Mute Witness

Rating:
Summary: Hoping for More
Review: A deftly woven web of intrigue that unfolds in 18th century London and Paris. The heroine's sensitivity to and training in the needs of the deaf enable her to win the confidence of a frightened mute witness to a crime and solve the mystery of her stepfather's death.

The vivid background descriptions capture the ambience of the period and pull the reader right into the settings. The cobblestone streets, the elegant castle interiors, the lush landscapes spring to life before the mind's eye.

O'Brien's erudition leaves its imprint in the authenticity of the novel's historical context; the social injustices of the time and even international politics are interwoven in the plot.

The budding romance between the strong-willed heroine and a chivalrous nobleman is allowed to develop just far enough to whet the reader's curiosity about how their relationship fares. One hopes for a sequel!

Rating:
Summary: a [price] trip to pre-revolution Paris
Review: Mr. O'Brien has not only succeeded in creating a gripping story: he has animated historical places and characters, weaving them effortlessly with the twists and turns of his plot. I was a history major, but never learned about revolutionary or pre-revolutionary Paris/France, and have never had a chance to travel there -- a good work of historical fiction is probably the best way to learn. Mute Witness has left a wonderfully alive picture of the times and places its characters inhabited.

WARNING: If you are prone to reading-induced insomnia, have someone hide this book before bedtime.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting history, coincidence solves the mystery
Review: When she learns of her stepfather's death, Anne Cartier joins handsome Colonel Paul De Saint-Martin in a trip to Paris. She is certain that he could not be guilty of the murder and suicide that the French officials have accused him of. Once in Paris, however, Anne learns that her stepfather's death is part of a larger scheme--a scheme involving some of the most important men in Ancien Regime France and huge thefts of precious jems and art works.

Through a repeated series of lucky coincidences, Anne, a teacher of the deaf, discovers a secret witness to the murder her stepfather was accused of, narrowly averts being abducted into a sadists lair, and discovers the secrets of the jewel thefts that shock all of France. Despite a complete unwillingness to take any precautions, Anne somehow manages to survive, eventually uncovering the full magnitude of the plot.

Author Charles O'Brien has set his historical mystery, MUTE WITNESS in the fascinating time immediately before the French Revolution. France continues to reel under the debt load it took on in its efforts to help America win its independence and is held hostage by bankers with ever-greater power. Thomas Jefferson walks the streets of Paris and Voltaire, Rousseau, and the other intellectual giants of the enlightenment are remembered firsthand.

Underdeveloped characters and a string of lucky coincidences marr a novel that shows real promise.