The Blackstone Key

by Rose Melikan

Book Overview

Charlotte Bronte meets Agatha Christie in this wonderful historical adventure novel set in the 18th century about a penniless but clever young teacher who becomes embroiled in a plot involving spies, smugglers, a pair of identical watches, puzzles, codes, an inheritance, and a very real danger to not only the heroine, but to England.

It is 1795, and Mary Finch sets off to meet her wealthy uncle, hoping to heal a bitter family estrangement...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1416560807
• ISBN13: 9781416560807
• Release Date: August 2008
• Publisher: Atria Books
• Length: 464 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.6" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Elegant Period Piece

This is an elegantly written and ingeniously constructed adventure story set in the late eighteenth century. The author, a professional historian, writes with a very sure touch and the book is hard to put down. The characters are believable and the pace does not falter. All in all a very good read.

Put your feet up

Mary Finch's great adventure begins in 1795, when she leaves her teaching position at Mrs. Bunbury's school for young ladies to visit her only relative, a wealthy uncle from whom her father, now dead some three years, had long been estranged. Mary hopes that her uncle's summons implies an interest in reconciliation, and with that in view she travels alone, her determination to do so the first sign of her unusual pluck. But the journey is not without incident, and Mary finds herself swept up in a mystery that starts with the incomprehensible warnings of a dying man and involves Mary in the seedy worlds of smuggling and espionage and, not least, the polite society of Suffolk. Along the way she encounters two eligible bachelors--the eminently practical Captain Holland and Mr. Déprez, late of the West Indies. But which of the two is the more trustworthy is itself a mystery that eludes Mary for the better part of the book. The Blackstone Key is the first in a proposed trilogy. The second installment is due out in 2009, and that is very good news indeed: Rose Melikan's debut novel is a delightful read. Mary is a likable heroine, a feisty orphan who struggles politely against the mores of her day. The book offers both mystery and romance--both engaging, and both played out against a backdrop of war with France. The book is written as a pseudo-Victorian novel, with its intricate sentences and attention to the manners of the day. It is a slow read, so you should not undertake it if you're in the mood for a plot that will grab you by the throat. This is, rather, a book to relish over tea, with your feet up and an afternoon at your disposal. -- Debra Hamel

Can't wait for the sequel

It's hard to believe this book was written by a first-time novelist. Everything about it was just right. The story was addictive, the characters complex and appealing, and the writing superb. The author did a beautiful job of painting wonderful word pictures so I could well visualize the settings and the action. I'm a sucker for historical fiction anyway and loved how I came away from reading this book feeling like I knew more about the time period (England in the late 1700s) and the challenges people faced. And it's hard not to love Mary Finch, the heroine of the story. Orphaned as a teen and obligated to find work as a teacher in a girls' school, she longed for adventure and excitement and then found it. It was fun to see the mystery slowly unfold, and I was happy that I wasn't able to figure out in advance what would happen at the end. After the book finished, I turned the page to find several pages of discussion questions and topic for a book study group. I thought this was excellent, since this book would be perfect for a book club. Then there was a question and answer session with the author (don't read this until you've finished the book) that revealed that this will be the first book in a trilogy. I can hardly wait for the saga to continue! I highly recommend this book. It's very well written and a really enjoyable read.

Period novel with delightful main character and action packed hunt for clues to a political mystery

In 1795, Mary Finch sets out from Mrs. Bunbury's school to make her way in the world and meet her wealthy uncle, a man rendered mysterious on account of his estrangement from Mary's family. On the way from Cambridge to Suffolk, Mary is waylaid by a horse race, a roadside accident in which she is called upon to render assistance to an injured man, and a series of adventures full of deception and political intrigue. When the injured man issues a stern warning and she discovers one of her uncle's items in his possession, Mary's determination to unravel the mystery suddenly makes her question the configuration of those people surrounding her on this voyage. As Mary tries to ascertain their character, she comes face to face with a world more dangerous than that of the closed society of Mrs. Bunbury's world. The violence of the recent French Revolution reverberates in the shadows of the English mind and France's declaration of war sets the stage for plots of spies, traitors and smuggling. Can Mary trust Mrs. Tipton, a woman helping her rise above her station in life but who watches her actions a little too closely? Is Captain Holland the protector he appears to be? What about the shadowy man from St. Lucia, a certain mysterious Mr. Deprez who understands her artistic nature but has a dangerous underside? Is there more to Mr. Hicks than meets the eye? Mary Finch rises to the challenge, using her intelligence, her study of character and her intuition to solve a secret code and discover a plot that could endanger her own life, the life of those around her and indeed all of England itself. Rose Melikan's THE BLACKSTONE KEY has a delightful combination of period dialog, manners and mores as well as suspenseful action that hinges on an intriguing historical detail. Mary Finch's character draws the reader into the story. Her fanciful imaginings and moments of covertness bring a smile but Mary is also a woman who buckles down to solve the details of the mystery despite the kinks and difficulty presented before her. Somewhat innocent, generous, and full of imagination, her character is balanced with a sense of integrity and ability to question herself. Rose Melikan's historical novel brings the period to life with its language, a language reminiscent of novels written during the period. With an academic background in 18th and 19th century British political and constitutional history, Rose Melikan integrates her knowledge of the period seamlessly and directly into several cruxes in Mary's adventures while giving the reader a look into social history as well. THE BLACKSTONE KEY is a novel to be savored in every detail by enthusiasts of the period. All in all, THE BLACKSTONE KEY is just one fun read. Once the reader gets to know Mary's charismatic character, the pages just fly as the reader becomes immersed into this historical world and the emerging political intrigue.

Vanity Fair Meets National Treasure (in book form...)

(...although, the story takes place in 1795.) It is based on historical fact concerning the making of gunpowder in the last quarter of the 18th century, and the theft of paperwork from a scientist whose interests included experiments on explosives. To be honest, a book about a gunpowder conspiracy didn't interest me, but I love to read historical fiction, and I have enjoyed other books from Touchstone, such as Philippa Gregory's books Philippa Gregory Set (The Queen's Fool, the Other Boleyn Girl, the Virgin's Lover), so I decided to expand my horizons. I was very pleased with the amount of research the author, Rose Melikan, put into The Blackstone Key. She even includes a simple map with places of interests that are mentioned in the story, and the code system referred to is easy to understand; this helps the story flow quite smoothly. I can't stand reviews that reveal too much about the plot, but the book is so much more than just a mystery about gunpowder. The main character, Mary, is out of her time: she wants to change her place in society; she doesn't behave like a "proper" young lady should, and yet everyone she meets appreciates the way that she thinks. Many of the other characters are also struggling with what society expects of them. The first 100 pages or so were the slowest - setting up the story, but after that I didn't want to put the book down...just when one situation is resolved, you find yourself in the middle of something more. I liked the fact that not everything was written from the viewpoint of the main character - in fact, sometimes you are taken away from Mary to see what the other characters are thinking and doing...but Mary is definitely the center of it all. At first I was disappointed to find out that the book is part of a trilogy (The Counterfeit Guest will be published in 2009, and the author is currently working on the third installment), but after I finished reading The Blackstone Key, I realized that the novel could stand alone...there were no loose ends. The Blackstone Key includes a Touchstone Reading Group Guide: *Eleven discussion questions Ex: what role does social status play in the novel? OR what is the Blackstone key? *"Enhance your bookclub" - Shakespeare sonnet - Queen dowager code game - Commentary weblinks *"A conversation with Rose Melikan"