Veiled in Smoke

Veiled in Smoke
by
Jocelyn Green


MY THOUGHTS
I am so excited about this new series, The Windy City Saga, that Jocelyn Green has started. Veiled in Smoke is set in Chicago at the time of the Great Fire in 1871. This is a fabulous story of the event, the destruction, and the amazing resilience of the people as they rebuilt their city, but it is also SO much more!

Veiled in Smoke is a story of destruction, despair, hope, and redemption wrapped around an intriguing mystery and a bit of romance!

I am absolutely amazed at the amount of research that went into this book and the way Green has intricately woven together so many aspects of life at that time. The heartbreakingly realistic story of the fire and its aftermath had my heart racing as characters ran for their lives and had me in tears as they returned to find their wonderful homes and city desolate. The pain of lost businesses, friends, and even abilities was raw and palpable, and as a reader I was praying for them and cheering them on as they rose above their situations and found new ways to support themselves and each other. This was especially timely for me as I have watched my daughter and her town of Panama City work to recover from the deadly hurricane that hit last year and I've watched from afar as the California and Colorado wildfires have devastated those areas.

The book also includes fascinating secondary stories that provide the reader with a sense of witnessing the inside operations of an insane asylum, the heart-rendering realities of prisoner of war camps and the resulting PTSD (called Soldier's Heart at the time), the operations of an 1800's newspaper, and the changing face of the art world! And it is done in such a way that it seems very logical and in no way overwhelming or confusing. As a history buff, I was in awe!

I highly recommend this book if you like intrigue, historical fiction, and romance that doesn't feel forced. I am in awe of authors who are able to make me feel like I am standing in the midst of history, and Jocelyn Green is a master.

ABOUT THE BOOK
Meg Townsend and her sister, Sylvie, seek a quiet existence managing the family bookshop. Meg feels responsible for caring for their father, Stephen, whose spirit and health are both damaged from his time as a prisoner during the Civil War. Her one escape is the paintings she creates and sells in the bookshop.

Then the Great Fire sweeps through Chicago's business district. The fiery explosions and chaos stir up memories of war for Stephen as he runs from the blaze and becomes separated from his daughters. Days later, when the smoke has cleared, Meg and Sylvie manage to reunite with him. Their home and shop are lost, and what's left among the ashes may be even more threatening than the flames, for they learn that a close friend was murdered the night of the fire--and Stephen has been charged with the crime. After he is committed to the Cook County Insane Asylum, where they cannot visit him, Stephen feels as lost to them as the shop that now lies in the rubble.

Though homeless and suddenly unemployed, Meg must not only gather the pieces of her shattered life but prove the truth of what happened that night, before the asylum truly drives her father mad.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jocelyn Green is the award-winning and bestselling author of numerous fiction and nonfiction books, including The Mark of the King, A Refuge Assured, and Between Two Shores. Her books have garnered starred reviews from Booklist and Publishers Weekly and have been honored with the Christy Award and the Golden Scroll. Jocelyn lives with her family in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Visit her at www.jocelyngreen.com.







Thank you to Bethany House Publishers for providing me with a copy. All opinions are my own.