Fire Bell in the Night by Geoffrey Edwards - Review

First, I want to congratulate Geoffrey Edwards on this tremendous achievement. I got to know Geoffrey well during the long, stressful weeks of the First Chapters Contest. No one deserves this more than he does.

Now about the book. I'm a fan of contemporary fiction. But now and then I will pick up a historical novel because someone recommended it to me. That was how I ended up reading the Civil war era classics "Gone with the Wind" and "Uncle Tom's Cabin", and the other race-themed classic, "To kill a Mockingbird". All three books transcended their genre, making me forget that I don't particularly like history.

To this list, I add "Fire Bell in the Night".

I was drawn in right from the gripping prologue; I cried for Johnny Walker, rooted for Jebediah. I was also somewhat disappointed, assuming this would be another rather unoriginal tale of an escaped slave being captured and hanged. But Geoffrey Edwards had me fooled. The book turned out to be the intriguing story--with clever twists-- of a young, honorable Yankee reporter sent to Charleston to cover the trial of a white planter accused of aiding a fugitive slave.

What were the highlights of Fire Bell for me? Well, I loved the way the story was woven against the backdrop of racial unrest without being preachy and moralistic. I loved the poignant interactions between John Sharp and Darcy Calhoun. And I loved the unexpectedness of the ending. I finished the book with a feeling of regret, like I was saying goodbye to a dear friend. Then I realized I was being silly-- my copy of Fire Bell in the Night isn't going anywhere; I can and will most certainly read it again.

I wouldn't be true to myself if I didn't point out a couple of mildly off-kilter elements of this otherwise excellent book. I found the interactions between John Sharp and Tyler Breckenridge a little forced, almost as if the purpose of their conversation was to inform me, the reader, about the political situation in Charleston rather than to move the plot forward. And Clio's role seemed to be largely ornamental. But these are minor things. All in all, this was a fantastic read. I highly recommend it.