Customer Reviews

Honor's Kingdom (Abel Jones Mysteries)

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Life is mystifying. One person can read a novel and adore it, while another "can't get through" the same book. Well, I had to write this review--my first on amazon--because I saw that a reviewer not only didn't much like this book, but suspected that Owen Parry's audience is mostly male. As a matter of fact, I'm both very much a woman and a devoted fan of this series. I don't think one's reaction is so much a matter of gender as much as of personal literary tastes. If Parry faces any stumbling block, it just may be that his writing is too good--the more you love fine, serious writing (masquerading as a mystery series, and a very good one, at that), the better you will like Parry's writing. But if you prefer novels that are as mindless as prime-time television, look elsewhere. Parry is a master of beautiful prose, a true genius at creating vivid, living, memorable characters, devilishly-good at plots, and, as best I can tell, a first-rate historian (note to my fellow female reviewer: Marx was well-known in informed circles by the 1860s and a good number of Communists, as well as thousands of Socialists, fought in the Civil War on the Union side). Anyway, the important thing is that this is a delightful book that I read in two sittings. All of the novels in this series are great reads--and Parry, to his credit, has made each of them unique and he avoids cheap formulas. Yes, these books are terrific mysteries and--just maybe--the finest historical novels being written today. But the ultimate matter is that they are simply wonderful books. This is genuine literature pretending to be popular fiction. And I intend to read every novel Owen Parry publishes...

I should have spent the last day studying for the bar exam.

Unfortunately, Parry's sharp wit, along with his unsurpassed development of plot, setting and characterization dragged me away from my scholastic duties. Now I know why Abel Jones stands so quick to damn the novel as an enticing distraction from virtue (though the Welshman softens this postion somewhat in the course of this story).

I found this story to be the best mystery of Parry's books, too. Though Parry's previous books were similarly entertaining, I found "Faded Coat of Blue" and "Call Each River" predictable of outcome (though having an early notion of the route made the trip no less enjoyable). As with "Shadows of Glory", I found "Honor's Kingdom" confounding until the final pages.

And the villain who assumes center-stage in this novel stands up to any of the fictional rogues concocted by the Marquise de Sade as a convincing, repulsive embodiment of villainy. Though I suspect Parry's sympathies would not lie with that French "nobleman", his ability to portray such a wicked character with such sympathy ("Sympathy for the Devil", perhaps?) testifies to his skill as an author and to his integrity as an observer of the human condition.

Well worth the read, and then some.

I have never eaten an eel pie, but I've heard of 'em and thought perhaps some day I might enjoy the experience. Not now! Not after reading the first chapter of Abel Jones's latest adventure. That ... Parry has such a command of English prose he used it to make me ill! I haven't read anythng quite as graphic as Chapter 1 of "Honor's Kingdom" since Swift's "The Lady's Dressing Room." But once into this book, as all of Parry's novels, I couldn't put it aside.

So what's Abel Jones doing in England? I thought this mystery was pretty straight forward: the redoubtable Major is there to thwart the Confederates' English confederates from building warships for Richmond's fledgling navy. The CSS ALABAMA springs immediately to mind. But the ALABAMA was launched and she wreaked havoc with Yankee shipping. So Jones' mission we know from the beginning of this book is a failure. OK, so he'll solve some grisly murders? Well, read the book. Owen Parry's plots aren't THAT transparent.

Now that the "Washington Post" has blown Parry's cover it's obvious this talented literary gentleman has been leaving clues to his real identity buried in the pages of his books. Turn to p. 75 in this edition. There it is and it's hilarious. The real Owen Parry evidently has a self-deprecating sense of humor that combined with his devastating talent as a writer must make him in real life a very endearing person. He also knows English lit. In "Honor's Kingdom" you'll meet Thackery, learn something about Dickens (to whom Parry's writing has been favorably compared), get to know young Henry Adams, and get a liberal dose of William Shakespeare. Parry has something in common with the Bard too: His bad guys get some of the best lines. Oh, and if Karl Marx has any living descendants they may well sue Mr. Parry. But if that happens, don't worry, old bean, all your fans will happily contribute thousands to your defense!

And kudos to Ms. Barbara Levine, the cover artist. I wish I could get her to work for me.

...

Abel Jones is back and his adventures are more compelling than ever, which is saying something, as readers of the earlier books in this extraordinary Civil War series will recognize. In "Honor's Kingdom" Parry has given us another captivating mystery and an astonishingly well-written historical novel, set primarily in the streets of London and Glasgow. And what do events in Britain have to do with the American Civil War? A great deal, actually, as Parry so beautifully illustrates. In the course of solving another murder, Jones meets Henry Adams (both father and son), Karl Marx and Benjamin Disraeli, among other real-life characters, and of course he encounters a lively cast of characters that are the product of Parry's ever fabulous imagination. Parry captures the sights and sounds of the era in exacting and fascinating detail--yet those details never get in the way of this riviting story. From the opening scene (a dead body is discovered in a basket of eels) to the unexpected climax of this page-turner "Honor's Kingdom" is a treat for anyone who values beautiful writing and intelligent storytelling. For my money, no other author, living or dead, has so well or so delightfully captured the Civil War era as Owen Parry. Long may he write.

At one point in his account of this mission to Great Britain, Major Abel Jones confides in us. He asserts that he is, at heart, simply a soldier; not a spy, nor diplomat, nor detective. But the fact that this character is becoming all four of these should be no surprise to those of us who have traveled with him. What an adventure! The subtitle on the dust jacket is "A Novel of Historical Suspense." That's a fitting description, but doesn't give full credit to the rich portrait of Queen Victoria's England painted for us by the author through the thoughts and observations of Abel Jones and the other fascinating characters in this wonderful tale. If you haven't read the first three volumes in this superb series, you must. But even if you have not been previously introduced to Major Jones, you owe it to yourself to read "Honor's Kingdom." It's a first rate adventure and truly gives us a feel for what made America (and Americans) special in the mid-19th century.

Owen Parry has created a new Civil genre: books which are both historically accurate and fine writing.
He always tells us something new, in this case the behind-the-scenes manuevering which kept the Union from fighting Great Britain and the Confederacy at the same time. There is almost always something cheerfully grotesque, such the first murder victim (there are several) being eaten by eels. Sex, violence and intrigue, all displayed in the most understated way, in keeping with his strict Methodist hero-detective. I think they are wonderful books, and look forward to many more in the same series.

In addition to an good mystery and plot,what struck me about this book more than anything, being an avid reader, is the vastness of the English language itself, in all its forms, be it Irish lilt, cockney, or London highbrow. One reads it all in Owen Parry's 'Honors Kingdom' and it is for this fact, for giving the reader an opportunity to experience these idioms, that I highly recommend this book. Do not dwell (ie 'Let that bide') on the merits of the story- I agree with some reviewers who wonder why Parry has let the story drift to England when America during the Civil War offers such a rich opportunity for the novelist with Parry's voice. Yet, if you truly let yourself experience the language, if you find yourself reading to yourself in a Scottish brogue, then you will have experienced a novel like no other- not just a story, beginning to end, but an immersion in a long-ago time.

It is for these reasons that I consider this book to be Parry's best. Just read it with an open mind, enjoy the idiosyncracies of language and, if you find yourself, as I did, reading the passages as Oliver Twist would have read them, then realize the genius that is Mr. Parry.

This series gets better and better with every book. The latest adventure takes our intrepid hero to England, where several nasty murders appear to be hurting the Union cause with the British government. Along the way Abel Jones meets or runs into many actual historical figures, and that is part of the fun of this book, although the plot is very serious. The writing is, as usual, top-notch, although Jones' "Let it bide" becomes more than a tad wearisome with its almost constant repetition. If you haven't read any of these books,I suggest that you start at the beginning of the series and work your way through all of them. You won't be disappointed!

If for nothing else, read HONOR'S KINGDOM to observe a master of dialect in action. In this fourth book in the series, the wonderful supporting cast is missing. Abel Jones travels to London alone to deal with the murders of Union agents who have been trying to prevent the building of a Confederate warship. In the process we are introduced to a cockney dance-hall girl, and when Abel travels to Glascow, a Scottish police inspector, whose accents are dead on. And noticeably different. These accents don't distract from the story at all. They make the characters come alive.
Another good point is Parry's deft use of historical figures, in this instance, Charles Francis Adams, ambassador to England, and Benjamin Disraeli.
Once again Parry's humor is wonderful. Jones says at one point, "The price of beefstake would have bought a cow back in America. And wanton expenditure is sinful . . . ." Parry perfectly captures Jones's penurious nature.
One new aspect is the introduction of Abel Jones's Moriarity, the Earl of Thretford, who is helping the Confederates christen their ship.
The problem I had with the book was the long involved plot.
Jones is constantly wandering down blind alleys and always seems to end up in the worst part of town. One would suspect this is a social commentary rather than a historical novel. There are so many characters and so many diplomatic imbroglios it's hard to tell who did what even at the end of the book.
Jimmy Molloy would have been a great confidant if Parry had been able to think of a reason to have Jones bring him along.

I hate this Owen Parry, AKA Ralph Peters!!! His books are so well written as to be an impossible pinnacle for another struggling author to seek to achieve. I've written two books, then I made the mistake of reading his civil war series. Am now considering File 13 for my work. It's a terrible thing when you read an author such as Parry/Peters and just know that he's the best there is, and, most likely better than you will ever be. Another problem is that I now find it difficult to read other authors, most of whose product is of lesser quality. I truly hate, and envy, Parry/Peters!