Charity Cases

In the late 1800s, it was far from easy to be a woman. They were often at the mercy of their fathers and husbands, and while some were good men, many were cruel. That was the case with Louisa Heyer, a wealthy woman whose husband has committed her to an insane asylum under suspicious circumstances. It falls to Tom Kassel, a private detective, and a pair of female doctors to set her free and uncover the truth behind her husband’s motives.||Historical thrillers are possibly one of my favorite subgenres, and I found the plot of Charity Cases to be well-knitted together, with not a loose end in sight. Jane Shoup does an excellent job at crafting a narrative, and I was swept along for a thrilling, fast-paced ride. The only reason I can’t rate this higher is that I found the characterization lacking. So much of the book was plot and dialogue that I found myself some chapters in and realizing I couldn’t quite tell one character from another. On the whole, I enjoyed the book and would recommend it, but with the caveat that it is only good, not great.