C.L.R. Peterson Blog
Book Reviews & More
Courage in the Paris Underground
If you enjoy novels that stretch characters to their limits, or even beyond, to pursue their highest calling, you’ll love Skylark! I review this new novel by Paula McLain.
Two Days to Disaster: The Genius of Robert Harris’s Pompeii
What if the fate of Pompeii depended not on a soldier or emperor, but on an engineer racing against a mountain ready to explode? I review Robert Harris’s novel, Pompeii.
From Secret Intelligence to Soufflés: How WWII Shaped a Culinary Icon
How did Julia McWilliams progress from her role as a clerk for the Office of Strategic Services (the CIA’s predecessor) to gathering intelligence in World War II to becoming a celebrity chef and cookbook author? We discuss a surprising novel based on a little-known part of the famous chef’s life.
When Beliefs Collide: Courage Under Fire in Tudor England
Long before bookseller Kate sets her eyes upon Thomas More, she already fears and hates him. In The Heretic’s Wife, author Brenda Rickman Vantrease skillfully weaves Kate’s life-or-death choices into this novel set in Tudor England.
When Privilege Meets Purpose: A Review of Last Light Over Galveston
For a well-bred young lady in 1900, the path to a comfortable life was clear: marry a wealthy gentleman. But what happens when that path clashes with a woman’s own burgeoning sense of justice and morality? This central question lies at the heart of Jennifer L. Wright’s Last Light Over Galveston, my book review choice for this month.
Can a Saint Plot a Killing? Bonhoeffer’s Moral Dilemma
Should a man who participated in plots to kill Adolf Hitler be considered a saint? I review Denise Giardina’s historical novel, Saints and Villains, which gives readers an informed opportunity to make their own judgment about Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s character.
Get My New Short Story!
Verona, 1571.
When Caterina welcomes her husband’s brilliant student, Alessandro, into their home, she has no idea how he will heighten the danger her family faces as the Inquisition closes in.
Immerse yourself in rich historical detail and high emotional stakes in this dramatic story of danger and conscience!