Book Review: Shadows in Chinatown

Shadows in Chinatown by Jolie Tunnell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I quite enjoy historical fiction novels. When they are well done, it’s as if I’ve been given my own time travel machine. Shadows in Chinatown transported me back to 1886, where Miss Karine Langland has just stepped off the train that’s brought her from Minnesota to San Francisco. By day’s end, she will become Mrs. Kelly. She hasn’t yet met her future husband. Mail-order brides are common in this time and place.

A ‘fish out of water’ story like this is best told from the fish’s point of view. Author Jolie Tunnell made the right choice in letting Mrs. Kelly tell her own story, revealing all the emotions, confusion, amazement, disgust, horror, and despair she experiences as her well-intended marriage arrangement immediately turns into a nightmarish situation.

The story takes plenty of twists and turns, and will keep you guessing right up to to the end. I enjoyed trying to out-guess the plot, and though I occasionally succeeded, I was surprised more often than not. The characters, of which there are many, are well-developed. Some are charming, some are helpful, some are despicable and some have their own secret agendas. There’s also culture clashes to deal with, just as was true in the real San Francisco in the Victorian era.

I appreciated the attention to details. I love learning how a room is furnished, how the city air smells, how a fancy dress is constructed and how it feels to wear it – in other words, I want to experience the setting as if I were standing in it.

My only nitpick is a small one, near the end of the book. A financial situation took an unexpected turn for the better, and while it made sense, it came out of the blue and could have done with a little more setup and/or foreshadowing. Otherwise, though, Shadows in Chinatown has left me with a pleasant memory of an enjoyable read. I’ll most likely keep reading this series.

My thanks to Tule Publishing and author Jolie Tunnell for allowing me to read a digital advance review copy of this book. This review is my honest and unbiased opinion.