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Saving Thomas
After his wife's death, reporter Jeremy Michaels concentrates on writing news stories that try to bring justice to the underdogs of the world, until an announcement by Buckingham Palace shatters his glass cocoon. The village hermit from the hometown Jeremy fled is to be knighted for still-classified services during World War II, a man Jeremy knows well from a certain childhood adventure.
The editor of the newspaper Jeremy writes for sends him back home to find out why, but he is scooped by the hometown paper's revelation that the man worked inside the French Resistance. Yet the knighthood is refused, and Jeremy's chance to save his job—and an old friendship—lies in discovering the truth.
The editor of the newspaper Jeremy writes for sends him back home to find out why, but he is scooped by the hometown paper's revelation that the man worked inside the French Resistance. Yet the knighthood is refused, and Jeremy's chance to save his job—and an old friendship—lies in discovering the truth.
271 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 21, 2022
6 people want to read
About the author
Scott Kauffman
3 books47 followersScott claims his fiction career began with a in-class book report written in Mrs. Baer's eighth-grade English class when, due to a conflict of priorities, he failed to read the book. An exercise of imagination was required. Scott snagged a B, better than the C he received on his last report when he actually read the book. Thus began his life-long apprenticeship as a teller of tales and, some would snidely suggest, as a lawyer as well, but they would be cynics, a race Oscar Wilde warned us knew the price of everything and the value of nothing. Scott is the author of the legal-suspense novel, In Deepest Consequences, and a recipient of the 2011 Mighty River Short Story Contest and the 2010 Hackney Literary Award. His short fiction has been appeared in Big Muddy, Adelaide Magazine, and Lascaux Review. He is now at work on two novel manuscripts and a collection of short stories. He is an attorney in Irvine, California, where his practice focuses upon white-collar crime and tax litigation with his clients providing him endless story fodder. He graduated summa cum laude from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, and in the upper ten percent of his class from Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, Oregon, where he was a member of the Environmental Law Review and received the American Jurisprudence Award in Conflict of Laws.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
February 7, 2022
Jeremy Michaels, a reporter, arrives in his hometown with memories of his wife’s miscarriage and her death. The local newspaper once run by his grandfather is now run by Clemence Mercia a distant cousin who wishes him luck trying to speak to Thomas Thoreaux who has been offered a knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II which is now Jeremy’s job to find out why?
The story then takes us through Thomas Thoreaux’s life in the resistance, the intrigue, and the sadness of those times. I liked the historical details and the emotions I felt as I read Saving Thomas. I enjoyed Jeremy’s character who is a stickler for the truth and his determination to get everything right and accurate. Thomas Thoreaux’s character was easy to picture in my mind complete with his unhappiness and despair which he sadly couldn’t move forward from after all that had occurred and what he had witnessed.
The story kept me riveted as the tale unfolded. It was a very emotional read with lots of twists and turns added making this a fantastic mystery too. Some scenes included cruelness that was hard to read about, but they were a necessity to make the book come across as realistic. I thought it had a good ending too.
If you like mysteries then this is certainly an excellent read which I can highly recommend. Well done to the author Scott Kauffman for all the historical details, intrigue, and emotion. I thoroughly enjoyed the book.
The story then takes us through Thomas Thoreaux’s life in the resistance, the intrigue, and the sadness of those times. I liked the historical details and the emotions I felt as I read Saving Thomas. I enjoyed Jeremy’s character who is a stickler for the truth and his determination to get everything right and accurate. Thomas Thoreaux’s character was easy to picture in my mind complete with his unhappiness and despair which he sadly couldn’t move forward from after all that had occurred and what he had witnessed.
The story kept me riveted as the tale unfolded. It was a very emotional read with lots of twists and turns added making this a fantastic mystery too. Some scenes included cruelness that was hard to read about, but they were a necessity to make the book come across as realistic. I thought it had a good ending too.
If you like mysteries then this is certainly an excellent read which I can highly recommend. Well done to the author Scott Kauffman for all the historical details, intrigue, and emotion. I thoroughly enjoyed the book.
February 1, 2022
A fantastic historical fiction slash mystery set in the 1970s set in Portland, Ohio, and France. Recommended.
February 21, 2022
The Review
The balance and engagement the author made with the reader throughout this novel were incredible. The attention to realism when it came to the memories and events of the war and the psychological and emotional impact it left on characters was so eloquently crafted, as was the cruelty and vicious nature of war in general. The imagery played a heavy hand in these scenes, as did the contrast between that dark past and the struggles of the more modern age.
The characters were the true heart of this narrative. The emotional struggles within protagonist Jeremy were so painful yet honest to approach, as his struggles with his wife’s loss mixed with his need to find the truth and the conflict over his childhood events. Thomas’s vision and POV really honed in on the war narrative, and the toll it takes on a person when confronted with that haunting past. Yet it was how these characters found one another, came together, and both the strengths each had and the pitfalls they found as time went on that made this narrative so engrossing.
The Verdict
Haunting, brilliantly written, and entertaining in its delivery, author Scott Kauffman’s “Saving Thomas” is a must-read novel of 2022 for fans of historical mysteries. The layered path readers had to take to uncover the mystery was well-paced and did a great job of balancing the history with the mystery itself.
The balance and engagement the author made with the reader throughout this novel were incredible. The attention to realism when it came to the memories and events of the war and the psychological and emotional impact it left on characters was so eloquently crafted, as was the cruelty and vicious nature of war in general. The imagery played a heavy hand in these scenes, as did the contrast between that dark past and the struggles of the more modern age.
The characters were the true heart of this narrative. The emotional struggles within protagonist Jeremy were so painful yet honest to approach, as his struggles with his wife’s loss mixed with his need to find the truth and the conflict over his childhood events. Thomas’s vision and POV really honed in on the war narrative, and the toll it takes on a person when confronted with that haunting past. Yet it was how these characters found one another, came together, and both the strengths each had and the pitfalls they found as time went on that made this narrative so engrossing.
The Verdict
Haunting, brilliantly written, and entertaining in its delivery, author Scott Kauffman’s “Saving Thomas” is a must-read novel of 2022 for fans of historical mysteries. The layered path readers had to take to uncover the mystery was well-paced and did a great job of balancing the history with the mystery itself.
February 22, 2022
I enjoyed this book as it never left you hanging. Each page gave information that added to the build up of the book. The book centers on Jeremy who has lost his wife and unborn child. He is a newspaper reporter and makes it his mission to defend the underdog. His boss and his career take him on diversified challenges. The book is filled with action and at the same time the characters become real. Scott Kauffman describes things so vividly you think you are there.
February 23, 2022
I loved reading this twisty, turn tale and I loved the effortless combination of historical fiction with mystery. Highly recommend!
February 7, 2022
This work of historical fiction is a thoughtful and suspenseful story that weaves together mystery with history. If you want an exciting and fast-paced read, look no further :)
February 1, 2022
I love the combination of historical fiction and mystery, and the twists and turns are woven well into this story about redemption and forgiveness.
April 12, 2022
Read this if you enjoy:
🗞 Historical Fiction
🗞 Adventure
🗞 Mysteries
🗞 A complex cast of characters
🗞 Witty banter
I thoroughly enjoyed this story and was caught up in Jeremy’s hunt to find answers. The characters have depth and the story’s pacing was great. I would have given this four stars except for a couple of things:
1. I wanted to know more about the childhood adventure Jeremy experienced with the town hermit.
2. Some of the explanations of the hermit’s past and involvement in the French Resistance were hard to follow and I had to re-read them, but still felt confused after.
Thank you to Kristin with Mindbuck Media Book Publicity for my gifted copy in exchange for my honest review.
🗞 Historical Fiction
🗞 Adventure
🗞 Mysteries
🗞 A complex cast of characters
🗞 Witty banter
I thoroughly enjoyed this story and was caught up in Jeremy’s hunt to find answers. The characters have depth and the story’s pacing was great. I would have given this four stars except for a couple of things:
1. I wanted to know more about the childhood adventure Jeremy experienced with the town hermit.
2. Some of the explanations of the hermit’s past and involvement in the French Resistance were hard to follow and I had to re-read them, but still felt confused after.
Thank you to Kristin with Mindbuck Media Book Publicity for my gifted copy in exchange for my honest review.
October 31, 2022
A dynamic Journalist investigating story
I enjoyed reading the fast-paced plot with its multiple twists and unique writing style. The dialogues are dynamic and effectively show the characteristics of the main characters. The weakness is that the characters involved in each scene seem like floating heads; we do not know how their image looks, responds or behaves during the conversations.
The narrative involved a delicate topic about those who collaborated with the Nazi authorities in occupied territories during WWII. The underlined narrative is about a determined journalist who follows his driven mind to uncover the truth and reach justice.
I enjoyed reading the fast-paced plot with its multiple twists and unique writing style. The dialogues are dynamic and effectively show the characteristics of the main characters. The weakness is that the characters involved in each scene seem like floating heads; we do not know how their image looks, responds or behaves during the conversations.
The narrative involved a delicate topic about those who collaborated with the Nazi authorities in occupied territories during WWII. The underlined narrative is about a determined journalist who follows his driven mind to uncover the truth and reach justice.
September 11, 2025
Saving Thomas
by Scott Kauffman
Expected Publication Date: 22 Feb 2022
Synopsis:
"Following the loss of his wife and child, Jeremy Michaels buries himself in his job reporting on the seedy and shady underbelly of 1970’s Portland, Oregon, until a Buckingham Palace announcement shatters his cocoon. Thomas Thoreaux, the village hermit whom his boyhood testimony sent to prison, is to be knighted for classified services in World War II, but has refused the honor and title. Jeremy’s editor sends him back to his hometown in Ohio to unravel the mystery of the man he’s never forgiven himself for betraying. But when a rival reporter reveals Thoreaux worked inside the French Resistance, Jeremy teams up with her on a trip to France for his chance at redemption, and to uncover just why Thoreaux said no to knighthood."
Review:
I got through this book but it was a chore. The author lost me halfway through. Too many characters, in too many places, with too many aliases. The description for the book says it was "written with wit and wonder" - I found neither.
I was gifted this advance copy by NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.
by Scott Kauffman
Expected Publication Date: 22 Feb 2022
Synopsis:
"Following the loss of his wife and child, Jeremy Michaels buries himself in his job reporting on the seedy and shady underbelly of 1970’s Portland, Oregon, until a Buckingham Palace announcement shatters his cocoon. Thomas Thoreaux, the village hermit whom his boyhood testimony sent to prison, is to be knighted for classified services in World War II, but has refused the honor and title. Jeremy’s editor sends him back to his hometown in Ohio to unravel the mystery of the man he’s never forgiven himself for betraying. But when a rival reporter reveals Thoreaux worked inside the French Resistance, Jeremy teams up with her on a trip to France for his chance at redemption, and to uncover just why Thoreaux said no to knighthood."
Review:
I got through this book but it was a chore. The author lost me halfway through. Too many characters, in too many places, with too many aliases. The description for the book says it was "written with wit and wonder" - I found neither.
I was gifted this advance copy by NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews