I really like historical fiction in which the author shows me a broad and detailed view of an unfamiliar setting. This takes a lot of research and imagination, and Titchener does it here in spades.

Florida in 1885 WAS much like the wild west. Our hero, Oliver Redcastle, is a detective from Baltimore on assignment to find a missing investor in Tampa. We follow Redcastle’s adventures from the glittering high society of Tampa, to the horrors of imprisonment in a backwoods turpentine camp, through hair-raising escapes in the wilderness and at sea, and finally to a series of violent encounters in the Everglades.

The author is also sensitive to historical social issues, and we’re exposed to believable characters from diverse races, classes, and economic backgrounds. These include Cuban gun runners, con men, Florida crackers, and a kick-ass Lady detective (who, like Redcastle himself, is beautifully drawn, evincing not only courage and determination, but depth and vulnerability).

I loved everything about this novel. If you like historical fiction, I think you will too. ( )