O'Brien's Desk: Review

Reviewed by Keri Minehart

O'Brien's Desk is the debut novel by author Ona Russell. Some of the issues addressed in the book—political corruption, drug addiction, anti-Semitism and homophobia—could easily be ripped from today’s headlines, but when Russell read of them, the newspapers they came from were anything but current. The clippings she pored over were from the 1920s, hidden for more than 70 years in a dusty pile of scrapbooks. These articles—chronicling the life of O’Brien O’Donnell, a highly public yet secretive judge—became the foundation for Russell’s first historical mystery, O’Brien’s Desk, hailed by NPR’s Richard Lederer as “terrific” and “riveting” and by novelist Anne Perry as “an intriguing and thoroughly researched story that gives us insight into the moral dilemmas of 20th Century America.”

The year is 1923, and O’Brien O’Donnell, called Obee by his friends, is a well-loved judge in Toledo, Ohio. His progressive politics and humanitarian strides make him one of Ohio’s most admired figures. At 59, he has recently married and become a father for the first time. Soon after the birth of his daughter, Obee receives a chilling blackmail letter that takes him to the brink of insanity. From his hospital bed, he turns to his trusted colleague, Sarah Kaufman (who was also a real person), for help. Sarah is a woman ahead of her time—a single, Jewish, career woman of exceptional intelligence and strength. She is eager to stop the blackmailer from ruining Obee’s chances for re-election and launches an investigation to clear his name. In doing so, she risks her own life to save his.

An interesting note about O’Brien’s Desk is that the real-life O'Brien O'Donnell was Russell's grandfather-in-law. When her mother-in-law passed away, she came across O’Donnell’s scrapbooks, and she began work on her first novel based on information she gained from them. The scrapbooks weren’t her only source however; Russell did meticulous research to make the story more authentic.

Equal parts rich history lesson and can’t-set-down mystery, this novel has already left a wake of enthusiastic readers in its path. Many of them are eagerly anticipating Russell’s next novel in the series, set during the Scopes “Monkey” trial, also with Sarah Kaufman as the heroine. Russell's attention to detail, especially in describing 1920s Ohio and its political climate, add to the quality of the novel. O'Brien's Desk would be a great read for any fan of historical fiction.

More information about this book:
Sunstone Press, April 2004
www.onarussell.com

Glimpses of Paradise: 1920s Los Angeles

Glimpses of Paradise, by James Scott Bell, is a stand-alone novel that brings more of Bell’s historical fiction: early 20th century Los Angeles and courtroom drama. (Click here for an interview with the author about this book) Starting in 1916 in rural Nebraska, the story follows the lives of two young people – Doyle Lawrence, son of a well-to-do lawyer; and Zee Miller, a wild preacher’s daughter. Through various circumstances during and after World War I, the two find themselves out in Los Angeles, where most of the story takes place. Zee pursues an acting career in the silent-film era of Hollywood, and Doyle bums his way to Los Angeles as a down-and-out doughboy.

“Kit Shannon” series fans will enjoy this book, which introduces the lawyer again: now in her early forties, widowed, and still practicing law. Yet she is clearly not the star of this book, but more in the background. The courtroom drama is also at a minimum in this book – a few scenes of a pre-trial hearing, but nothing more. As with the previous books, the author does a decent job of portraying the setting – in this case, early Hollywood, bootleggers and the general crime of the early 1920s, within the Los Angeles setting. Bell’s research in Christian Apologetics and history is well done, too, with some biographical information about evangelist R.A. Torrey. Torrey is the only historical character in this book (aside from brief references to well-known movie stars, never directly featured, such as Charlie Chaplin and Mary Pickford), yet Glimpses of Paradise brings forth interesting information about this man. The information on Torrey, though – including a brief biography at the end of the book – is generalized, without reference to his particular beliefs; no mention is made of his involvement with the Keswick movement (part of the Holiness movement, a precursor to modern-day Pentecostalism).

The main weakness in Glimpses of Paradise is perhaps that the main characters are not particularly likeable, especially at the beginning. We all know about the returning soldiers from war, including the ones that had trouble readjusting to society. Yet these typically included soldiers that came back without a leg (or other physical impairment) and/or those that lacked strong family support. Doyle returns physically unharmed, and has plenty of love and support from many family members. He isn’t exactly shell-shocked, but just seems to have an incredibly bad attitude (exhibited to some degree even before the war), as he callously rejects and runs away from his family. Zee Miller doesn’t seem any better – a selfish, self-centered brat who takes rebellion to a level not usually demonstrated by young women raised in small-town America before World War I.

For all these initial shortcomings, the story does improve later on. We soon forget the original setting and focus on the activities of both characters in Los Angeles. Some new, likeable characters, such as Molly, are introduced along the way. The author uses the characters Doyle and Zee to provide great contrast in character study, as we observe how they react to their circumstances. Indeed, both characters left to themselves are hopeless and sinful (as we all are), yet through the grace of God at least one character changes and grows. Still, both Doyle and Zee have to learn life the hard way.

Glimpses of Paradise is overall a nice addition to Christian historical fiction. It offers fans of Kit Shannon a follow-up, and for readers generally an interesting story about life in Los Angeles (and the depths of depravity) during the early 1920s.

The Shiloh Legacy: World War I Veterans 10 Years Later

Bodie Thoene’s Shiloh Legacy series includes two more books after the great beginning of In My Father’s House. The next two books, A Thousand Shall Fall and Say to This Mountain, are written as a double-novel, one continuous story that takes place ten years after the first book’s end. Through these two books, we explore the world of America in the last half of 1929 – the Stock Market Crash and the beginning of the Great Depression.

A Thousand Shall Fall sets the scene in the last two months before the crash, a snapshot of life during the crazy days of the booming Wall Street right before its collapse. The concluding book picks right up where the previous one left off, at the beginning of the actual stock market crash in late October, through the end of that year. As with the first book in the series, the novels again follow the lives of several World War I veterans in their lives across America – Oklahoma, Ohio, and New York City – to give a broad picture of classic American life in the late 1920s.

Of course, ten years have passed, and so new characters are introduced – especially Birch and Trudy’s young boys Tommy and Bobby, and Max Meyer’s son David. While the Tucker family portrays the idyllic rural family living out in the sticks of Shiloh, Arkansas, David Meyer is a street-wise city kid living in Philadelphia, who seeks out his father living in another big city, New York. A Thousand Shall Fall thus provides plenty of contrasts – life out on the farm, small-town gossip and racial strife, as opposed to the dark life of gangsters and the free-wheeling wealthy consumed with the Stock Market. Though the Tucker story is interesting enough, the New York plot is a much greater page-turner; Davey Meyer is an especially fascinating character, in a story somewhat reminiscent of Charles Dickens novels.

After resolving some of the suspense in A Thousand Shall Fall, the concluding book deals more with characters and their relationships. How will the Tucker family, Jefferson Canfield, and Max and his son survive the Great Depression? After wondering about the Warne family in Ohio (never mentioned in the first half of the 1929 story), we also get their view – and that of Jefferson’s family -- living in the Rubber Capitol of Akron, Ohio. This last book focuses more on personal religious faith, as Max continues to come to terms with his life – beyond just finding out about David. The black characters, mainly the various family members of Hock and Willa Mae Canfield, are also well-developed and strong in their hope in God against all the terrible circumstances they face.

Apparently many of the characters are featured in other Thoene books (Zion Covenant and Zion Chronicles), but "The Shiloh Legacy" only has brief references to characters in the "Zion Covenant" series. One line mentions Max’s "rookie reporter" John Murphy, but even more interesting is the revelation of the "D’Fat Lady" singer, as the identity of Hattie Canfield, one of Jefferson’s sisters. But several of the characters, including Ellie Warne (briefly introduced here as a 9-year-old, nicknamed "Boots"), show up in the "Zion Chronicles" series. As I read these books I could not help but consider, too, that the children of 1929 would indeed grow up to be the young adults of the World War II era. The "Shiloh Legacy" is another excellent series from Bodie Thoene, one that could easily go beyond the three books in the set.

Mountain Shadows: Regional Fiction about the Adirondacks

Mountain Shadows, by Patricia Reiss Brooks, is an interesting regional historical fiction novel that highlights a unique period in American history. Through the setting – upper New York State in 1926 – we get a look at both the Prohibition-era "rum runners" and the tuberculosis "cure cottages" of Saranac Lake.

Irish Catholic Joe Devlin struggles to pay for his wife’s ever-increasing medical bills at a cure cottage. Along the way he ends up working with the rum runners, leading a very confused double-life –a mechanic at the Club in Lake Placid during the week, a rum runner going up to Canada on weekends, mixed in with visits to his sick wife.

The regional history research is outstanding, particularly about the troopers’ special unit and their escapades with the "rum runners." The cure cottage scenes also portray the strange world of "lungers" sleeping outside on porches while enjoying the carefree, morally loose "Roaring Twenties." Mountain Shadows doesn’t really elaborate on the history (prior to 1925) of the tuberculosis "cure" in Saranac Lake, or of the detailed care available at the sanatoriums. Rather, the story gives a glimpse at one sample "cure cottage," and what daily life may have been like, complete with the list of "the rules" the patients followed. The overall climate, the special community feeling, of Saranac Lake is also well contrasted with the outside world. Lake Placid in particular was quite clear about keeping the diseases out; the story even hints at the standard prejudice of the time, referencing a sign marked "no jews or lungers."

The author’s website, www.mountainshadowsbook.com, has additional research material as well as background related to this novel.

The story itself is well-written, with a decent, suspenseful page-turning plot. Other than Joe, the characters are not all well-defined and seem rather stereotyped in some cases. The ending seems a bit rushed, as it takes the easiest way out of the many problems to get to a neat conclusion. Still, the story and overall dialog works great, keeping the story moving. Mountain Shadows is an entertaining read and interesting for its look at this unusual period of New York State history.

Shadows of the Canyon: Life with the Harvey Girls

Tracie Peterson’s "Desert Roses" series begins with Shadows of the Canyon, set in Arizona in 1923. Alexandria "Alex" Keegan has worked the last few years as a Harvey Girl in the prestigious El Tovar hotel near the Grand Canyon, hoping to save enough money to leave and take her mother with her, far away from her philandering father. She also enjoys her close friendship with rancher Luke Toland.
It is campaign time that summer, with several Democratic candidates gathering at El Tovar to begin their attempts to win the White House. Through the local workers, mainly Alex and Luke, and the wealthy visitors, Shadows of the Canyon shows an interesting time and region, the early years of the Roaring Twenties in the American Southwest.

The history of this story includes the last days of President Hoover’s administration, including his sudden death in early August (possibly from food poisoning, though many historians today believe he died of a heart attack). The El Tovar was, and is, an actual hotel, a luxury hotel far nicer than the standard train-stop restaurants. By 1923, Fred Harvey himself has passed on, and the Harvey business is in its heyday.

Beyond the basic historical setting, though, is a good page-turner, part murder-mystery and thriller, that could occur in any setting. The main relationship theme is common enough: a young woman distrustful of men, who must learn to trust. A secondary plot involves change and maturity in another young woman who at first appears as a rather flippant, superficial and unlikable character.

The main characters, Alex and Luke, are well developed. The novel also shows a good progression of character for Valerie Winthrop--from rich, spoiled girl to one broken in spirit when events get out of her control. Other characters, such as the father Rufus Keegan and crazy-man Joel Harper, seem more exaggerated and the stuff of movies, larger than real-life. Still, they provide suspense and a quick-moving plot, the classic villains in a story where good must ultimately win.

Shadows of the Canyon works well as a stand-alone novel, yet it is the first in a series about unrelated "Harvey Girls" in pre-World War II American West. This first story keeps the action going, then wraps up all the loose plot ends in a somewhat lengthy denouement. This book is a fun read, and a great start to an interesting series.