Tigers in Red Weather by Liza Klaussman
Publisher: Little, Brown & Company
Publication Date: July 2012
Categories: Coming of Age, Suspense, Literary
Source: Public Library

Description via Indiebound.org:
Nick and her cousin, Helena, have grown up sharing sultry summer heat, sunbleached boat docks, and midnight gin parties on Martha’s Vineyard in a glorious old family estate known as Tiger House. In the days following the end of the Second World War, the world seems to offer itself up, and the two women are on the cusp of their ‘real lives’: Helena is off to Hollywood and a new marriage, while Nick is heading for a reunion with her own young husband, Hughes, about to return from the war. 

Soon the gilt begins to crack. Helena’s husband is not the man he seemed to be, and Hughes has returned from the war distant, his inner light curtained over. On the brink of the 1960s, back at Tiger House, Nick and Helena–with their children, Daisy and Ed–try to recapture that sense of possibility. But when Daisy and Ed discover the victim of a brutal murder, the intrusion of violence causes everything to unravel. The members of the family spin out of their prescribed orbits, secrets come to light, and nothing about their lives will ever be the same.

My Quick Thoughts:

• This is told from different characters viewpoints. I liked Nick’s section best and missed her voice throughout the rest of the read.
• Hughes was wooden. Helena was a boozy stereotype. Ed was one dimensional. Meh.
• This didn’t read like a suspense to me…until the last few chapters. In fact, I was surprised to see the big red SUSPENSE sticker on the spine when I was halfway through the book.
• I would take this one for what it is, a nice and easy read that doesn’t strain your brain.

About the Book

Publication Date:  September 18, 2012 | Ballantine Books | 368p

DESCRIPTION:  A nation shattered by its president’s murder. Two diaries that reveal the true scope of an American conspiracy. A detective determined to bring the truth to light, no matter what it costs him

From award-winning journalist Timothy L. O’Brien comes a gripping historical thriller that poses a provocative question: What if the plot to assassinate President Lincoln was wider and more sinister than we ever imagined?

In late spring of 1865, as America mourns the death of its leader, Washington, D.C., police detective Temple McFadden makes a startling discovery. Strapped to the body of a dead man at the B&O Railroad station are two diaries, two documents that together reveal the true depth of the Lincoln conspiracy. Securing the diaries will put Temple’s life in jeopardy—and will endanger the fragile peace of a nation still torn by war.

Temple’s quest to bring the conspirators to justice takes him on a perilous journey through the gaslit streets of the Civil War–era capital, into bawdy houses and back alleys where ruthless enemies await him in every shadowed corner. Aided by an underground network of friends—and by his wife, Fiona, a nurse who possesses a formidable arsenal of medicinal potions—Temple must stay one step ahead of Lafayette Baker, head of the Union Army’s spy service. Along the way, he’ll run from or rely on Edwin Stanton, Lincoln’s fearsome secretary of war; the legendary Scottish spymaster Allan Pinkerton; abolitionist Sojourner Truth; the photographer Alexander Gardner; and many others.

Bristling with twists and building to a climax that will leave readers gasping, The Lincoln Conspiracy offers a riveting new account of what truly motivated the assassination of one of America’s most beloved presidents—and who participated in the plot to derail the train of liberty that Lincoln set in motion.

My Thoughts:
I’m a bit of a history buff. It isn’t that know every date and the details of every era. It’s that I WANT to know all of those things. Maybe buff isn’t the right word…maybe history fan would be better.

Because of my love of all things historical I was skeptical going into this book. A retelling of the murder of  President Lincoln? Hmm, I don’t know about that.

Color me surprised! This was a great book. The characters were believable, the plot twists kept me guessing and there was plenty of suspense. I enjoyed the historical characters that pepper the story. They were inserted into the tale in an authentic way.

The protagonist, Temple McFadden, was flawed and I liked him all the more for it. I enjoyed reading about his wife Fiona as well. She’s a strong woman who doesn’t need a man to rescue her every five minutes.

If you like history, action, suspense and fine story telling you really ought to read this book.

Tomorrow I’ll be posting a short interview with the author Timothy L. O’Brien, look forward to that!