The Yellow Lantern

Fortunately, the plot doesn’t linger overly long on the more disturbing aspects of this historical American crime. Let’s be honest, the fact that Angie Dicken is able to create a compelling romance in a story of grave robbers is pretty impressive!

Josephine is a complex character who vacillates between vulnerability and moments of confident strength. Her compassion and healing skills are a stark contrast to the callous hard-heartedness of the body-snatchers. Josephine’s journey to freedom and strength in faith is deliciously sweetened by her encounters with a chivalrous man of integrity.

The Yellow Lantern was historically interesting, suspenseful, and surprisingly romantic (given the lingering subjects of graves, bodies, and death)! I definitely recommend this book and look forward to future stories from the author!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and was under no obligation to post a review. The opinions expressed are my own.

It is often said that Hamlet by William Shakespeare is the thinking man’s play. I believe wholeheartedly that The Yellow Lantern by Angie Dicken is the thinking woman’s novel. Without a doubt this well-written story had me contemplating some seriously unique topics. I enjoyed the plot and relatable characters, but I especially appreciate that The Yellow Lantern had me considering so many distinctive themes.

Of the many characters in this story, I very much disliked Josie’s father. I actually disliked him more than the bad guys! What bothered me about Josie’s dad is that he plays the victim and he uses his daughter as a fixer. Instead of being the father and the man, he foists his problems onto Josie and forces her to do his dirty work. I hate when parents do this to their kids. It’s wrong and manipulative. There’s a moment well into the story where Josie convinces herself to work even harder for her father because good daughters help their fathers no matter what. This sentiment got me thinking. Is this true? Is Josie correct? Do good children do whatever it takes to help a parent even when the parent causes 98% of his problems? I’m not so sure this is correct.

Don’t get me wrong. We absolutely must obey God’s command to honor our mothers and fathers. But Josie’s father upset me because he behaves like an addict: he’s manipulative, he purposely pulls Josie’s heartstrings, he plays the “poor me” card, and he expects that Josie will succeed and give him what he needs — major financial help. This got me thinking even more. What would God expect of a child in Josie’s situation? God would no doubt want Josie to respect and honor her father, but He would never be OK with a father asking a child to sin for him. The ugliest part of it all is that Josie’s father knows what he is asking her to do is shameful and wrong. He feels awful and guilty. He knows it is wrong to ask his child to commit heinous sins on his behalf in order to fix the problems he has made. That’s just wrong no matter how you slice it! A parent should never purposely force his child into a sinning situation.

See what I mean?! The Yellow Lantern is a thinking woman’s (and man’s) novel for sure!!! And, there’s so much more. Things like grace, and what does it look like when you extend grace to someone? Or, why does it feel like the earth grows a little dimmer when a loved one dies? Or this big question, how did we expect doctors to learn about the body if they were never allowed to dissect an actual body? These questions are just the tip of the iceberg. If you are a fan of historical suspense, I cannot recommend this book enough. It’s definitely a story that takes the reader on a strange and unusual ride!

I received a review copy of this novel in eBook form from the author via Celebrate Lit and NetGalley. In no way has this influenced my review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This is not my typical genre but I have loved other books by this author, so I thought I would try it. I was pulled in by the opening scenes and liked the story. There were parts in the middle where the pace slowed a bit. But it picked up and I loved the last few chapters! Lots of suspense and action. I liked that the author showed the details of what was happening without being overly graphic. I didn’t feel that anything was missing. I liked how a romance blossomed in the midst of all that was going on.
The history was interesting and I appreciated the detailed author’s note at the end.
I rounded the star rating up to 4, as there were parts I really liked and a few that I simply liked. I do really like this author and I’m glad to have read out of my comfort zone.
*My thanks to the publisher for providing an advanced reader copy via NetGalley.
A review was not required. All thoughts expressed are entirely my own.

(3.5 / 5)

In this book of historical fiction, set in New England just before the beginning of the Victorian Era, a young woman named Josephine Clayton works for a doctor to pay her father’s way out of debtor’s prison. But when Josephine becomes sick and is presumed dead, her buried body is stolen by a man working for the same doctor. The story starts with her waking up, about to be dissected, and when the doctor sees she’s still alive, he plans to dissect her anyway. To save her own life, and to keep her father out of trouble, Josephine ends up embroiled in the doctor’s schemes of body-snatching. She is planted at a cotton mill in the next town over, to spy for the body snatchers and help with the actual snatching. But when the next victim is a loved one of the cotton mill’s manager (named Braham Taylor), a man to whom Josephine has become close, the gruesome business becomes a nightmare.

This book was a decent read overall. The setting was interesting. The bigger side characters had personality. I liked the back-and-forth POV between Josephine (or as we know her through most of the book, Josie) and Braham.

I was usually really happy when it switched back to Braham for a while, which tells me I connected with his character more than with Josie. I think that’s because his troubles seemed a lot more real and understandable to me. But it’s not that Josie doesn’t have serious issues. I just think her storyline was convoluted enough that I was only vaguely aware of the danger or of her reasons for going along with the body snatching plot. Her father was in trouble with…the doctor and some creditors, but I don’t know who they were, or if I’m even right about that. Alvin (Josie’s “handler”) was bad but sort of good (which isn’t bad in itself), but was owed money, yet still chose to hold back the first body he snatched in the story? It wasn’t until near the end that enough of this network of body snatchers was sorted out enough that I was at least able to appreciate the conclusion. This was probably my biggest problem throughout the book.

I began to get frustrated with Josie’s decision to help her father, whose decisions had been pretty terrible, even though it made her do some things she really didn’t want to do. In some ways, I appreciated her loyalty, but it got to a point where it seemed like maybe he father would actually be better off (safer, if nothing else) in debtor’s prison, or regular prison, or wherever his confusing problems might send him.

For the first quarter of the book, at least, I was reminded strongly of North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell. It’s set in a cotton mill, the male lead runs the cotton mill, and the female lead is not terribly happy about coming to the town. It’s also set in a similar time period. I love North and South, so that may have helped draw me into the book at first, but it did veer off to become a vastly different story, and a good one in its own right.

The other big downside, in my opinion, is that the body snatching was really not as big a part of the plot as it seemed like it should be. I mean, it haunted Josie throughout the book, and at the end, we can see an inter-connectedness that we didn’t necessarily know was there sooner, but it was supposed to be a twist, I think, that these things were connected. So they didn’t seem to play into the body snatching plot, except that it was predictable enough that I didn’t really see much shock factor in the reveal. Or maybe it wasn’t supposed to be a surprise, and in that case, it was just kind of bland.

Overall, I did enjoy the book. The book is listed as Christian, and it holds up well in that department. The romance was sweet and clean (just how I like it), and I would recommend this book for fans of Christian romance, though probably not for fans of crime novels.

Thank you to Netgalley and Barbour Publishing, Inc. for providing me a copy of this book to review.

Caught in an impossible situation, can Josephine Clayton aka Josie Clay find a way to protect her father and escape being a pawn in an “insidious scheme”? Stolen bodies, accidents, duplicity, secrets, manipulation, danger, and romance combine to form a compelling narrative. The characters in this tale set in 1824 Massachusetts are well-developed and diverse. Expressive descriptive language and imagery and rich historical detail add depth and interest to the story. A little romance is thrown in, and the faith element is sprinkled throughout the story. The plot twists and turns toward a satisfying ending.
This is the third book I have read in the True Colors Historical Stories of American Crime series, and I highly recommend this book and the series.

This was one of the most interesting books I have read in a while. I love all of Angie’s books. She didn’t disappoint with this one either. Another awesome read.

From the first sentence of The Yellow Lantern you feel a darkness that encapsulates you, and the further you read the more you become cloaked in that darkness. The subject of death normally does that to you. This story so twisted that it’s unimaginable that something similar happened once upon a time. I was left spellbound and wondering just how much of the advancements of medicine is attributed to grave robbing, a regular occurrence in the 1800’s. I can only imagine…

Though the ending is bright with promise it took me awhile to shake that dark, depressing feeling, proving just how captivating the story telling really is, immersing you in this seedy business. The depth of characterization is stunning and the setting, though dark, came alive for me, down to the smallest detail that grounded you in this incredibly unique world.

The True Colors series continues to get better and better and is the perfect mix of historical fact and fiction. This was a dark read for sure, and the fact that grave robbing and murdering for bodies is another stain on our nation’s history. I loved the “little light of mine” that was apparent throughout, and love that light truly does cast out all darkness, and even when you find yourself in the most hopeless place, remember that all hope is never really lost. Just have faith.

*I have reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the Barbour Books through NetGalley. All opinions are completely honest, and my own.

This was a great story! I loved the mystery and the desperation. The eventual truth and freedom. The characters were so well written with wonderful depth. The love story was beautiful, sweet, and clean. The ending was perfect. I definitely recommend it!

I received a complimentary copy of the book. All opinions are my own and are expressed voluntarily.

The Yellow Lantern by Angie Dicken
This was an interesting and chilling story. Josephine Clayton (aka Josie Clay) wakes up after being declared dead and buried. The doctor she worked for is ready to use her as his experiment when she came alive. After her healing, she must now work in the mills to pay for her father’s debt. Also, to find another body for the doctor to replace her. Did people really rob graves back in the day back in 1824? Do they still do it? Really creepy that they did. The book was well written and I really did enjoy it. The author did a great job in writing the book. I do recommend this book.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

All is not as it seems.

I have been on a bit of a mystery kick lately as I have just been more intrigued by their synopsis. As I read the pages, I find that my decisions have been rewarding.

The Yellow Lantern is a True Crime mystery that the subject matter will make your skin crawl but the message of hope lessens the blow. This “Frankenstein-esk” plot, that is based on an actual events in our history, will leave you asking yourself, “What could possibly possess a person to do something so morbid and disturbing?” By the end of the book, you will know.

The time was different and the things we take for granted now where considered a luxury then. Knowing that gave some understanding, but what could possibly convince a young woman to join the grave robber trade?

When I read the first section of the first chapter, I wondered what kind of book I was reading. Soon, my concern was transformed into understanding and from then on, I struggled against heavy eyes just to see what would happen next.

Bravo to Angie Dicken, an author whose work I have not read before, for opening our eyes to the ugly beginnings of the medical profession while giving us hope for these characters.

**This book was provided to me by the publisher through CelebrateLit. These thoughts are entirely my own.