Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

In an adventure set in 18th-century England, Landman (The Goldsmith-s Daughter) introduces a desperate, on-the-run hero who is trying to solve a mystery. Caleb, the dark-skinned son of a white puppeteer, has always acted as his father-s assistant when they perform Punch and Judy shows. After his father is wrongfully arrested for theft, Caleb flees to a fishing village to live with an aunt he-s never met. Welcomed by her and his cousin but shunned by the other villagers, Caleb gets the shock of his life when his father-s corpse washes ashore. Soon after, Caleb-s sailor uncle returns from sea acting strangely. Determined to find answers relating to these two events, Caleb embarks on a dangerous mission that leads him straight into a ring of tyranny and deception. Suspenseful from first page to last, the book delves into racism, class structure, and the abuse of power while highlighting one unprivileged adolescent-s attempt to beat a corrupt system. Landman brings to life the sights, sounds, and injustices of a bygone era and is just as attentive to Caleb-s strong emotions as his life becomes increasingly dangerous. Ages 12-up. (June)

Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews

Murder and mystery abound in this engrossing and atmospheric tale set in 18th-century England.Fifteen-year-old Caleb Chappell is a mixed-race boy whose life is shrouded in mystery. He knows nothing about his black mother, and his white father—a talented puppeteer—is the son of a disgraced earl but never discusses his past. When his father is falsely convicted of theft, Caleb is forced to seek protection from a hitherto-unknown paternal aunt who married a sailor and resides with her stepdaughter in a small port town. After settling into his new life, Caleb receives a shock when a body bearing his father's signet ring washes up on the shore. Though he knows the corpse is his father, everyone in the town, from the parson to the local lord of the manor, is determined to convince Caleb otherwise. In her latest novel, Carnegie Medalist Landman (Buffalo Soldier, 2014) crafts a scintillating story of corruption headed by a winsome and tenacious protagonist. The author's concise descriptions of the sea's frightening vastness, the confining and insulated spirit of the small English town, and the provincial xenophobic attitudes of its denizens are almost cinematic in scope. Often mistaken for a slave, Caleb must endure whispers and pointed racism that are as historically accurate as they are disheartening. So riveting that the pages seem to turn of their own accord. (Fiction. 13-adult)

Starred Review ALA Booklist (Mon May 01 00:00:00 CDT 2017)

Starred Review Landman's Dickensian novel takes readers to eighteenth-century England, where a mixed-race teen and his father, Joseph, who is white, travel the countryside putting on Punch and Judy shows. Their itinerant life crashes around them when a thief drops a purloined silk purse at Joseph's feet, framing the puppeteer for the crime. To Caleb's horror, his father is dragged to prison and sentenced to be transported to America. Following Joseph's whispered instructions, Caleb makes his way to his heretofore unknown aunt's house, where he is welcomed by his aunt, though her stepdaughter, Lettie, is standoffish, and the town is downright hostile to a "darkie" like Caleb. Not long after his arrival, he discovers a disfigured body on the beach wearing Joseph's beloved ring, but while Caleb runs for help, the identifying ring is stolen. Though no one believes Caleb's claim that this man is his father, he knows something is deeply wrong. As he seeks the truth, he and Lettie grow closer, and they uncover rampant corruption and family secrets. This story is both a taut mystery and an excellent piece of historical fiction that brings issues of class, race, and justice into sharp focus. The compelling, complex characters come to life through Landman's sophisticated writing, and the plot's many twists strike like expertly timed smacks from Punch's slapstick.

Horn Book (Sun Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2018)

In 1750s England, Caleb's father is framed for theft, so dark-skinned Caleb goes to live with his aunt. Then Caleb finds his father's corpse washed up on the shore. Pa's fate is one piece in a vast web of treachery; the action intensifies as Caleb peels back layers of corruption. A satisfying yarn based on an actual 1752 shipwreck and the "extraordinary scandal that followed."

Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

Murder and mystery abound in this engrossing and atmospheric tale set in 18th-century England.Fifteen-year-old Caleb Chappell is a mixed-race boy whose life is shrouded in mystery. He knows nothing about his black mother, and his white father—a talented puppeteer—is the son of a disgraced earl but never discusses his past. When his father is falsely convicted of theft, Caleb is forced to seek protection from a hitherto-unknown paternal aunt who married a sailor and resides with her stepdaughter in a small port town. After settling into his new life, Caleb receives a shock when a body bearing his father's signet ring washes up on the shore. Though he knows the corpse is his father, everyone in the town, from the parson to the local lord of the manor, is determined to convince Caleb otherwise. In her latest novel, Carnegie Medalist Landman (Buffalo Soldier, 2014) crafts a scintillating story of corruption headed by a winsome and tenacious protagonist. The author's concise descriptions of the sea's frightening vastness, the confining and insulated spirit of the small English town, and the provincial xenophobic attitudes of its denizens are almost cinematic in scope. Often mistaken for a slave, Caleb must endure whispers and pointed racism that are as historically accurate as they are disheartening. So riveting that the pages seem to turn of their own accord. (Fiction. 13-adult)