From Publishers Weekly
Inspired by the maritime adventures of 18th-century American privateer Capt. John Kendrick, 11th-generation Cape Codder Buckley's wide-ranging debut, part one of a trilogy, strives for historical resonance, but is burdened by its complicated plot. The 20th-century protagonist, John Miles Kendrick, known as Miles, is stiffly presented as a textbook schizophrenic who hears voices despite a voluntary stint in a mental hospital. A paralegal struggling to make ends meet, Miles nearly dies in a Boston courthouse explosion that kills his boss and the opposing counsel's client. He then becomes a suspect in the ensuing investigation. But Buckley derails the drama by panning back to reveal that the players in the modern-day disaster are descendants of the enemies of the maligned 18th-century Kendrick, the "Bostoner." The historical Kendrick was a rogue adventurer who developed trade with U.S. Northwest Native Americans and then, in turn, with China and, according to Buckley, laid personal claim to thousands of acres in Oregon, Washington and British Columbia. He was killed by a ceremonial cannon blast intended to honor him. Buckley's conceit--he proposes to make parallel universes of Kendrick's past struggles and Miles's travails--is promising, and Miles sets out on a compelling journey across the continent in search of the true story of his ancestor's "accidental" demise as well as the motivation behind the courthouse explosion and related murders he uncovers. But unlikely sexual liaisons, out-of-the-blue FBI connections and a 200-year-old grudge are hard plot points to swallow, and the grisly denouement comes off as melodramatic and slap-dash. Written in a prose that depends heavily on capitalized words and italics, Buckley's ambitious novel strains too hard. (Feb.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
"An intriguing book using shifts in the fifth dimension, time, to convey an attention-holding, full-blooded search for a killer who is similarly dislocated, living half within the ancestoral past and half-engaged in a deadly retribution now for variously percieved historical slights, wrongs and worse. Excellent reading." --
Rhys Richards, foremost historian on Pacific whaling and the China trade, March 8, 2000"Buckley, who has worked as a shellfisherman on the Cape, has raked up an entire shoreline of facts and exposed them to the air of his fancy, creating a distinctive and disturbing atmosphere for this story... Part of Buckley's book will appeal to those who savor shipboard adventure, and another will attract those who can appreciate a modern-anti-hero in search of a reason for living." --
Edward F. Maroney, Day & Night, January 26, 2000"Fascinating in its detail and compelling in its plot twists and turns." --
The Cape Cod Times, December 12, 1999"With this compelling plot, I found this book completely fascinating. The author is more than just a good plot man; Buckley commands diverse writing styles as he crafts the multiple voices for his schizophrenic narrator. His stylistic acumen is most sharply highlighted in passages where he assumes the diction and spelling of 18th century journal writing. When I first started reading, I thought, 'This is not a good book -- this is a great book, on par with Umberto Eco.' Having read through and studied The Bostoner, I still say the same thing. Buckley has created a work that rivals James Michener for historical fiction and John Grisham for mysteries. The Bostoner is a thrilling page-turner which fascinates and instructs at the same time." --
Jeffrey Howell, The Cape Cod Chronicle, December 16, 1999"[Buckley's] influence as a local author provides a distinct perspective on Boston and Cape Cod, as well as our maritime history... a truly captivating novel." --
Governor Paul Cellucci of Massachusetts, December 30, 1999
