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Summary: This book has made me very happy!!
Review: Discovering Owen Parry has been a delight and a wonder!! Where has he been hiding and why have I never heard of him? I have already bought the rest of the books in the Abel Jones series and am salivating over them. I agree with another reviewer- if you are a woman who would normally be hesitant about the War theme - please, please do not let that stop you from reading this book. It is the next best thing to taking a trip back in time within the heart and soul of a character one absolutely falls in love with. And about the male reviewer who objected to the love story and scenes with Jones' wife - please Mr. Parry - keep this lovely and beautiful theme in your novels!! I read this book with a real feeling of awe. It is one thing to immerse yourself in historical research. It is another to do what Mr. Parry has done. It seems a miracle that he has made one see, hear and feel what it was like in 1861. I am in love with all the richly drawn characters. This book has been a revelation!!
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Summary: Simply superb!
Review: After reading the many wonderful reviews, I decided against writing about the plot and characters in Owen Parry's first Abel Jones novel. The others have written about them much better than I could have. I found Captain Jones to be one of the most interesting fictional characters I've ever come across. He's the complete opposite of that scoundrel Harry Flashman (one of my all-time favorites, by the way). I also enjoyed Mr. Parry's excellent recreation of the Victorian Era and his attention to those details that made this historical novel such a pleasure to read. In that respect his writing reminds me of George MacDonald Fraser. You can actually visualize the cities and people of the Civil War. Too, Mr. Parry has a fine ear for the many dialects spoken by the immigrants who fought against each other in that terrible conflict. I enjoyed the book so much I devoured the next three books in the series and am half-way through the fourth. I highly recommend Faded Coat of Blue as an introduction to the superb series.
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Summary: Ready for the Sequel
Review: I have never read a book before that, from the outset, seemed to be selling the sequel. By the end, it is obvious that Mr. Parry had already written the next one. Much of the first half of this book is a long introduction to the main character - Abel Jones - including his beliefs, personal history and values. At times it touched on tedious.Abel Jones gets chosen, for some unknown reason, by Gen. MacLellan to find the murderer of a well-known abolitionist officer. Once the introductory portion is done, Jones actually gets on the case and the book picks up considerably. The plot becomes the core rather than the character and that plot is fairly good. Mr. Parry captures Civil War Washington very well. His caricatures of the well-known charcters are terrific. One could picture Gen. MacLellan by the author's description and understand his personality perfectly in just the few pages devoted to him. On the last page of the book, the author tells the reader that the adventures of Abel Jones are continued in the next book. That is fitting since the preceding few pages are devoted to his being hired on for more tasks. Athough I did not think so on page 100 or so, I am looking forward to the further adventures of Abel Jones.
Rating:
Summary: Not a Bad Debut at All
Review: The only thing on Captain Abel Jones' mind that Saturday morning was whether or not the shipment of trousers for the troops had come in. But outside a camp on the outskirts of DC, the body of the young abolitionist Anthony Fowler has been found. Jones is surprised when he finds himself chosen specially by General McClellan to look into the matter. McClellan is afraid this will be used to further inflame the new conflict between the states and possibly even make slavery an issue in the war. The press is already blaming spies from the south, so Jones has an uphill battle to find the truth. First, the bad. Best I can tell from my little research, the author made a major historical blunder by his references to and descriptions of Thanksgiving in 1861 when I don't think it was celebrated. If my research is correct, if it was celebrated at all, it wouldn't have been as big a deal until at least 1863, two years after the setting. Finally, there is one chapter in the middle of the book that is devoted to the history of our character. While the information on the Battle of Bull Run is interesting, his childhood, history of his relationship his wife, and his fighting for the British in India seemed to be completely irrelevant to the story told here. There is much to like about this book, however. While not what I was expecting by the heading "A novel of historical suspense," I was completely taken in by the mystery. There are some very well developed red herrings that confused me. Abel Jones is a flawed character with no real idea what he's doing, as he points out numerous times. I felt this was very realistic and refreshing. I had some suspicions as to the murder, but wasn't completely sure until the end. The book has a front porch storyteller first person narration style that draws you in and makes the book fun to read. And the author does a fantastic job of bring both the good and bad of November 1861 to vivid life. Despite my reservations, I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading about the US Civil War. I plan to check out Abel Jones' next adventure myself.
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Summary: delightfully charming....
Review: I am a lover of almost all types of mysteries, but never before have I read a mystery that takes place during the Civil War. Owen Parry has filled this void with Faded Coat of Blue. This is a delightfully charming book that doesn't gloss over the dark side of war. Abolitionist and Army Captain Anthony Fowler is found murdered on the edge of an army encampment near Washington DC in the early days of the war. General George McClellan chooses unsuspecting clerk, Captain Abel Jones, to investigate the murder. Jones is a transplanted Welshman who has already seen warfare in India as part of the Queen's army. Coming to the US for a better life, he finds himself pulled into the Civil War. Jones can best be described as a plodder. He is not a brilliant man, but a loyal, fair and deliberate one. He has strong Christian values and tries to live his life by them. Jones latches on to this murder inquiry and refuses to let up-even when he discovers the disturbing truth, his life is threatened and his superiors call him off the case. Parry is a master at making us feel that we are living during the 1860's. He fills his book with enough historical fact to be convincing, and has thoroughly researched such topics as The Civil War, the military, immigration, prostitution, disease, food, clothing and general conditions at this point in time. One of the best parts in this book is a conversation that takes place between Abel Jones and Abraham Lincoln. Although such a conversation is totally fictional, Parry has enough knowledge of Lincoln to write a dialogue that could have actually passed from Lincoln's lips. But what makes this such a charming and delightful book is Jones himself. Written in the first person, Jones speaks with the rich and lyrical language of a man from Wales. I will admit that it took me a chapter or two to grow accustomed to this style of speech. But once I did, I was smitten. Jones is also a keen observer of human nature, and some of his observations are priceless. A few that caught my eye include: "War disappoints long before it kills." "The wickedest place in hell should be reserved for those who paint war in glory and cause young men to dream of it." "There is too much puffery and pretense in a novel for me. It is very much a lady's province, and I always suspect the men who write the things of unsound habits." Abel Jones is sometimes a little too rigid and self-deprecating to a fault. But he is an endearing character, nonetheless. Faded Coat of Blue is a book that I hated to see end. But the good news is that Parry is making the exploits of Abel Jones into a series, and Call Each River Jordan, Shadows of Glory and Honor's Kingdom have already been published. They have definitely been added to my reading list.
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Summary: The sights and smells of civil war Washington, DC
Review: This well researched and compelling book creates the atmosphere of Washington, DC during the first part of the civil war. The mystery is interesting enough to keep the reader occupied, but it is the description of the times that really engages you. The hero is a man of modest stature and clearly not a genius, but his stiff moral code and unwavering devotion to duty make him a man to admire. Not the most entertaining dinner companion, but a man you would want at your back during a brawl. The author presents the mindset of people of the times. Nationalities are sterotyped, but the author manages to mix in soem humor that lessens the sting. Enjoyable.
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Summary: ABEL IS CERTAINLY ABLE
Review: Usually I have an aversion to "historically" based fiction novels, but have been pleasantly surprised with the first in the Abel Jones series. Owen Parry's narrative, in Jones' first person narrative, sparkles with wit, sharp perception of the time and place he shares, and a knack for interesting and well-developed characters. While a murder mystery, it doesn't focus all of its time on the killer, and the perpetrator is easily discovered early on. It is Jones' dedication in exposing the killer that Parry shines. Jones is moral, sensitive, and extremely dedicated. He hates the war, but feels he owes it to his new country (he's originally from Wales), and his wife and young son, as well. His wife, Mary's, advice about the crime is sharp and Parry gives us a couple whose love and devotion is obvious, even though Mary has only one scene in the novel.
Parry also gives us some great supporting characters in Dr. Tyrone, Jones' unexpected ally; Mrs. Schutzengel, the German boarding house manager, with her dedication to a German revolution and her keen cooking skills; Molloy, a former friend of Jones who comes through when needed; and even Abraham Lincoln himself in a marvelous cameo at the book's close. Matthew Cawber, a potential villain, has a wonderful scene with Jones in which he powerfully states his innocence in the murder of the saintly Andrew Fowler.
All in all, a great start; am looking forward to reading the additional two books in this well-constructed series.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Rating:
Summary: A feast for the book-lover's soul
Review: Any lover of the written word -must- read Owen Parry. His vividly evocative and lyrical prose fires the imagination in the first paragraph and doesn't let up.
I have recommended this book to every reader I know, because you do not have to be a fan of mysteries (or the historical mystery sub-genre) to be entranced by Parry's masterful use of language, finely-drawn and very human cast of characters, and settings so deftly described that it is often difficult to recall that you haven't been there yourself.
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