Category Archives: Kristina McMorris

August 27, 2018 · 11:57 pm

Review: Sold on a Monday by Kristina McMorris

Title: Sold on a Monday by Kristina McMorris
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
Genre: Historical (30s), Fiction
Length: 352 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

From New York Times bestselling author Kristina McMorris comes another unforgettable novel inspired by a stunning piece of history. 

2 CHILDREN FOR SALE

The sign is a last resort. It sits on a farmhouse porch in 1931, but could be found anywhere in an era of breadlines, bank runs and broken dreams. It could have been written by any mother facing impossible choices.

For struggling reporter Ellis Reed, the gut-wrenching scene evokes memories of his family’s dark past. He snaps a photograph of the children, not meant for publication. But when it leads to his big break, the consequences are more devastating than he ever imagined.

At the paper, Lillian Palmer is haunted by her role in all that happened. She is far too familiar with the heartbreak of children deemed unwanted. As the bonds of motherhood are tested, she and Ellis must decide how much they are willing to risk to mend a fractured family.

Inspired by an actual newspaper photograph that stunned the nation, Sold on a Monday is a powerful novel of love, redemption, and the unexpected paths that bring us home.

Review:

Based on a real life event, Sold on a Monday by Kristina McMorris is a heart wrenching historical novel that is poignant and thought-provoking.

Society writer Ellis Reed captures a photo that secretary Lily Palmer brings to the attention of her boss. He in turn instructs Reed to write an article to accompany the picture of the two young boys with a sign that reads “children for sale”. However, right before the article is published, the photo and negative are destroyed. When Ellis returns to the farmhouse and discovers the family has moved, he finds himself in a moral dilemma that is solved by his decision to stage a new snapshot with different children. The article captures the heart of America but Ellis remains conflicted about the second photo. Fast forward a few months and Reed is offered a new position that launches his career as a newspaper reporter. But, at the back of his mind, the fate of those two children continues to haunt him. Determined to find out how the kids and their mother are faring, Ellis is stunned by what he discovers.

Lily is a gifted writer but in 1931, journalism is a man’s field and women are often relegated to writing puff pieces. Fully cognizant of this fact, she is hoping her job as a secretary will be a stepping stone to becoming a reporter.  She  is immediately touched by Ellis’s photo but she has no idea the original photo was accidentally destroyed. As soon she learns the truth, she, too, is concerned about the fate of the family in the staged photo. Lily becomes the driving force in righting a terrible wrong but will she and Ellis uncover the truth before it is too late?

Sold on a Monday is a truly fascinating novel that is fast-paced and engaging. Ellis and Lily are realistically developed characters who are endearingly flawed yet this just adds to their appeal. Kristina McMorris paints an intriguing and heartbreaking portrait of the hardships, social stigmas and seamy underworld of the time period. Readers of the genre are sure to enjoy this wonderful story that tugs on the heartstrings.

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Filed under Contemporary, Fiction, Historical, Historical (30s), Kristina McMorris, Rated B, Review, Sold on a Monday, Sourcebooks Landmark

November 18, 2015 · 11:58 pm

Review: The Edge of Lost by Kristina McMorris

edge of lostTitle: The Edge of Lost by Kristina McMorris
Publisher: Kensington
Genre: Historical, Mystery, Suspense
Length: 352 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

From New York Times bestselling author Kristina McMorris comes an ambitious and heartrending story of immigrants, deception, and second chances.

On a cold night in October 1937, searchlights cut through the darkness around Alcatraz. A prison guard’s only daughter–one of the youngest civilians who lives on the island–has gone missing. Tending the warden’s greenhouse, convicted bank robber Tommy Capello waits anxiously. Only he knows the truth about the little girl’s whereabouts, and that both of their lives depend on the search’s outcome.

Almost two decades earlier and thousands of miles away, a young boy named Shanley Keagan ekes out a living as an aspiring vaudevillian in Dublin pubs. Talented and shrewd, Shan dreams of shedding his dingy existence and finding his real father in America. The chance finally comes to cross the Atlantic, but when tragedy strikes, Shan must summon all his ingenuity to forge a new life in a volatile and foreign world.

Skillfully weaving these two stories, Kristina McMorris delivers a compelling novel that moves from Ireland to New York to San Francisco Bay. As her finely crafted characters discover the true nature of loyalty, sacrifice, and betrayal, they are forced to confront the lies we tell–and believe–in order to survive.

Review:

Spanning nearly twenty years, The Edge of Lost by Kristina McMorris is a captivating story of friendship, second chances and redemption. This well researched and intriguing novel follows Shanley “Shan” Keagan as he immigrates from Ireland to New York where he is unofficially adopted by an Italian-American family.

Orphaned at a young age, Shan is a gifted entertainer who travels to New York with hopes of finding his biological father. Calling in a favor with Nick, the young man he helped rescue from a tricky situation during the voyage, Shan is grateful to his adopted family for helping give him a fresh start in America. Shan remains loyal to his new family and while he manages to stay out of trouble, Nick is rebellious and begins working for gangster Max Trevino. Following a terrible misunderstanding with Nick, Shan strikes out on his own where he eventually achieves a modicum of success with his vaudeville act. Years later, Shan unwittingly gets involved in a crime while trying to save Nick and eventually winds up incarcerated at the infamous Alcatraz Prison in San Francisco.

Shan is a wonderful protagonist who makes the best of the opportunities afforded to him. He is hardworking, smart and loyal but he still manages to find himself in situations not of his own making. Not wanting to disappoint his adopted parents or end like up his dissolute and abusive uncle, Shan is determined to make an honest living and he keeps his distance from Nick’s illegal activities. When he feels he must leave his adopted family behind, he uses his skills as an entertainer to make a living traveling with other vaudeville and burlesque performers. Despite going out of his way to keep out of trouble, his well-intentioned effort to save Nick backfires and he is convicted of armed robbery.  Following altercations with another inmate, Shan transferred to Alcatraz where he stays out of trouble with hopes that his good behavior will help get him released from prison early.

The Edge of Lost is an engaging novel that paints a vivid portrait of life as an immigrant during the Roaring Twenties. Kristina McMorris touches on the rise of illegal activity in the wake of Prohibition and the difficulties of trying to run an honest business in the midst of strong arm tactics by gangsters. The meticulous attention to detail brings the time period, characters and various settings vibrantly to life. Unexpected twists and turns bring the novel to a dramatic and highly satisfying conclusion.

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Filed under Historical (20s), Historical (30s), Kensington, Kristina McMorris, Mystery, Rated B+, Review, Suspense, The Edge of Lost

November 25, 2013 · 11:58 pm

Review: The Pieces We Keep by Kristina McMorris

Title: The Pieces We Keep by Kristina McMorris
Publisher: Kensington
Genre: Contemporary, Historical (WWII)
Length: 464 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

In this richly emotional novel, Kristina McMorris evokes the depth of a mother’s bond with her child, and the power of personal histories to echo through generations…

Two years have done little to ease veterinarian Audra Hughes’s grief over her husband’s untimely death. Eager for a fresh start, Audra plans to leave Portland for a new job in Philadelphia. Her seven-year-old son, Jack, seems apprehensive about flying—but it’s just the beginning of an anxiety that grows to consume him.

As Jack’s fears continue to surface in recurring and violent nightmares, Audra hardly recognizes the introverted boy he has become. Desperate, she traces snippets of information unearthed in Jack’s dreams, leading her to Sean Malloy, a struggling US Army veteran wounded in Afghanistan. Together they unravel a mystery dating back to World War II, and uncover old family secrets that still have the strength to wound—and perhaps, at last, to heal.

Intricate and beautifully written, The Pieces We Keep illuminates those moments when life asks us to reach beyond what we know and embrace what was once unthinkable. Deftly weaving together past and present, herein lies a story that is at once poignant and thought-provoking, and as unpredictable as the human heart.

The Review:

Kristina McMorris’ The Pieces We Keep is haunting and bittersweet story of two different women, one in the present, one in the past and the inexplicable connection that brings them together. This intriguing and engrossing novel unfolds from both women’s perspectives with the chapters alternating between the two different time periods. The unpredictable and inventive storyline is riveting, but it is the incredible cast of characters that makes this story so utterly captivating.

Beginning with a highly dramatic end to their plane trip, life for grieving widow Audra Hughes and her son Jack is about to spiral out of control. Horrific and recurring night terrors, increasingly violent artwork and unexplained knowledge of wartime events by seven year Jack leave Audra desperately seeking answers for his increasingly bizarre behavior. Her quest to help Jack leads her to very a unusual possible explanation involving wounded Afghanistan solider Sean Malloy and a failed World War II romance between a young American woman and a young German man.

Two years after her husband’s sudden death, Audra is still struggling to balance her work and home life. Thinking a fresh start is what she and Jack both need to move on, Audra is interviewing for jobs out of state when Jack’s problems escalate out of control. Luckily she has a good friend and her former in laws to assist her, but her sleepless nights and increasing concern for Jack take their toll and Audra leaves her job to care for him full time. Jack’s encounter with Sean leads Audra to a startling conclusion and after she confides her suspicions to Jack’s grandparents, she is stunned by their unexpected reaction.

Just as compelling as Audra and Jack’s part of the storyline is the romance that forms between American Vivian James and Isaak, the young man she meets in England in the days leading up to World War II. Separated after the war begins, Vivian’s new life in New York takes an unanticipated detour just as she is on the verge of a new relationship. Vivian is forced to make a decision that has far reaching implications that reverberate for several generations.

The premise of The Pieces We Keep is quite fascinating and it is virtually impossible to fit the pieces of the puzzle together. The parallels between the two women’s emotions and experiences coupled with the chapters ending on suspenseful note keep the pages of the novel briskly turning. Kristina McMorris’ meticulous research and historical accuracy provide a richly detailed backdrop for the unfolding storylines. All of the various threads are tied together in a satisfying conclusion that leaves no question unanswered.

An astounding novel that I recommend to fans of both historical and contemporary fiction.

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Filed under Contemporary, Historical, Kensington, Kristina McMorris, Rated B+, Review, The Pieces We Keep