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Reviewed by Grant Leishman for Readers' Favorite
Serenade of Sirens: The Lost Boys of Tosa by K.D. Allbaugh is a historical “whodunit” that will draw readers into its clever and twisting plot arcs, fascinating characters, and period setting, leaving them intrigued and satisfied. Addy St. John has married into wealth and power, but for her husband’s family, there is a strong belief that their son has married beneath his status. A devious plan by Addy’s father-in-law sees her confined in the Milwaukee County Insane Asylum. Within the asylum’s cruel and heartless walls, Addy finds a new family of fellow detainees, most of whom are confined for reasons that have little to do with their sanity. It is July 1925, and in the small town of Wauwatosa, eight-year-old Buddy has disappeared in broad daylight. At the nearby asylum, Addy and her friends admit to being pals with the little boy but are adamant they had nothing to do with his sudden disappearance. Addy and a dogged local policeman are determined to uncover the truth, but questions will always remain about the trustworthiness and sanity of Addy and her fellow patients.
Serenade of Sirens was interesting from both the perspective of a murder mystery and as a social commentary on mental health, particularly women’s mental health, in the early twentieth century. Author K.D. Allbaugh has constructed a fascinating set of characters led by Addy, who, although clearly not insane, is stigmatized by her presence in the asylum. I was especially impressed with the complicated backstory that Addy concocted to allow her to remain with her new family, in relative comfort, in the asylum, despite her husband’s attempts to “rescue” her from her confinement. The characterization of the asylum’s head nurse, Nurse Fielding, was perfectly done, and readers will feel the lack of empathy and her total disdain for her charges. I found the list of reasons for which women could be committed to the asylum to be revelatory. Just a hundred years later, some of them would be inconceivable as justification for locking someone away. The meticulously planned plot and intertwining arcs make this story stand out in the genre, and the author should be congratulated. I thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend it.
