1885 Crossings by A. E. Wasserman

AMAZON UK £4.99 £8.95

 AMAZON US $ 6.99 $11.95 

AMAZON CA $5.99

Book three the Langford Series

Fictional Saga

1800s

US / England

‘Anna’s hand holding the letter trembled as her vision rocked, going in and out of focus. She felt as though she was falling backward and at the same time rolling forward, expecting to land face first on the floor. She put her hand on the table to brace herself. She no longer heard the songbirds in the buckeye tree outside the window, or the hoofbeats on the cobblestones passing the front door, or any sound at all. The world around her ceased to exist, only the paper with Henry’s written words: his own account of what happened during the past year. The entire time, she’d known he wasn’t telling her everything but this … she could never have imagined any of it. The hard fact was, Henry will never escape the truth.’

The interesting thing about this series, apart, of course from being a set of engrossing tales and an absorbing series, is that we see the main characters, Henry, Anna and Langsford, in a different light in each story. And each story leaves you wondering about them – which in turn leads to surprises in the next instalment. The narrative is engrossing, the political and mystery elements  twist and turn equally so, and all I can say, without giving away any spoilers, is 'expect the unexpected' because Ms Wasserman, in addition to being a superb writer, is very adept at pulling surprises out of the bag.

1885 sees Anna and Henry in London, under difficult circumstances, the narrative running on from 1884 No Boundaries, (not yet reviewed by #DDRevs) and then continuing  in  1886 TiesThat Bind. Ms Wasserman is a very talented writer, and certainly seems to know her detail, especially where London in the late 1880s is concerned, but not just the city itself, its streets and its sights and smells, its elegant thoroughfares and its dark, cobbled streets, but its inhabitants as well, all coming vividly to life beneath the author’s skilled hands. The narrative ebbs and flows between hope and trouble, just as in real life, with the characters facing each step along the way just as real people do.

A worthy read – but start with 1884 to gain the full appreciation of Ms Wasserman’s excellent tales!

© Ellen Hill

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