Farthing

Starred review from June 12, 2006
World Fantasy Award–winner Walton (Tooth and Claw
) crosses genres without missing a beat with this stunningly powerful alternative history set in 1949, eight years after Britain agreed to peace with Nazi Germany, leaving Hitler in control of the European continent. A typical gathering at the country estate of Farthing of the power elite who brokered the deal is thrown into turmoil when the main negotiator, Sir James Thirkie, is murdered, with a yellow star pinned to his chest with a dagger. The author deftly alternates perspective between Lucy Kahn, the host's daughter, who has disgraced herself in her family's eyes by marrying a Jew, and Scotland Yard Inspector Peter Carmichael, who quickly suspects that the killer was not a Bolshevik terrorist. But while the whodunit plot is compelling, it's the convincing portrait of a country's incremental slide into fascism that makes this novel a standout. Mainstream readers should be enthralled as well.

July 1, 2006
In an alternate reality in which a group of English nobles overthrew Winston Churchill and made peace with Adolf Hitler in 1941, a murder is committed at the home of Lord and Lady Eversley, and suspicion falls on David Kahn, the Jewish husband of Lucy Eversley. Only Inspector Carmichael of Scotland Yard believes that something else might be at work and that the Kahns could, in fact, be victims themselves. World Fantasy Award winner Walton (Tooth and Claw) serves up an chilling tale of thea future that could have been in a world both far different from and eerily similar to today -s. An excellent example of alternate history that for, this novel belongs in most sf collections.

Copyright 2006 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2006
Adult/High School-An influential family's weekend party is the stage for murder in post-World War II England. On the first night, a major politician is found dead with a yellow Star of David pinned to his chest with a dagger. Daughter of the house Lucy and her Jewish husband had been surprised to be included. Clearly, their invitation was an obvious setup by someone in the Fascist Farthing Set who is trying to pin the murder on her husband. An investigator from Scotland Yard discerns that in addition to anti-Semitism, the homosexuality of some of the key figures plays a major role in the crime, and the investigator has his own secret that plays out as a significant factor in the outcome of the case. The accurately portrayed civilian setting will make the novel useful for world history classes, and it's a gripping read for teens who like a good English murder mystery. It's comparable to Agatha Christie's novels with substantial social issues and a heavier dose of history thrown in."Ellen Bell, Amador Valley High School, Pleasanton, CA"

Copyright 2006 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2006
One summer evening in 1949, at a -country-house party of the Farthing set, a guest is murdered. ow, the Farthing set is the group that organized peace with Hitler in 1941 and remained prominent in British politics ever since. Lucy, daughter of two set members, was surprised to be invited to the party, because relations with her family have been strained since she married David, a Jew. As the murder investigation proceeds, it becomes clear that David was to be framed for the killing. The Scotland Yard inspector on the case has reasons for looking beyond the obvious, however, even at the highest levels of government. Still, David and Lucy are embroiled in a cruel political trap and eventually have to run. Walton realizes an all-too-convincing alternate world in which the Third Reich but not its spirit was stopped at the English Channel. The characters are highly plausible, and in every aspect, from the petty snobbery hampering the inspector to the we-don't-do-that-here conclusion, the plot encourages warily reconsidering the daily news. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)