There are anachronisms, which can quickly ruin a historical novel. The insistence by a married woman that she be called by her first name by a complete stranger seems out of character with dialog from the novels of the period, as does the use of the American slang “okay”. That may not technically be an anachronism, but it jars and seems out of place.

So an enjoyable read, but nothing to get excited about.

We all know what happens, of course. Iago plays on the jealousy and insecurity of the Moor Othello, the general of the Venetian Army, and his innocent wife Desdemona. Things get out of hand, of course, since it is a tragedy. Othello murders Desdemona, and Iago murders his best friend and his wife.

The novel starts, not with the beginning of the play, but with the childhood of Iago, and fills us in on the backstory of his character that is missing from the play, thus giving us a better understanding of his motives. The second half of the novel covers the action of the play, but since it is told from the first person perspective of Iago, we do not see any of the action in which he is not involved, and are not privy to the private thoughts of any of the other characters. This is very effective. My take on Iago, as presented in the novel, is that he loved Othello, and was jealous after being passed over in his promotion, and at the attention given to Desdemona.

I was also impressed with the author’s use of dialog. She used modern English, of course, but it has the flavor of Shakespeare’s dialog, with it’s use of word play and puns and double entendres.

The novel is clever, carefully planned, and well written. Highly recommended.

The hero is a new character, a private detective. Inspector Bucket from Bleak House makes an appearance too. The plot is well thought out and more modern than anything that Dickens or Collins could have used.

So if you haven’t read “Bleak House” or “The Woman in White”, why not? I think you will enjoy this novel more if you read them first. “Bleak House” is arguably Dickens best novel, and “The Woman in White” is a classic early mystery novel.

“The Solitary House” is a great read, very entertaining and creative.

An essential part of the book is the genealogical chart in the beginning – without it, keeping track of the many descendants would be impossible. The chapters skip years and narrators, so careful attention to the details is needed.

Fortunately the characters and their situations are all interesting, and the writing is excellent, so as a reader I was captivated enough to keep track of the complicated events and numerous characters.

Of course, I wanted a happier ending, but I cannot argue with the author’s decisions.

The other significant character is the setting, the mountains of western North Carolina and other areas of the South, from the 1960s. Maybe this is why I enjoyed the novel so much – that is the South of my childhood, and it rang true and vivid for me.

Much better, in my opinion, that Frazier’s Cold Mountain or Thirteen Moons. It is violent, but the ending is much more satisfactory than his earlier novels. Highly recommended.

It’s told throughout from Jack’s viewpoint, which does wear thin part way through, but the suspense of the mystery pulls us through the rough spots. The ending is satisfying if not unexpected. Overall an excellent novel.