BRIGHT MORNING STAR

THE DEVINE TRILOGY

Bright Morning Star is set in a familiar but faraway country — the United States in the early 1900s. The novel’s protagonist, Emma Pierce, is the quintessential “new woman” of the times. Talented and sharp, she is the confidante and “right hand man” to her father, the head of the prestigious Seneca Institute. Here she writes speeches and letters for her father, and mingles with the great leaders and thinkers of the day, from Theodore Roosevelt to Mark Twain, and struggles to balance her father’s expectations with her growing sense of independence. This balance is tested when she meets Caleb Johnson, the charismatic son of a revivalist preacher, whose views on religion are anathema to her father’s free-thinking sensibilities. The test proves to be too much, and Emma finds herself estranged from her father, separated from Caleb, and embarking on an ambitious new career as a magazine writer in New York. It is there that her skills come to serve her best. Emma is assigned to cover the case of a soldier returning to America from the war in the Philippines. He has been court-martialed for violent crimes against civilians and faces a 20-year prison sentence. But the case is personal — the convicted soldier is Caleb Johnson, who is refusing to talk about the events that resulted in his conviction, and Emma, as determined as ever, vows to discover what led this honorable man to commit atrocities.

AVAILABLE IN PAPERBACK
BOOK DETAILS

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Dark Oak Mysteries (April 9, 2015)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 318 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1610091698
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1610091695
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.03 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.8 x 9 inches

amazon
WDX2BB
August 2, 2016

5.0 out of 5 stars A look back at history

Tom Coffey spends most of his working time as an editor in the sports department in the New York Times. Therefore, you might expect him in his spare time to work on books that have some connection to that occupation - nonfiction sports books, etc. Instead, Coffey has turned his attention to novels. His latest one, "Bright Morning Star," sends us back to an interesting period in American history - 1900 or so. Emma Pierce is at the center of the story. She's grown up under the tutelage of a free-thinking but strict family. You can see the conflict coming - what's going to happen to this smart woman when she's old enough to be able to make her own decisions, but isn't allowed to do so. The spark supplied by a handsome boy, Caleb Johnson, who is the son of a revivalist preacher. Emma winds up as a magazine writer in New York, and encounters Johnson again in an unexpected way. He's facing a 20-year sentence for an atrocity that took place in the Philippines. What's the story here, and why is Johnson refusing anyone's help at clearing his name? Coffey goes on twin tracks here, back and forth between eras, and the technique works quite well in this case. A few interesting characters, such as Teddy Roosevelt, Mark Twain and William Jennings Bryan pass through along the way. But for this most part this is a coming-of-age story that has a mystery attached to it. You probably will figure out pretty quickly that the women's suffrage movement will be arriving soon, and the story will make you at least ponder atrocities by American armed forced while occupying foreign lands. Our intentions have been good for the most part, but the actions haven't come out so well in some cases. That's a lot to consider in a book, but Coffey keeps the story moving along nicely. There are some surprises along the way, and the ending isn't a conventional one - which was a good idea. Readers will get an idea of a relatively unknown episode of the American experience, with a good story added along the way.

MORE BOOKS BY TOM COFFEY