my Nook Library.
April 30, 2014
I have already added the next in the series to my Nook. I rarely, if ever, do this upon reading a book in a new-to-me series. So that should tell you something about how much I LOVED this book!!
It's set in 1920 Seattle, has a cast of characters I loved or loathed. Strong feelings for characters on the page, but Cate Campbell made me feel them.
I loved the courageous Margot Benedict, who chose to be a doctor in a society who struggled with growing emancipation of women. I loved Frank Parrish, the man coming to Seattle to make a living with his strong engineering mind and only one arm.
I rather loathed the rest of Margot's family, except her father who tried to do the right thing as much as possible, but had a blind eye where his youngest son was concerned. Margot's mother was completely blind to her youngest son's faults, making excuses.
The youngest son, Preston, was a complete sociopath, pure evil with the face of an angel.
I applauded and admired Margot with her strength of character and fortitude and her love of the man who, to everyone else, was just the butler. But to Margot, Abraham Blake, was more a father and caregiver and confidante.
A finely woven tale, I kept turning the pages long into the night and it kept me on the treadmill long after my normal stopping time.
I cannot wait to read the next books in the series.
Highly recommended.
It's set in 1920 Seattle, has a cast of characters I loved or loathed. Strong feelings for characters on the page, but Cate Campbell made me feel them.
I loved the courageous Margot Benedict, who chose to be a doctor in a society who struggled with growing emancipation of women. I loved Frank Parrish, the man coming to Seattle to make a living with his strong engineering mind and only one arm.
I rather loathed the rest of Margot's family, except her father who tried to do the right thing as much as possible, but had a blind eye where his youngest son was concerned. Margot's mother was completely blind to her youngest son's faults, making excuses.
The youngest son, Preston, was a complete sociopath, pure evil with the face of an angel.
I applauded and admired Margot with her strength of character and fortitude and her love of the man who, to everyone else, was just the butler. But to Margot, Abraham Blake, was more a father and caregiver and confidante.
A finely woven tale, I kept turning the pages long into the night and it kept me on the treadmill long after my normal stopping time.
I cannot wait to read the next books in the series.
Highly recommended.
January 18, 2018
I read this as part of my Reading-My-Library Quest (to read a book from every shelf). And upon looking up the author I see she is someone I like who writes as Louise Marley when writing SF. The history of Seattle is well executed -- I could actually follow as they walked around the city, which is very unusually for me. I liked the bits about medicine and the slow romance between Dr Benedict and Frank Parrish, the one-handed war veteran.
The "magical" stone thing didn't work for me. It made sense that the loser brother would think it gave him special powers, but the author seemed to agree as well. Given all the lucky breaks she gives it I think it makes complete sense that someone would begin to wonder -- the stuff in the war, the healing of the maid after the abortion, the well-time heart attack/stroke, even the confident surgery. That strained credibility enough to throw me out of an otherwise good story.
The "magical" stone thing didn't work for me. It made sense that the loser brother would think it gave him special powers, but the author seemed to agree as well. Given all the lucky breaks she gives it I think it makes complete sense that someone would begin to wonder -- the stuff in the war, the healing of the maid after the abortion, the well-time heart attack/stroke, even the confident surgery. That strained credibility enough to throw me out of an otherwise good story.
May 25, 2013
Thank you for sending this book. Congratulations to Cate Campbell on her first book. 1920's Washington with men returning from war, jobs are scarce and women are fighting for more prominence and respect in the work place. A family trying to come to terms with these changes.....add intrigue, jealousy and yes, love! I found it to be very enjoyable reading and the author allowed us a glimpse of the struggles that many faced in this rapidly changing time.
June 18, 2013
I don't usually read historical fiction, but this one did hook me. It's a fascinating glimpse of the 1920s in a wealthy home in Seattle, with a great cast of characters including a young woman physician, and several soldiers returning from WW1 forever changed. A psychopath is loose, but no one believes what he is. Campbell makes this all quite believable, a bit scary, and richly historical. Loved it.
September 5, 2017
1920 Seattle. Nice easy read about a discordant family, wounded WWI vet and obstacles for a female doctor. I will continue with the others in the trilogy.
June 30, 2014
The Benedicts are a wealthy family in Seattle. The family consists of the parents and three grown children (Dick, Margot, and Preston) and Dick's wife, Ramona. The setting of the story is 1920; WWI has just recently ended, and Preston is having difficulties adjusting to life after the war. Margot is doing the unexpected by practicing medicine in a day and age when women doctors were few and far between and is facing difficulties from not only the male doctors but also from her own mother who doesn't consider her womanly enough. Into the family dynamic comes Frank Parrish, an engineer who had lost an arm in the war and had come to Seattle with the promise of a job. Unfortunately, the job did not materialize. However, he runs into Preston, whom he had known but not particularly liked, in the war. Through the Benedict family connections, Frank is able to get a job at the newly formed Boeing company.
But there is something seriously wrong with Preston which actually goes far back into his childhood. His irrational hatred for Margot and his belief in a sapphire he acquired during the war cause him to do everything he can to derail Margot's career and her budding relationship with Frank. As things spin out of control, everyone is forced to face some truths about their family and how to survive in a world that is nothing like the one before the war.
This book was nothing like what I had expected it to be, and I was glad of it. I figured it would be about a wealthy family (it was), and sort of an Upstairs, Downstairs type of story. Although that is part of it, the story is more complex than that, the characters are interesting, there is a genuine villain, and the plot moves right along. I look forward to reading other books in the series.
But there is something seriously wrong with Preston which actually goes far back into his childhood. His irrational hatred for Margot and his belief in a sapphire he acquired during the war cause him to do everything he can to derail Margot's career and her budding relationship with Frank. As things spin out of control, everyone is forced to face some truths about their family and how to survive in a world that is nothing like the one before the war.
This book was nothing like what I had expected it to be, and I was glad of it. I figured it would be about a wealthy family (it was), and sort of an Upstairs, Downstairs type of story. Although that is part of it, the story is more complex than that, the characters are interesting, there is a genuine villain, and the plot moves right along. I look forward to reading other books in the series.
March 9, 2014
I’m still a sucker for books that tout themselves as Downton-esque so I picked this one up & dove right in. Set in Seattle just after WWI the story takes us to Benedict Hall & the family & servants who reside there. I won’t spoil here but I will say this, I liked Margot and that she was a doctor quite determined to practise when it wasn’t considered a proper job for a woman. She was smart, sometimes awkward, most often sensible and very relatable. I also liked Frank Parrish, the Major back from the war where he’d lost an arm. He never gave up and despaired and still remained kind even when he was feeling ill at ease or unsure of his place in the world. I had no problem investing in and rooting for the two as a couple.
Preston was a nasty piece of work but he kept me page turning in a macabre way. I still want to know what made him so hateful and twisted. Margot is quite clear about him always having been that way and having tried multiple times when they were children to kill her with Blake being the only thing that stood in his way. So, I wondered what happened to make him that way. It’s not answered but I hope there’s some further insight in the next book (which I have on my desk to read). I’m still not sure how I feel about what is hinted at as his fate and I really didn’t know what to do with the “mystical sapphire” turn but still, I enjoyed reading this story for the most part. The scene setting was well done & gave a clear picture of Seattle at the time. I’d recommend this to anyone looking for another series to get into. It’s a fairly quick read & engaging enough to breeze through on the weekend. A 3.5 star read for me.
Preston was a nasty piece of work but he kept me page turning in a macabre way. I still want to know what made him so hateful and twisted. Margot is quite clear about him always having been that way and having tried multiple times when they were children to kill her with Blake being the only thing that stood in his way. So, I wondered what happened to make him that way. It’s not answered but I hope there’s some further insight in the next book (which I have on my desk to read). I’m still not sure how I feel about what is hinted at as his fate and I really didn’t know what to do with the “mystical sapphire” turn but still, I enjoyed reading this story for the most part. The scene setting was well done & gave a clear picture of Seattle at the time. I’d recommend this to anyone looking for another series to get into. It’s a fairly quick read & engaging enough to breeze through on the weekend. A 3.5 star read for me.
May 1, 2013
I picked up an ARC at Barnes & Noble in Kansas City, where I am a part time bookseller.
Seattle, Washington is quite an interesting place to be in the 1920's. Men are returning from the War, jobs are scarce as businesses adjust to the peacetime economy. There's a family with a servants, and there are Chinese women with bound feet. It is a time of prohibition. Boeing is looking to build airplanes for commercial use. A lady doctor struggles for acceptance in a male-dominated world.
The doctor's clothes are sometimes bloody, but there are other bloody clothes at Benedict Hall. Young pregnant women, within and without, need the Doctor's assistance.
This is an unusual murder story, as we know the identity of the evildoer from the beginning. The plot twists and turns as evidence of guilt piles up.
There's a delightful love story woven in. A mysterious jewel from Jerusalem, brought home from the war, is just like its original owner: hard and brilliant and many faceted.
And, through it all, there's Blake, the steadfast butler/chauffeur/confidante. He's like the Greek chorus. He sees everything, and is wise beyond his years.
Seattle, Washington is quite an interesting place to be in the 1920's. Men are returning from the War, jobs are scarce as businesses adjust to the peacetime economy. There's a family with a servants, and there are Chinese women with bound feet. It is a time of prohibition. Boeing is looking to build airplanes for commercial use. A lady doctor struggles for acceptance in a male-dominated world.
The doctor's clothes are sometimes bloody, but there are other bloody clothes at Benedict Hall. Young pregnant women, within and without, need the Doctor's assistance.
This is an unusual murder story, as we know the identity of the evildoer from the beginning. The plot twists and turns as evidence of guilt piles up.
There's a delightful love story woven in. A mysterious jewel from Jerusalem, brought home from the war, is just like its original owner: hard and brilliant and many faceted.
And, through it all, there's Blake, the steadfast butler/chauffeur/confidante. He's like the Greek chorus. He sees everything, and is wise beyond his years.
January 5, 2016
Cate Campbell, aka Louise Marley, tells a good tale. Her series has been compared to Downton Abbey, but I think that is unfortunate. I'm a fan of Downton, but get irritated with the 2 second clips on its large list of characters. In Benedict Hall Campbell focuses on 3 main characters: Frank the taciturn WWI amputee vet, Margot the outspoken and determined lady doctor, and Blake the caring butler who is Margot's champion. Set in Seattle in the 1920's the story is woven with interesting historical detail and beautiful descriptions of the west coast. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
May 17, 2015
Cate Campbell did an amazing job including various aspects of post WWI life. Between amputation struggles, women obtaining degrees/higher jobs in society, and life as a free slave. I couldn't help to hate the Preston Benedict and love all the other characters. This was my first WWI book, usually I read WWII books and I cant help but want more. Benedict Hall was refreshingly clean (except for a few angry curse words).
October 19, 2014
Overall, this book was clumsy. I enjoyed reading about Seattle in the 20s, and you can tell Campbell loves both the medicine and the history of the period, but the story was overburdened with contrived plot points.
April 20, 2013
If you love Seattle, strong women characters, Downton Abbey--read this when it's published. Historical fiction following World War II.
November 6, 2013
Enjoyable read - mystery mixed with romance.
December 29, 2013
A delightful debut novel from Cate Campbell set in post WWI Seattle. Excellent storytelling and historical relevance. Highly recommend.
October 3, 2020
Frank Parrish arrives in Seattle in 1920 with the hope of a job waiting for him, only to have his hopes evaporate in the post-war depression. A veteran, Frank is fresh from the hospital, still in pain after losing an arm in the Great War. A change meeting with Preston Benedict, a war comrade, introduces Frank to the rest of the Benedict family, which at first improves his prospects.
Margot Benedict, Preston's sister, is quite unconventional, working as a doctor, and fighting for her opportunities to perform surgery. Many of her patients come from the among the poor, so she struggles to keep her clinic going. But, as Frank and Margot become close to one another, danger threatens their reputations.
Fascinating view of Seattle one hundred years ago, and the pressures people are facing. An interesting plot, with slight Gothic overtones, combined with interesting characters, makes this book very hard to put down. Recommended.
Margot Benedict, Preston's sister, is quite unconventional, working as a doctor, and fighting for her opportunities to perform surgery. Many of her patients come from the among the poor, so she struggles to keep her clinic going. But, as Frank and Margot become close to one another, danger threatens their reputations.
Fascinating view of Seattle one hundred years ago, and the pressures people are facing. An interesting plot, with slight Gothic overtones, combined with interesting characters, makes this book very hard to put down. Recommended.
October 31, 2021
This historical fiction is set in a fast-changing Seattle in the aftermath of World War I. It’s centered around two appealing characters, a prominent family’s daughter who has become a doctor against tough odds and an engineer returning from the war, struggling with only one arm and looking for work in the growing aerospace industry. It was sometimes a little melodramatic, but had enough complexity, depth and good character development to be very enjoyable. A good fit for Downton Abbey fans.
February 2, 2022
3 1/2 stars
I was really surprised by the fantastical element to this story - I didn’t see it coming. I didn’t care for the arc to that storyline, and I am pretty sure that it is going to carry through the rest of the books in this series. (Sigh)
However, I enjoyed everything EXCEPT that, so I’ll continue with the series.
I was really surprised by the fantastical element to this story - I didn’t see it coming. I didn’t care for the arc to that storyline, and I am pretty sure that it is going to carry through the rest of the books in this series. (Sigh)
However, I enjoyed everything EXCEPT that, so I’ll continue with the series.
March 13, 2020
I don't mind when there are different sections from different points-of-view. What I DO mind is when there is no transition -- just one paragraph bleeding into the next. So confusing! Just put some space between the sections!
Other than that, the story was fine. A little over-the-top with Preston, but fine.
Other than that, the story was fine. A little over-the-top with Preston, but fine.
April 9, 2023
I wasn’t expecting to like this story. I am surprised how much I enjoyed reading this novel. I loved the time and place setting. I enjoyed all the characters and the way the author portrayed the narcissistic sociopathic son and brother in this family setting. I thought the story was well written and will continue reading the series in the future.
June 13, 2017
Historical fiction in the 1920's. It was interesting to read about a woman doctor and social protocol of the time. The villain seemed contrived in his wickedness while his sister seemed so accepting of his actions.
April 29, 2020
Good...
June 24, 2020
Excellent read!! Will read the second & third book, also.
December 19, 2022
Really enjoyed this book
March 19, 2025
not available in library
October 11, 2017
4.5 out of 5 stars
March 17, 2014
This book had lot of promise, but I had to quit on it after 240 pages. There was much I wanted to and did like. Setting for one. And a couple of the characters. But I had a feeling this book couldn't decide what it was. It looks like it's a straightforward historical fiction, yet there's this mystical/supernatural/fantasy element that seemed so out of place. Still, in the end, I gave up on this book because one character is so hateful and seems to drift through life so effortlessly it made him a caricature and many of the people around him one dimensional. Preston Benedict seems to have most of his family (especially his parents) and friends oblivious to who he is. But after 25 or so years of being such a hateful person who has made a mission of spending his life trying to kill his sister, his parents are idiotic and say no that can't be right, he's not that way. Okay no. I'm not going to waste any more of my time reading a book where the characters are such idiots. The few characters who have their eyes open are essentially powerless against him. No one who does the kinds of things that Preston does actually skates through life without people seeing them for who they are at some point. And Preston isn't even very good at hiding what he's doing.
Writers write the characters to serve their story. But when you write one who is so hateful and there are no consequences to their actions, the author risks alienating the reader. And by making the characters around Preston oblivious they became one dimensional cardboard characters. I don't buy it. A parent may not wish to acknowledge their child is a psychopath but at some point they actually have to say hmm yeah this person has issues. When Preston's father is brought evidence from a very reliable source th father says no not my son, I'll talk to him. NO YOU IDIOT, NO!
I lost faith in this story because of this. I don't care to take it further because at this point I don't trust the author to treat the characters in a realist fashion. I feel like she got so invested in Preston as such a hateful person that she forgot to treat the rest of her characters so generously. At some point, there has to be accountability, and there was none when it came to Preston. It's as if almost everyone in the book is drifting through life in a fog of love for this odious man. And that makes me distrust the author.
Which is a shame, because I really did like Frank and Margot, and thought there was a lot of potential with them.
Writers write the characters to serve their story. But when you write one who is so hateful and there are no consequences to their actions, the author risks alienating the reader. And by making the characters around Preston oblivious they became one dimensional cardboard characters. I don't buy it. A parent may not wish to acknowledge their child is a psychopath but at some point they actually have to say hmm yeah this person has issues. When Preston's father is brought evidence from a very reliable source th father says no not my son, I'll talk to him. NO YOU IDIOT, NO!
I lost faith in this story because of this. I don't care to take it further because at this point I don't trust the author to treat the characters in a realist fashion. I feel like she got so invested in Preston as such a hateful person that she forgot to treat the rest of her characters so generously. At some point, there has to be accountability, and there was none when it came to Preston. It's as if almost everyone in the book is drifting through life in a fog of love for this odious man. And that makes me distrust the author.
Which is a shame, because I really did like Frank and Margot, and thought there was a lot of potential with them.
August 19, 2014
The first in a series by Cate Campbell was, for me, a real page burner. This story is set in Seattle of the 1920s and it was great fun seeing what my old town used to look like through this author's eyes. As a retired Boeing employee, it was also fun to see how she treated Bill Boeing and The Boeing Company, at the time a small company building seaplanes.
The careful and thorough research by the author is delightfully woven into a story of love, jealous hatred, and a bit of ancient history through a magical stone the villain picked up while at war in Jerusalem that used to belong to Roxelana.
The people of this book are alive, and their surroundings given with such marvelous detail, I could almost reach out and touch them. I'm positive Benedict Hall actually exists, somewhere, in Seattle, just under a different name.
Margo Benedict is one of the few women physicians in Seattle, indeed of the time. Her father is one of the wealthiest men in Seattle, but she wants to do things her way, on her own without his help. Her mother doesn't understand why she would want to be a doctor, and not only treat the ill, but touch them. Her brother, Preston, has been jealous of her all his life, hates her, and even as a child tried more than once to kill her, which no one in the family saw or even believes.
Frank Parrish, a quiet man who served in Jerusalem with Preston and lost his arm in a battle, comes to Seattle and through a chance meeting with Preston on the street, is invited to Benedict Hall, where he meets the rest of the family, and is befriended by Dickson, the Patriarch. And, of course, falls in love with Margot.
Benedict Hall shows us the upheavals this highly thought-of and prestigious family goes through as they come to grips with Preston and his psychosis, and a strong-willed Margot who wants more than anything and against all odds, to become a surgeon. While there is a romance that builds, I would hesitate to call this a Romance novel. It is a history of Seattle and the times, a history of how women, servants, and blacks were thought of and treated.
I look forward to getting and reading the next books in this series. My only concern is that I will read them faster than Cate. Campbell will write them!
The careful and thorough research by the author is delightfully woven into a story of love, jealous hatred, and a bit of ancient history through a magical stone the villain picked up while at war in Jerusalem that used to belong to Roxelana.
The people of this book are alive, and their surroundings given with such marvelous detail, I could almost reach out and touch them. I'm positive Benedict Hall actually exists, somewhere, in Seattle, just under a different name.
Margo Benedict is one of the few women physicians in Seattle, indeed of the time. Her father is one of the wealthiest men in Seattle, but she wants to do things her way, on her own without his help. Her mother doesn't understand why she would want to be a doctor, and not only treat the ill, but touch them. Her brother, Preston, has been jealous of her all his life, hates her, and even as a child tried more than once to kill her, which no one in the family saw or even believes.
Frank Parrish, a quiet man who served in Jerusalem with Preston and lost his arm in a battle, comes to Seattle and through a chance meeting with Preston on the street, is invited to Benedict Hall, where he meets the rest of the family, and is befriended by Dickson, the Patriarch. And, of course, falls in love with Margot.
Benedict Hall shows us the upheavals this highly thought-of and prestigious family goes through as they come to grips with Preston and his psychosis, and a strong-willed Margot who wants more than anything and against all odds, to become a surgeon. While there is a romance that builds, I would hesitate to call this a Romance novel. It is a history of Seattle and the times, a history of how women, servants, and blacks were thought of and treated.
I look forward to getting and reading the next books in this series. My only concern is that I will read them faster than Cate. Campbell will write them!
December 28, 2022
This is Louise Marley's work. Post WW1, in Seattle. A great tale. Not sci-fi but a worthy read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews