Holly's Reviews > The Shadow Palace

This is book 3 in the House of Closed Doors series, a set of historical novels set in post Civil War USA/Midwest. The Shadow Palace takes place in 1876-77 and is set in Chicago. Our intrepid heroine, Nell, along with daughter Sarah and best friend Tess, have left Kansas to start a new life with the help of Nell’s longtime friend, Martin. Martin is a successful businessman with a number of clothing stores across the country, but his flagship store is in Chicago. Nell has feelings for Martin, which we have suspected for a long time and which she finally acknowledged in the last book, Eternal Deception, but Martin has married while Nell lived in Kansas, dashing her hopes for a future with him. Nell has to find her place in Chicago society, because even though she is an unmarried mother (claiming to be a widow), she is also wealthy thanks to Martin’s wise investment of her inheritance after her father’s death. Of course, even though I don’t consider this series to be a “cozy mystery” series, there is a mystery to solve. Nell will not be persuaded to stay out of it and let the authorities handle things – and in the process, Nell learns a lot about herself and her love for Tess in particular. I won’t say more – I don’t want to spoil your enjoyment of the twists and turns of the story.

I’ve become quite the fan of Jane Steen’s books – the other series of hers I’ve been reading is the Scott-De Quincy Mysteries, which are set in England in Victorian times. Jane brings the time period and the locales to life – she has lived in Illinois and now lives in her native England – and she studied history so she is knowledgeable of the customs and events of those times and places. Jane is a self published author but you would never know it from the quality of the writing and editing. She has good people working with her to make these books a pleasure to read. Jane’s writing style has almost won me over to the first person voice, although thankfully she writes in past tense, not present. The reader learns about the time and place through the story and through Nell’s eyes. The female characters, especially Nell and Tess, are strong figures, smart, independent and clever, trying to work within the limits placed on women in those times. The Chicago women that Nell meets are also strong, independent characters and add a richness to the story.

Jane does a lot of research before writing her books, and she shares that research in her notes at the end of the book. Be sure to read the notes – and see how she incorporates real life events and people into her stories. I purchased this book directly from the author, allowing her to receive more of the purchase price than if I purchased through an online book store. I’ll be buying the next book in the series, The Jewel Cage, to discover the next adventures in Nell’s life. I hope you’ll give this series a try. You’ll be glad you did!