Blog Tour: The Assassin's Mark by David Ebsworth

The Assassin's Mark
David Ebsworth
SilverWood Books
2013
326 pages

'The facts are always written by the winning side. Don't you know that? Of course you do. You're a journalist Mister Telford.'

Set in the midst of the Spanish Civil War, The Assassin's Mark is an expertly paced thriller with extra thrills (seriously). Rather than get over-excited and give the plot away I'm going to let the blurb do the talking:

'September 1938. Spain's Civil War has been raging for two years, the outcome still in the balance. But rebel General Franco  is so confident of winning that he has opened up battlefield tourism along the country's north coast.

           Jack Telford, a reporter and self-professed Socialist, finds himself with an eccentric group of tourists on one of the War Route's yellow Chrysler buses. Driven by his passion for peace, Telford attempts to uncover the hidden truths beneath the conflict. 

         But Jack must contend first with his own gullibility, the tragic death of a fellow-passenger, capture by Republican guerrilleros, a final showdown at Spain's most holy shrine and the possibility that he has been badly betrayed. Betrayed and in serious danger.'

The Assassin's Mark starts as a formulaic crucible story - there is a bus and a group of less-than-trustworthy individuals. You just know something is going to go seriously wrong (which it does). Ebsworth uses this crucible with skill and keeps the tension simmering just below the surface throughout the novel, rising during each new stop on the bus tour. 

The key element of this type of thriller is characterisation and Ebsworth gets it spot on. Each character is given depth and history and their individual personalities are revealed and developed as the story progresses. I definitely have a preference for character-led novels and here there is a good balance between character and plot. The main character Jack Telford is an interesting one. A journalist for a left-wing paper and more or less the only non-fascist in the group, the action is seen through his eyes. We are privy to his inner thought which are very journalistic and questioning - you can imagine that we are reading his news stories as he is writing them.

The Assassin's Mark appealed to me as history nerd as well as a reader. Ebsworth demonstrates his research into the Spanish Civil War brilliantly without it overpowering the story. Rather than outweighing the story, the facts enhance it by adding another layer of meaning and reason to the characters actions. I enjoyed reading the lively debates between characters and I was pleased that there was a good exploration of the Civil War and the run up to the Second World War. I often find politics a bit (very) dry and my eyes do tend to glaze over but that never quite happened here. There was enough of it to be interesting and not too much that it fell into a judgemental political retrospective. 

The Assassin's Mark is a well balanced and well paced thriller reminiscent of Agatha Christie (I even noticed a sneaky homage in there. Unintended maybe, but I appreciated it nonetheless). This is a book for anyone interested in the Spanish Civil War or anyone who enjoys a good mystery novel with a smattering of historical tidbits. 

What do you think? Does this mix of history and mystery appeal to you?

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A review copy of this book was provided to me by the author for the purposes of this blog tour.

Mini Reviews: Wilkie and Chevalier

Over Christmas I gave myself the treat of reading books by two of my favourite authors. We all know Wilkie is up there but I'm not sure I've mentioned how much I love Tracy Chevalier and her novels (I probably have but just go with me). I was a little behind with TC, having discovered her after reading Falling Angels, her third novel. I also have to admit that I have not read Girl With a Pearl Earring - I do not doubt that the book is better (aren't they always?) but, having seen the film, I never felt the urge to read the book (I would never be able to get Firth out of my head). I actually studied Falling Angels (Suffragette high-five) in sixth form and compared it to George Gissing's The Odd Women and, considering it is a book I studied, I loved it and still do. Basically, what I'm trying to say in a ridiculously meandering and roundabout way, is that Tracy Chevalier is a darn good writer and storyteller and if you've not read anything by her then I don't see why you're still reading this when you could be rectifying the sad state of your literary experience.

The Frozen Deep by Wilkie Collins

'Alone! Alone on the frozen deep!'

I stumbled upon a copy of this lesser known Wilkie in Glasgow and obviously picked it up immediately. It is a novella that was first released as a play and performed by Wilkie himself and Charles Dickens. This novella has everything: an ill-fated arctic expedition, a guilt-ridden psychic, love triangles (ish) and  a sacrifice in the name of love (Richard Wardour was the influence for Sydney Carton in A Tale of Two Cities, FYI). The pacing was nice and swift - just what you'd expect from a novella - but not too fast that the climactic scene swings by with no notice. The women were a tad, well, over-feminine in their personalities (hysteria is involved) until they suddenly decided to go against stereotypes in a really pleasing way (ships are involved).

I'm not going to say it is Wilkie's best and I will be the first to admit that it is nowhere near as good as his other works. Having said that, it is a brilliant piece of melodramatic fun and absolutely perfect as a pick-me-up for these chilly winter nights.

The Last Runaway by Tracy Chevalier

'It is less distracting in the silence'

I think my little flurry of excitement above more or less indicates my reaction to this novel. There is something about Chevalier's stories that make you not want to stop reading. They have a very quiet power - there is no extreme drama or endless cliffhangers to keep me turning the pages but I keep turning them with relish nonetheless. I think it is the people she creates. They are so real you can imagine them as someone sat on the bus with you or someone you would pass walking down the street. Honor Bright, the focus of The Last Runaway, is no exception. I loved her as a character. I loved the way she made her decisions and thought about her religion deeply. She is a woman of her time and of her religion and it is important that she doesn't always make the 'right' choices but falls prey to family pressure. Having said that, she is not a wet blanket by any stretch of the imagination. 

I think a shout out for Belle Mills is also necessary. As a support character she is brilliant - to the point and with a completely no nonsense attitude to life. Her presence definitely made the novel much more lively. 

This novel gave me a really fascinating insight into the Quaker religion and the Underground Railroad. Both I knew very little about (I actually knew nothing about the latter) so as well as this being a lovely piece of fiction, it was also truly informative and has piqued my interest in a new to me subject.


Ok, so they were less reviews and more a jumble of random thoughts but hopefully you get the gist. Sometimes even my thoughts are incoherent.

Have you read The Frozen Deep or The Last Runaway? 

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Bout of Books: Wrap-Up

Right from the beginning I had planned for this Bout of Books to be a relaxed one. I made a few goals but they were fairly flexible and unspecific. The general plan was just to make more time for reading. For the first four days I definitely succeeded in this aim. I was helped along by the cold weather as I ended up cosied up in bed with my book unusually early just to get warm (I was not complaining). I read as usual on my commute (though it's only 30 minutes) and on my lunchbreak. 

Then I hit Friday...as much as I wanted to be reading, life just got in the way. My Dad was in London on Friday night and then it was my brother's birthday at the weekend so we had him and his girlfriend round for Saturday night. I also had a friend round for the weekend (busy flat) and we spent hours on Saturday in the Science Museum (they have a flight simulator which is actually the best thing ever). Then yesterday was spent snuggled up on the sofa attempting to get over my hangover. We watched movies (Star Trek and Ghostbusters) and then finished the day with a huge roast. Safe to say, I didn't make it to Sherlock time.

Even if I missed the second half of the week a little, Bout of Books 9.0 was another brilliant week. I visited some new blogs, shared the bookish enthusiasm and had a rip-roaring good time in general. Amazing.

Books finished: 2 - The Lie and It's In the Box
Books read from: The Lie, It's In the Box, The Assassin's Mark, Z

Although I didn't quite finish the books I had intended, I made good progress with all of them and I suspect I'll finish both The Assassin's Mark and Z this week. I'm loving everything I'm reading at the moment and long may it continue.


How was your Bout of Books? Did you achieve your goals?

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Bout of Books: Thursday

Thursday was another fast day for me (gnawed left arm off) and I was so BUSY. I'm one of those slightly odd people that thrives on being busy and pressure so I had a pretty good day (apart from the whole not eating thing). Unfortunately, being busy does not leave a huge amount of time for reading. I missed my usual lunch hour fix and I didn't get to bed until late so I'm thinking I managed just under an hour of reading, if that. Still, some reading is better than no reading, AMIRITE?

I'm really getting into The Assassin's Mark, the action is all hotting up and I can tell it's going to be unputdownable towards the end. I think I'm going to stick with Z for Friday though, a day away from Scott and Zelda is all I can manage! Givemethejazzage!

Number of pages read: 70

Books finished to date: 2

Books read from: The Assassin's Mark by David Ebsworth

Working lunch in Starbucks

How was your Thursday?

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Bout of Books: Wednesday

Wednesday was a very uneventful day. I went to work, went to the gym (not a great experience given the influx of resolution-runners), did some tinkering on the old blog (CSS/HTML confuse the actual hell out of me), read a little and then conked out.

I'm really enjoying Z so far (I'm about 100 pages in). There are some really fascinating insights into their relationship and I'm interested to see how it continues. I have read bits of Dear Scott, Dearest Zelda (a collection of their letters) and Zelda's Save Me the Waltz so various elements are quite familiar. I think Fowler has done such a brilliant job of making Scott and Zelda such energetic and authentic characters. No doubt I'll have a ton of thoughts when I've finished!

Number of pages read: 120
Number of books finished so far: 2 
Books read from: Z by Therese Anne Fowler, The Assassin's Mark by David Ebsworth

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Bout of Books: Tuesday

Today was my first fast day (I've started the 5:2 in an attempt to get healthy again), which, much to my surprise worked really well for a readathon day. I was so distracted by the books that the fact my stomach was attempting to digest itself did not (always) register with me. Books make an excellent distraction.

Number of pages read: 30% kindle, 50 pages (I think)
Number of books finished: 2 (technically)
Books read from: It's in the Box, The Lie, Assassin's Mark

I finished 2 books today *victory dance*! The Lie by Helen Dunmore was completely brilliant and, when I've finished processing it, I will be cracking on with reviewing it and trying to persuade everyone to read it. I also finished a really short novella/short story from LitBits called It's in the Box by Jack D'Aragon. At only about 16 pages, this was perfect for my tube ride home and I'll be talking more about LitBits soon (genius idea).

How was your Tuesday?

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Blog Tour: The Gods of Heavenly Punishment

The Gods of Heavenly Punishment

Jennifer Cody Epstein

W.W Norton and Company

Paperback publication date: January 2014

'"It's war, buddy," he'd said. "Anything's possible."'

The Gods of Heavenly Punishment is a sweeping tale that follows three men as their paths cross and entwine to change the life of a young girl. It is devastating and harrowing but at the same time poignant and beautiful. From the blurb:

'One summer night in pre-war Japan, eleven-year-old Billy Reynold takes snapshots at his parents' dinner party. That same evening his father Anton- a prominent American architect - begins a torrid after with the wife of his master carpenter. A world away in New York, Cameron Richards rides a Ferris wheel with his sweetheart and dreams about flying a plane. These three men will all draw together to shape the fate of a young girl caught in the midst of one of World War II's most horrific events - the 1945 firebombing of Tokyo.'

Perhaps my favourite element of this book is the way the separate narratives weave and converge. I have a soft spot for multi-narrative novels and this one does it so brilliantly. Each narrative is different and self-contained so much so that each could form a novel in itself, but rather than staying separate they link in really subtle and interesting ways. This is definitely a symbol laden novel - there are objects and ideas that crop up in each narrative time and time again, like the hawk and the 'come home to me safely' ring. I really like this because of the way it links the seemingly disparate characters.

On the cover there is a quote from Vogue that talks about the novel's 'romantic serendipities'. I love the word serendipitous anyway, but it is actually the most perfectly apt word to describe the relationships in this novel. It is romances, love affairs and unusual friendships that link the various narratives together and gives an emotional power* to The Gods of Heavenly Punishment.

It is not a book to read if you're in the mood for a jolly piece of light fiction. This is an emotional, powerful, often disturbing and frequently thought-provoking read. As much as I know about the two World Wars, I have never looked into the Japan element outside of GCSE history (that was a LONG time ago). There is this whole other part of the war that is utterly huge and utterly devastating. I really am grateful to Jennifer Cody Epstein for writing about the firebombing of Tokyo and educating me along the way.

This is a book that pull you in, shakes you up, and spits you back out again with a new knowledge of the past and a new outlook for the future. The easiest way to describe how I felt when reading this book is 'involved'. I was right there, within its pages, suffering the hardships and joys along with the central characters. It's a long time since a book held me that fiercely. If you don't know what I mean then just read it, like, now.

About the Author

Jennifer Cody Epstein is the author of The Gods of Heavenly Punishment and the international bestseller The Painter from Shanghai. She has written for The Wall Street Journal, The Asian Wall Street Journal, Self, Mademoiselle and NBC, and has worked in Hong Kong, Japan and Bangkok, Thailand. She lives in Brooklyn, NY with her husband, two daughters and especially needy Springer Spaniel.

For more information, please visit Jennifer Cody Epstein’s website and blog.  You can also find her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter.


For other stops on the tour take a look at the tour schedule.

Thanks for HFVBT and the publisher for providing me with a copy to review.


Have you read The Gods of Heavenly Punishment? If not, would you?


*I don't want to say it made me cry because I feel like I'm always talking about how books make me sob like an actual heartbroken baby. But, sod it, I'm not ashamed to admit that certain sections of this book made me positively well up. SO GOOD.

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