Reviews for Fire Bell in the Night

Roundtable Reviews 

 FIRE BELL IN THE NIGHT is one of the best historical novels I've read to date, but it is not a quick read.  It's more like that really decadent piece of chocolate cake that requires time to savor and digest.  Set in Charleston, South Carolina after the Mexican War, the story begins with the tragic death of a young slave, and the resulting "eye for an eye" plan schemed up by his surviving family and friends. 

Despite this very gripping opening, the true heart of the story is found when a New York Tribune reporter, John Sharp, is requested to head to Charleston to take over the reporting duties for the trial of Darcy Calhoun, caught harboring a runaway slave.  The original reporter died in a tragic accident, but John isn't quite as convinced it was truly an accident, especially when his treatment as a northerner is less than welcoming.  As he delves into Darcy's story and finds himself facing an uncertain future in a turbulent area, John fears he may not live to see the trial to the end. 

In essence, FIRE BELL IN THE NIGHT, showcases events that led to the Civil War.  The writing is tense and gripping.  The author catches the bigoted attitudes extremely well, and for once in my life I think I understand why the south felt ending slavery would be so horrendous.  While I still think slavery was a horrific act, I've never had a history teacher lead me to understand both sides of the story. 

This is an excellent novel and one that I hope high schools might utilize during their slavery units.  I think anyone with an interest in slavery will enjoy every page of FIRE BELL IN THE NIGHT.

Publisher's Weekly 

One of the two winners of the Gather.com First Chapters contest, Edwards’s provocative debut begins in the summer of 1850 as the debate over the expansion of slavery into the Mexican Cession territory prompts threats of secession and war. A slave revolt and rumors that the leader of the uprising is “roaming the countryside recruiting an army” further frays nerves in Charleston, S.C. When a local farmer is caught harboring a runaway, he is charged with a capital crime. The New York Tribune sends young reporter John Sharp to cover the trial; he quickly befriends planter Tyler Breckenridge, the scion of “one of the most powerful families in Charleston.” But as Sharp and fellow reporter Owen Conway uncover clues of a covert militia buildup, Sharp begins to suspect that Breckenridge is involved. As the emotionally charged fugitive-slave trial unfolds, Sharp and Conway rush to expose the secessionist conspiracy and head off war. Edwards fills the gaps in the record of the Crisis of 1850 to produce a plausible scenario that eloquently captures the fear and rivalries of the antebellum era, though many passages could use a healthy pruning. For fans of historical fiction—and Civil War fiction particularly.