I truly enjoyed the book. The author included two different timelines in the story-line, with each chapter told from the perspective of a character. There was a connection between the past and present, and each woman had to overcome hardships. The book contained elements of fantasy, magic, romance, and historical fiction, all woven together into a wonderful novel. I especially loved the relationship between Martha and Henry as they searched for the lost manuscript and bookshop. All of the secondary characters added to the story especially Madame Bowden Martha's employer. She would show up numerous times to assist Martha with a difficult situation. I did not predict the ending and it was magical.

The book was set in the Appalachian area where folktales and superstitions are prevalent. I did find the storyline a bit confusing in the beginning until I was able to figure out all of the characters and their position in the family. I did have to reread some of the prose to keep track of the plot because it was a bit wordy at times. Overall, I did enjoy the book but I found it to be a bit creepy, weird, haunting, and unpredictable. This may have not been the genre for me but if you love the supernatural and the gothic this is the book for you.

The book started out slowly and was hard to follow in the beginning. This is the first book from the author that I have read so I have nothing to compare to. The book was told by different narrators and there were times that I was unsure of who was talking at the time. The way the author incorporates the past with the present enhanced the plot and the mystery around the "secret" kept me reading on. The characters were interesting and the ending was unpredictable.

Although I enjoyed the book, I found the switching between characters voice was distracting and there were times that I felt that the characters were not developed fully. The author’s description of the Palio, the town and the life during that time period was informative, interesting and well researched. There were twists and turns that made it interesting. If you like historical novels with some romance than you will enjoy this book.

I really enjoyed this historical novel. It was a page turner and there were times that I was at the edge of my seat. There was suspense, terror and the characters felt real to me. The book was beautifully written and I felt that I was right there on the boat with the Jaffy and all of the other bizarre characters. I look forward to reading Ms. Birch's other books.

What a wonderful memoir. I felt that I was having a conversation with the author and there were parts that were very funny and I could relate to the situation. The author's relationship with his father was very different and powerful. There were parts that were very emotional and I did shed some tears. If you are an animal lover you will love this book. Maybe you will learn something from the people and the animals in the book.

As I was reading,I got a feel of how business deals are conducted in Russia and how corrupt it can be. This was a great debut novel that included evil, corruption, romance and deceit. In the beginning, I was trying to figure out what the title had to do with the story and as I read on, it all fell into place. There are some books that I can predict the ending and this was not one of those. The book was well written and the characters were very interesting as well as complicated. A must read.

This is my first book I have read in the series. I felt that it was a little slow moving and some of the characters were flat. There were times that I did not known where Rutledge was as he was traveling around the country. I know that this is a stand alone novel but if I had read some of the other books in the series, I may have understood Rutledge better. When I found out who the killer was I was not impressed but I read on. I am not saying it is an awful novel but it does not suit my taste.