This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.
Reviewed by Saifunnissa Hassam for Readers' Favorite
Donalee Moulton’s Conflagration is a mystery novel based on actual historical events. A fire starts in the merchants’ quarter in Old Montreal on April 10, 1734. When the fire is finally under control after three hours, many homes and businesses are reduced to ash and rubble. A convent and a hospital, the Hôtel-Dieu, is also destroyed. A Black slave, Marie-Joseph Angelique, is arrested for arson. The narrator in the novel is Philippe Archambeau, a court clerk who is given responsibility as a special court reporter to thoroughly evaluate the accusations and testimonies and focus on the evidence. Angelique’s trial begins in April 1734 and continues into May. More than twenty witnesses testify. The tension mounts as the menacing shadow of torture grows.
I quickly became absorbed in Conflagration because of the complexity of the themes of slavery and justice. I particularly liked the author's approach to the character development. The story and its characters sprang vividly to life for me because of the well-crafted and well-written descriptions, observations, thoughts, emotions, and dialogues that unfold through Philippe’s voice. As I read the details of the destruction of Old Montreal and the horrific aftermath of rumors, innuendos, and accusations, the character of Angelique and her life in Montreal began to emerge. During her interrogations, Angelique is adamant that she is innocent of the charges. The plot gained great depth and suspense as Philippe struggled with the accusations and the testimonies, trying to unravel and confront hidden stories in Angelique’s life, and those of the people who testified, to find irrefutable evidence of Angelique’s guilt or innocence. Donalee Moulton’s Conflagration is profoundly compelling and thought-provoking.
