The Yellow Lantern (2019) — A Celebrate Lit Tour: A Guest Post, My Thoughts, and a Giveaway

About the Book

Book: The Yellow Lantern

Author: Angie Dicken

Genre: Christian Historical/Suspense

Release Date: August 2019

Josephine Is Forced to Spy for Grave Robbers
Step into True Colors—a new series of Historical Stories of Romance and American Crime

In Massachusetts in 1824, Josephine Clayton awakes on the table of the doctor she’s assisted all these months. She was presumed dead by all and has become the doctor’s next corpse for his medical research. Frightened, the doctor tries to kill her, but Josephine begs to be spared. A deal is struck—Josie will leave her village and work at a distant cotton mill. All the while, she’ll await her true mission—posing as a mourner to help his body snatcher procure her replacement. At the mill though, Josie is praised for her medical remedies among the mill girls, gaining attention from the handsome factory manager Braham Taylor. Yet, when Braham’s own loved one becomes the prey for the next grave robbing, Josie must make a choice that could put her dark past behind her or steal away the promise of any future at all.

What price will Josie pay for love when her secrets begin to unravel?

Click HERE to purchase your copy!

About the Author

Angie Dicken credits her love of story to reading British literature during life as a military kid in England. Now living in the U.S. heartland, she’s a member of ACFW, sharing about author life with her fellow Alley Cats on The Writer’s Alley blog and Facebook page. Besides writing, she is a busy mom of four and works in Adult Ministry. Angie enjoys eclectic new restaurants, authentic conversation with friends, and date nights with her Texas Aggie husband. Connect with her online at www.angiedicken.com.

More From Angie

Barbour’s True Colors Crime concept intrigued me from the very beginning. Being the daughter of a doctor and discovering the ties of grave robbing to the early medical profession, I was excited to dive deep into 19^th century Massachusetts. Grave robbing around Boston and New York was often employed by doctors desperate for medical advancement. Men and women were both involved in the procuring of bodies for doctors. Finding these accounts led me to take took a look at the current medical remedies of the time—tinctures, elixirs, and herbal concoctions. My heroine was created in the tension of a desire to heal and the desperation of medical pursuits.

Amidst these medical ties to the historical moment of 1824, something was also shifting among women in rural areas of New England. Many women were employed by newly built cotton mills (Lowell Mill was my inspiration for the fictional Gloughton Mill in The Yellow Lantern). These working opportunities for women offered an escape from their home-bound lives and the rare chance for independence. Of course, with such industrial environments, injuries, and sometimes death, would occur. Noting the accounts of these kinds of fatalities in historical articles, my research came full circle.

I found three strong threads to weave into my grave-robbing story—desperate doctors in need of research, a doctor’s assistant needing an escape from her village, and a mill, not only offering that escape but the chance at bodies for the desperate medical community.

My heroine, Josie Clay, found life in the tangle of these threads of mills, medicine, and grave robbing—all playing out within the pages of The Yellow Lantern.

My Thoughts

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.

---

GIVEAWAY

To celebrate her tour, Angie is giving away a grand prize package of a $25 Amazon gift card and a paperback copy of each of the books in the series!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway.

Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/e71c/the-yellow-lantern-celebration-tour-giveaway

---

BLOG STOPS

Genesis 5020, August 15

Seasons of Opportunities, August 15

All-of-a-kind Mom, August 15

Bigreadersite, August 16

Emily Yager, August 16

Inspired by fiction, August 16

The Christian Fiction Girl, August 17

Book Bites, Bee Stings, & Butterfly Kisses, August 17

Daysong Reflections, August 17

Retrospective Spines, August 18

Spoken from the Heart, August 18

Kathleen Denly, August 19

Through the Fire Blogs, August 19

Christian Bookaholic, August 19

Maureen’s Musings, August 20

For the Love of Literature, August 20

Simple Harvest Reads, August 21 (Guest Review from Mindy Houng)

Godly Book Reviews, August 21

A Reader’s Brain, August 21

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, August 22

Betti Mace, August 22

Locks, Hooks and Books, August 22

Hallie Reads, August 23

Mary Hake, August 23

Inklings and notions, August 23

Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, August 24

For Him and My Family, August 24

Stephanie’s Life of Determination, August 24

Connie’s History Classroom, August 25

Pause for Tales, August 25

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, August 25

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, August 26

Tell Tale Book Reviews, August 26

amandainpa, August 26

Blossoms and Blessings, August 27

Texas Book-aholic, August 27

janicesbookreviews, August 27

Back Porch Reads, August 28

Just the Write Escape, August 28