Hello! I will be starting to do more book reviews so all you readers keep updated and maybe you will find a good book to read. 🙂
“The Hidden Hand” was loaned to me by a friend. It is a Lamplighter book which means that it was an old book that Lamplighter republished.
Rating: 5 stars *****
Why the rating? “The Hidden Hand” had an intriguing plot which kept you on the edge and wove many lives into one great story. The characters were endearing and vibrant, the content was good, it was written in an old style but understandable.
The Characters: I will give you a brief picture of the characters and then a sneak peek of the plot (I will try to give no spoilers!).
Major Ira Warfield (Old Hurricane)- The first character we are introduced to, Ira is an old fogey who has quite a temper. He has a military background and is adopted uncle of Capitola (see below).
Capitola- A spunky, brave, and spirited lass. She was found on the streets of New York dressed as a boy and is always stirring up adventures and Old Hurricanes temper. She is the daughter of…oops you will have to find that out!
Herbert Greyson- Good friend of Capitola, nephew of Old Hurricane and adopted son of Marah Rocke (see below). He goes into the army and fights in a war against Mexico.
Marah Rocke- Forgotten wife of Old Hurricane, motherly friend of Clara Day (see below) and housekeeper for Docter Day (see below).
Traverse Rocke- Son of Marah Rocke, betrothed husband to Clara Day, promising young doctor.
Doctor Day- Kind old doctor who takes in Marah and Traverse Rocke, father of Clara Day.
Clara Day- Daughter of Doctor Day, betrothed wife of Traverse Rocke, friend of Capitola and Marah Rocke.
Colonel Le Noir- Evil villian who commits crimes against many of the above characters. I won’t spoil it and tell you what though.
Craven Le Noir- son of Colonel Le Noir, attempted suitor of Capitola and bad guy to the bone.
Black Donold- The feared outlaw of the area, attempts several kidnaps against Capitola.
Ok, those are the main characters. There are more but I might give the story away if I told you who they were!
Basic Plot: Old Hurricane hears about a young girl who lives on the streets of New York from a dying nurse. He finds her dressed like a boy, adopts her and brings her home. There are many adventures that Capitola has along with the other characters, including kidnap attempts, duels, treachery, orphans, thunderstorms and much more! The pace was fast and I enjoyed reading it so much that I had stayed up reading it late into the night. It was a great book.
Hope you enjoy the review and the book if you check it out!
Priscilla