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Dark Interlude
Winter 1918. Armistice Day has come and gone, but the nation is still reeling from the ravages of the First World War.
In a sweeping story of social and emotional conflict, female academic Alexandra Milton is ousted from a tranquil university to work in a small, post-war Scottish town. Her task is to archive a unique bequest of seventeenth-century Spanish documents, but she is attacked by a mysterious intruder. A thief, or is the incident linked to the eccentric benefactress and her mysterious past?
Meanwhile, demobbed soldiers pour back from France in their thousands, but there are no jobs. Town and city are fraught with tension and resentment, which Alexandra struggles to ignore. As she researches a rare volume of satirical interludes, censored at the time for provoking political and religious dissent, she finds eerie similarities with the harsh realities of post-war Britain. To aid her research, she seeks help from the local solicitor. She is drawn to him, but he seems plagued by his own demons and keeps his distance.
Soon convinced that the benefactress died in mysterious circumstances, Alexandra puts aside her personal misgivings and conflicting feelings and digs deeper, despite the fact that she suspects she is being watched. Using her wits to solve the strangest of puzzles, she is drawn back to Glasgow, but then the dockworkers vote to strike. Fearing a revolution as bloody as the recent violence in Russia and Germany, the nation holds its breath as battle lines are drawn. Flung out of her safe world into the turbulent city, Alexandra finds herself at the heart of the maelstrom and must rely on old friends and new allies to avert political disaster.
In a sweeping story of social and emotional conflict, female academic Alexandra Milton is ousted from a tranquil university to work in a small, post-war Scottish town. Her task is to archive a unique bequest of seventeenth-century Spanish documents, but she is attacked by a mysterious intruder. A thief, or is the incident linked to the eccentric benefactress and her mysterious past?
Meanwhile, demobbed soldiers pour back from France in their thousands, but there are no jobs. Town and city are fraught with tension and resentment, which Alexandra struggles to ignore. As she researches a rare volume of satirical interludes, censored at the time for provoking political and religious dissent, she finds eerie similarities with the harsh realities of post-war Britain. To aid her research, she seeks help from the local solicitor. She is drawn to him, but he seems plagued by his own demons and keeps his distance.
Soon convinced that the benefactress died in mysterious circumstances, Alexandra puts aside her personal misgivings and conflicting feelings and digs deeper, despite the fact that she suspects she is being watched. Using her wits to solve the strangest of puzzles, she is drawn back to Glasgow, but then the dockworkers vote to strike. Fearing a revolution as bloody as the recent violence in Russia and Germany, the nation holds its breath as battle lines are drawn. Flung out of her safe world into the turbulent city, Alexandra finds herself at the heart of the maelstrom and must rely on old friends and new allies to avert political disaster.
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First published June 19, 2013
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About the author
Pamela Kelt
18 books4 followersWhat can you do after a degree in 17th-century Spanish comic drama? Go into translating, journalism, publishing, copywriting and ultimately writing. I’m now a freelance author and editor with experience in books, newspapers, magazines, digital content and layout. Despite the fact I started out as a translator, I contrived to move into journalism and have more than 20 years of experience in provincial newspapers, educational publishing and lifestyle magazines. My areas of expertise include copywriting, editing, formatting, picture research, design and proofreading. I’m also an author with eight books published in various genres – YA fiction, historical mystery, modern adult fantasy and contemporary fiction. Interests include art, design, botany, history, cinema, cookery, murder mysteries and film noir. Among others.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 30, 2014
This book is far and away my favorite that I have read by this author so far. The story is set in Scotland at the end of World War I. Soldiers are coming home, some to no jobs while others return to their former employment, displacing the women that held those jobs during the war. Alexandra Milton has three months left on her contract as deputy librarian at St. Peter's University when the senior archivist returns from war to resume his position. Newly redundant, Alex is sent to inventory, catalog and pack a 17th century bequest left to the university.
Almost as soon as she arrives Alex is beset with problems. Someone breaks into the library before she barely makes any progress, an attempt at arson and a stunning find. Along the way, she is rebuffed and all but ignored by James Buchanan whose law partner is handling the bequest, attacked by unknown persons and finds herself developing an interest in David Sinclair, the solicitor handling the bequest.
Murder, unscrupulous dealings, revolutionaries, battle weary soldiers and romance combine to make a compelling story. The attention to detail makes it obvious the level of research the author undertook prior to writing. I enjoyed learning about the use of interludes, what they are and how they could enhance a play or be used to make social, political or religious comments. This was the most fascinating part for me. I enjoyed the interplay between the characters as they got to know each other and seeing Alex become a part of the community while working to archive the books and documents.
As a whole, a wonderful story that anyone who enjoys this genre should pick up. The author calls this an historical romance, but I would add mystery or suspense to that as well. I would be more than happy to read more books like this by Kelt. I was gifted a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Almost as soon as she arrives Alex is beset with problems. Someone breaks into the library before she barely makes any progress, an attempt at arson and a stunning find. Along the way, she is rebuffed and all but ignored by James Buchanan whose law partner is handling the bequest, attacked by unknown persons and finds herself developing an interest in David Sinclair, the solicitor handling the bequest.
Murder, unscrupulous dealings, revolutionaries, battle weary soldiers and romance combine to make a compelling story. The attention to detail makes it obvious the level of research the author undertook prior to writing. I enjoyed learning about the use of interludes, what they are and how they could enhance a play or be used to make social, political or religious comments. This was the most fascinating part for me. I enjoyed the interplay between the characters as they got to know each other and seeing Alex become a part of the community while working to archive the books and documents.
As a whole, a wonderful story that anyone who enjoys this genre should pick up. The author calls this an historical romance, but I would add mystery or suspense to that as well. I would be more than happy to read more books like this by Kelt. I was gifted a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
April 16, 2016
I'm delighted to have been able to read this at last after it had been withdrawn for a bit.
As usual, the author's language and scene-setting are terrific, atmospheric, touching and expressive. The plot centres around an archivist cataloguing a dead academic's collection, then finding that her death is not as straightforward as she has been led to believe. We are led into the Glasgow riots just post First World War, with a pretty even-handed and vivid account of strikers' demands, the authorities caught on the hop, fear of the Bolsheviks and the aftermath of the horrors of the war. The excitement was building from around 50% and I didn't think it could be realistically sustained, but it was - a page turner right to the end.
I really enjoyed this and I'm very much looking forward to the other one I've got my mitts on!
As usual, the author's language and scene-setting are terrific, atmospheric, touching and expressive. The plot centres around an archivist cataloguing a dead academic's collection, then finding that her death is not as straightforward as she has been led to believe. We are led into the Glasgow riots just post First World War, with a pretty even-handed and vivid account of strikers' demands, the authorities caught on the hop, fear of the Bolsheviks and the aftermath of the horrors of the war. The excitement was building from around 50% and I didn't think it could be realistically sustained, but it was - a page turner right to the end.
I really enjoyed this and I'm very much looking forward to the other one I've got my mitts on!
April 19, 2016
Good enough story, but seems to me the author failed to pull me into the era. I read quite a bit of the WWI period and the post war as well, so I look for the nuances and the obvious to pull me into the time. I frequently had to do a quick check to convince myself it was really supposed to be the period.
I do not believe the author ever believed she was writing about that time....especially in England.....Would recommend some immersion in Charles Todd and in Anne Perry's WWI book series.
I do not believe the author ever believed she was writing about that time....especially in England.....Would recommend some immersion in Charles Todd and in Anne Perry's WWI book series.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews