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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

How Was My Nightly Walk after Reading This Riveting Book?

by Chautona Havig · 5 Comments

The Silver Shadow is Liz Tolsma's best book by far. The more I think about it, the more I love every nuanced layer and detail--even the mush. via @chautonahavig

Got an email tonight.  It asked about my review of The Silver Shadow.  I was confused  What about it?  Then it hit me.

Yeah. I was supposed to have read and reviewed it for Saturday morning.  As you can see, it is not Saturday morning.  UGH. Last night I got busy cleaning and completely forgot to read and review that book. Okay, first I didn’t feel well and was lying around wishing I could just sleep it off. THEN I started cleaning when I felt better and voila! One book and review totally forgotten.

So… tonight, I picked up this book.  I read it.  And then, because I’m insane that way, at 1:40 in the we hours of this morning, I set off on my walk.

Because doesn’t everyone go for a walk in the dark after reading a book about a guy who bashed women in the head FOR walking around in the dark?

I’m not a jumpy sort of person, but I did pull out my phone.  Twice.  Of course, I tend usually to walk between 2:30 and 3:30, so there were more cars on the road–folks coming home from the bars.  YAY! No one swerved or crossed over lines, so I think folks were sober.  WOOT!  But this book…

Note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.

How Was My Nightly Walk after Reading This Riveting Book?

I’m pretty sure The Silver Shadow is Liz Tolsma’s best book to date.  I don’t say that lightly, because I LOVED The Green Dress more than probably all of the other books in the series (one still torments me a bit, though).  Maybe it was just when I read it, or even that I just really resonated with the characters on a new level, but this one stands out more than all of Tolsma’s books. Polly Blythe (whose name really reminds me a lot of “Nellie Bly” of The Gray Chamber) is a beautiful combination of bold, feisty, uncertain, and vulnerable.

The crime–riveting. While motives and the actual culprit were fictionalized, I think Tolsma used the most actual people from the time in her book than in any other book, despite her claim that it is the most fictionalized of the ones she’s written.  The fact that they never actually caught the killer, and she brought one to justice, of course makes that claim reasonable.

Of everything in the book though, two things stand out most to me.

First, personal motivations.  I found that each character’s motivations for why they did what they did–particularly Edwin, his family, and Polly–were deep and layered.  It wasn’t a simple case of a girl wanting to prove she could do a job as good as a man.  One by one, Polly’s motivations were peeled back until you found a core beneath them that breaks your heart.  The same is true for many of the characters.

Second, the characters’ faith. Each character had a different element of faith they demonstrated in quiet, natural ways that feel as if you’re watching faith in action by people who have no idea anyone would be observing.

While I received a review copy of this book free, I also purchased two of my own copies so… yeah. There’s that.

Recommended for lovers of historical fiction, true crime, and excellent writing that keeps you riveted to the page… and makes you look over your shoulder when you’re walking out alone after dark. 😉

the silver shadowAbout the Book

Book:  The Silver Shadow

Author: Liz Tolsma

Genre: Christian Historical/Suspense

Release date: May 2021

A Shadowy Figure Is Intent on Harming Denver’s Women

Book 11 in the True Colors series—Fiction Based on Strange-But True History

Denver of 1900 is still a dangerous place to be following the silver crash of 1893. And of out of the dark comes a shadow intent on harming women. Ambitious young Denver newspaper reporter Polly Blythe is searching for the big story that’s going to launch her career. On Friday evening, August 24, 1900, she gets her break when two women are cracked over the head within a two-minute walk of each other. But policeman Edwin Timmer thwarts Polly’s ideas of a serial criminal. . .until the shadowy figure strikes again. Will the reporter and the policeman team up to find the culprit before he strikes too close for comfort?

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Comments

  1. Tracie Cooper says

    June 5, 2021 at 6:03 pm

    Looking forward to reading this book!

    Reply
  2. Roxanne C. says

    May 31, 2021 at 9:49 am

    What a high recommendation for this book from Chautona!

    Reply
  3. Roxanne V. says

    May 31, 2021 at 9:47 am

    This review made me smile because Chautona’s writing seems to do that. I think I will read The Silver Shadow on a bright, sunny day, though.

    Reply
  4. Emma says

    May 30, 2021 at 12:34 pm

    I have this one on my Kindle, waiting to be read. I just read The Gold Digger, though, and lost a night’s sleep because I was dreaming about it–will this one do the same?

    Reply
  5. Amelia says

    May 30, 2021 at 7:12 am

    Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

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The Because Fiction Podcast

The Because Fiction Podcast
The Because Fiction Podcast

Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episode 204: A Chat with Sarah Sundin about The Sound of Light
byChautona Havig

A chat with Sarah Sundin is always fun, so when I learned we’d be discussing her upcoming release, The Sound of Light, last October, I was excited. Well… we chatted, and it’s finally time to share that interview. Listen in to what the title means, where Sarah came up with it, and the delightful story that she’s got waiting for us. I’m glad this episode came out in time for me to get the 40% off and free shipping deal from Baker because I apparently didn’t order it back when we chatted!

Note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.

How I Fell in Love With This Haunting Title

I didn’t know much about Denmark and WWII, so chatting with Sarah about The Sound of Light shed definite light (no pun intended) on the history of the Danes and how they stood up to Hitler… and got away with it (for the most part).

The Sound of Light tells the story of a physicist who meets a “slow, dull” guy who intrigues her in spite of herself. Come on… if that doesn’t grab you… Maybe the fact that this slow dude is really an Olympic rower in disguise who uses his father’s company as a front for who he is and how he helps Jews escape?  Yeah. That.

As always, Sarah Sundin has done her research and the result is a gripping story of resistance, protection, and ultimately love for God, our fellow man, and maybe… each other.

I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait for my copy of The Sound of Light to arrive.

The Sound of Light by Sarah Sundin

When the Germans march into Denmark, Baron Henrik Ahlefeldt exchanges his nobility for anonymity, assuming a new identity so he can secretly row messages for the Danish Resistance across the waters to Sweden.

American physicist Dr. Else Jensen refuses to leave Copenhagen and abandon her research–her life’s dream. While printing resistance newspapers, she hears stories of the movement’s legendary Havmand–the merman–and wonders if the mysterious and silent shipyard worker living in the same boardinghouse has something to hide.

When the Occupation cracks down on the Danes, these two passionate people will discover if there is more power in speech . . . or in silence. Bestselling author of more than a dozen WWII novels, Sarah Sundin offers pens another story of ordinary people responding to extraordinary circumstances with faith, fortitude, and hope for a brighter future.

You can also grab this book from Baker Book House at 40% off with free shipping! (which is cheaper than the Kindle version!)

And you can learn more about Sarah Sundin on her WEBSITE.

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Episode 204: A Chat with Sarah Sundin about The Sound of Light
Episode 204: A Chat with Sarah Sundin about The Sound of Light
January 31, 2023
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Episode 200: Comparing & Contrasting Two Split-Time Novels
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Episode 199: A Chat about Karl May with Robert Stermscheg
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Episode 196: A Chat with Rom-Com Author by Becca Kinzer
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Episode 195: A Chat about What I Would Say with Liz Tolsma
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Reposted from @sarahsundinauthor A DNA test reveals a family secret, leading to a journal of a Jewish woman in occupied Greece. A rich and powerful World War II novel from @authorliztolsma . More here on my blog: https://www.sarahsundin.com/what-i-would-tell-you-by-liz-tolsma/ (Clickable link in the Linktree in my bio under Book Recommendations)
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