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BROTHERS OF CAIN
by Miriam Grace Monfredo
Berkley Prime Crime, September 2002
323 pages
ISBN: 0425181898


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

Miriam Grace Monfredo's historical mystery series should, pure and simple, get a lot more attention than it does. While there are big names in the historical mystery biz, not enough praise is given to this series which began during the time of the Seneca Falls Women's Rights Convention of 1848 and has now moved into the heat of the Civil War, showing me things I knew nothing about.

This book is closely tied to Sisters Of Cain of 2000; in this story, Bronwen and Kathryn's brother Seth, a Union soldier, is captured and he's being used as bait to lure Treasury agent (read "spy") Bronwen into the open. Because of this, it really helps to have read the previous book in order to understand the relationships and connections in this one.

There is much to understand and study in this 1862 mystery; spying during the Civil War (by women as well as men)is a fascinating topic and a true story; the stories of individuals in war are worth reading (I can say this with some reality, having recently read A People's History of the American Revolution). Sister Kathryn, who is working as a nurse and has few political feelings -- she just feels that helping hurt soldiers is something one must do -- fights hard to do her job, facing the blatant sexism of the times (women were supposed to knit and stay out of the way, and of course were too delicate to do any real nursing).

It's an author's right to go in whatever direction her writing takes her. The truth is that I miss Glynis Tryon and Jacques Sundown; Glynis makes a cameo appearance in this book, merely to say goodbye to Constable (and friend) Cullen Stuart. Sundown is nowhere to be seen. And while I should just move on, because there is so much of interest in these books, the other truth is that I don't like the lead characters in this book. I don't like Bronwen; although I respect her, she is always right, strident, and simply never willing to concede that someone else's idea might have merit. I respect her determination and courage, and understand that in order to do what she does, a lot of self-assurance and a touch of arrogance are needed, but her righteousness bugs me. And I detest O'Hara as well. Her colleague is annoying and too full of himself. He might think himself witty and worth attention, but not from me. If someone repeatedly called me by a nickname I found offensive, would not listen and found it funny, I'd do something about it -- in the times, I might have slapped his face. He's not funny (except to himself), and he's not worth the energy. He's tiresomely offensive, no matter how clever he is.

It's at the very least rude of me to complain that I miss the "old days" of a series, but in large part that was due to the personalities of the lead characters in the earlier books; I prefer Glynis rather than her niece Bronwen, and Sundown and Cardoza-Levy win over O'Hara and even Kathryn, who is a very interesting person. I read the entire book and will continue to read the series -- the events are fascinating, the stories intriguing -- but if Bronwen Llyr doesn't shut up and learn to listen to others, and doesn't tone down her arrogance a little, it's going to be an uphill climb.

Editoržs Note: This review is based on the hardcover edition. It will be available in paperback in September of 2002.

Reviewed by Andi Shechter, October 2001

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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


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