Karen Odden
Author of A Dangerous Duet
About the Author
Image credit: Photo credit: Tina Celle
Series
Works by Karen Odden
Associated Works
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Gender
- female
- Education
- New York University (Ph D ∙ English Literature)
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor (M.A. English Literature)
Cornell University (B.A., English and Biology) - Occupations
- novelist
college lecturer
media buyer
assistant editor
bartender - Organizations
- Mystery Writers of America
Sisters in Crime (National) and Desert Sleuths (SinC Arizona chapter) - Agent
- HG Literary Agency
- Short biography
- After earning her PhD in English literature at New York University, Karen served as an Associate Lecturer at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and as an assistant editor at the academic journal Victorian Literature and Culture. Her essays and chapters have appeared in numerous journals, and she has written introductions for Barnes and Noble’s Classics Series editions of books by Dickens and Trollope. Prior to receiving her Ph.D. in English, she worked as an Editorial Assistant for several publishing companies, as a Media Buyer for Christie’s auction house in New York, and as a bartender at the airport in Rochester. She is a member of Sisters in Crime (National and AZ chapters) and Mystery Writers of America. Her first book, A LADY IN THE SMOKE (Random House, 2015), was a USA Today bestseller, and her second, A DANGEROUS DUET (Harper Collins, 2018) won for best historical fiction at the New Mexico-Arizona book awards. Her third, A TRACE OF DECEIT (Harper Collins, 2019) takes place in the 1870s London art world. Karen currently resides in Scottsdale, Arizona with her husband, her two children, and her ridiculously cute beagle, Rosy.
from http://www.karenodden.com/about-karen... - Nationality
- USA
- Places of residence
- Scottsdale, Arizona, USA
- Associated Place (for map)
- Arizona, USA
Members
Reviews
In his new capacity of Acting Superintendent of the Wapping River Police, Mickey Corravan is not too concerned when a body is found in his cachement; it’s apparently that of a drunken gambler by all the signs on the body, likely killed for not paying his gambling debts. More troublesome is the fact that there’s more violence than usual occurring in Whitechapel, Corravan’s old home and the place where his most beloved adoptive family lives. And then there’s the matter of a train show more derailment causing numerous deaths, swiftly followed by a collision on the Thames between a pleasure boat and a collier, a working boat, in which hundreds more are drowned. Rumour has it that these accidents were not accidents at all, but terrorist attacks by determined Irish revolutionaries, rumours stoked by newspapers hoping to capitalize on the hatred the English hold for the Irish…. This is the second Inspector Corravan book, and it’s as complicated as the first, with as much depth of feeling and human understanding and compassion. I very much like the main character, and many of his associates and friends, and the setting of 1870s London is vividly depicted and completely believable. In her end notes, Ms. Odden points out that the collision on the Thames did actually happen, although the people she places on the boats are fictional, and that sentiment against the Irish in England ran very high during that period. In short, this is a very well-done historical mystery with realistic and affecting characters in whom the reader becomes quickly invested; I don’t know that it’s necessary to have read the first book in the series (Down a Dark River) before turning to this one, but I do hope that there will be a third (the ending certainly suggests it)! Recommended. show less
Karen Odden's A Trace of Deceit is a delightful read: an historical mystery with lively characters and enough plot twists to keep readers guessing. The narrative starts with the murder of an artist. HIs sister and a Scotland Yard plainclothesman join forces to try to solve the case. Along the way, one can learn a fair bit about late 19th Century England: British responses to the conflict between Germany and France, the role obscure laws can still play in daily life, the change in tenor and show more policy that accompanied the transition to Disraeli's Prime Ministership. This attention to detail makes A Trace of Deceit more than just an engaging flight of fancy. Yes, the writer entertains, but while entertaining us, she shows us that she has immersed herself in the period the novel is set in.
Recommended for anyone who enjoys historical mysteries. show less
Recommended for anyone who enjoys historical mysteries. show less
The (misquoted) maxim "Those who don't know history are destined to repeat it" takes on new meaning in Karen Odden's Victorian set mystery, Under a Veiled Moon, the second in the Inspector Corravan Mystery series. Although the ethnic group is different (the Irish as versus the groups who are the targeted today), people and media still scapegoat "others" and consider them lesser than. These bigoted beliefs led to resentment and violence in the past, as shown in the novel, and similar bigoted show more beliefs lead to resentment and violence today. Perhaps one day we will learn.
Michael (Mickey) Corravan is the Acting Superintendent of the Wapping River Police. As the novel opens, he has found a unidentified body but quickly this one, potentially murdered man becomes a side note to a much bigger investigation. There's a collision on the Thames between a daily, wooden, pleasure boat and a heavy iron-clad collier that causes massive loss of life and Corravan must determine whether it was an accident or if it was intentionally caused by the Irish Republican Brotherhood as the newspapers attest. The possibility that the IRB is behind the collision causes a massive swell of anti-Irish sentiment at a time when the Irish were already considered vermin. And Michael Corravan is Irish. His superiors and colleagues want a speedy conclusion to the case and question whether he can investigate impartially given his own heritage and close ties to the community. At the same time, Corravan is worried about the youngest son of the family who took him in after his mother left. Colin Doyle has join the Cobbwallers, another Irish gang, and Corravan wants nothing more than to get Colin out of the gang and keep him safe for Ma Doyle.
The prevailing sentiment about the Irish and the debate about Irish Home Rule weaves through the entire story. Newspapers fan the flames of bigotry, falsifying evidence and printing half-truths, allowing extremists and other bitter and angry people an outlet and mouthpiece for their beliefs. Through it all, Corravan keeps his head, tamps down his own reaction, and doggedly goes about uncovering the actual truth of the collision, finding connections to his loved ones that will fill him with regret and sadness forever. Corravan's backstory before and then with the Doyle family weaves through the investigation but there is obviously more to be unveiled in future books. The plot is quite intricate and Odden does a fantastic job keeping it moving along and tying it all together. The politics of the time, the vitriol toward the Irish, and the quiet machinations of Parliament are front and center and at the root of everything here so readers should be prepared for politics to carry as much weight as the mystery itself. The whole thing is detailed, well researched, and well written. The larger story of Michael Corravan is intriguing and the secondary characters in his work and personal life are appealing. This is a good read for historical mystery readers, with a spot on sense of time and place and a sometimes troubling parallel to life, beliefs, and media today. show less
Michael (Mickey) Corravan is the Acting Superintendent of the Wapping River Police. As the novel opens, he has found a unidentified body but quickly this one, potentially murdered man becomes a side note to a much bigger investigation. There's a collision on the Thames between a daily, wooden, pleasure boat and a heavy iron-clad collier that causes massive loss of life and Corravan must determine whether it was an accident or if it was intentionally caused by the Irish Republican Brotherhood as the newspapers attest. The possibility that the IRB is behind the collision causes a massive swell of anti-Irish sentiment at a time when the Irish were already considered vermin. And Michael Corravan is Irish. His superiors and colleagues want a speedy conclusion to the case and question whether he can investigate impartially given his own heritage and close ties to the community. At the same time, Corravan is worried about the youngest son of the family who took him in after his mother left. Colin Doyle has join the Cobbwallers, another Irish gang, and Corravan wants nothing more than to get Colin out of the gang and keep him safe for Ma Doyle.
The prevailing sentiment about the Irish and the debate about Irish Home Rule weaves through the entire story. Newspapers fan the flames of bigotry, falsifying evidence and printing half-truths, allowing extremists and other bitter and angry people an outlet and mouthpiece for their beliefs. Through it all, Corravan keeps his head, tamps down his own reaction, and doggedly goes about uncovering the actual truth of the collision, finding connections to his loved ones that will fill him with regret and sadness forever. Corravan's backstory before and then with the Doyle family weaves through the investigation but there is obviously more to be unveiled in future books. The plot is quite intricate and Odden does a fantastic job keeping it moving along and tying it all together. The politics of the time, the vitriol toward the Irish, and the quiet machinations of Parliament are front and center and at the root of everything here so readers should be prepared for politics to carry as much weight as the mystery itself. The whole thing is detailed, well researched, and well written. The larger story of Michael Corravan is intriguing and the secondary characters in his work and personal life are appealing. This is a good read for historical mystery readers, with a spot on sense of time and place and a sometimes troubling parallel to life, beliefs, and media today. show less
“My hand crept up to land on my chest, as if the ballast were a physical thing that I could hold in place. Let me not lose this, I thought, and my plea was as desperate as any I’d ever made. For I have earned it honestly, and it is mine.”
Enjoyed this second book in the Inspector Corravan series. This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I look forward to going back and reading the first book in the series. I’d compare her writing style to Anne Perry. It’s a Victorian show more mystery based on actual events that drew me in from the beginning.
Meet Inspector Michael Corravan or Mickey as his adopted family calls him. He’s a reformed street urchin/thief who was taken in by the Doyle family after his mother went missing. As an Irishman, he’s constantly aware in Victorian England of the prejudice harbored against him as the debate over Irish Home Rule intensifies.
When a collision between The Princess Alice passenger boat and the coal carrier Bywell Castle results in hundreds of people dead, Inspector Corravan is called in to head up the investigation. Is it an accidental tragedy or sabotage? As the clues keep piling up, it’s looking like it could be a plot by the IRB or Irish Republican Brotherhood as the newspapers are insinuating, but Michael has his doubts. His investigation will lead him to the highest rungs of society and with so much at stake, he can’t afford to get this wrong.
There’s also his adopted brother Colin who seems to have fallen in with the wrong people and whose resentment of him is palpable. As violence in Whitechapel increases with various Irish gangs warring for control, Michael is torn between helping the people he loves and solving the boating accident. But could they be related?
This story really kept me turning the pages as the mystery unraveled. Just when you think you may have figured it out, new motives and clues emerge which change the whole direction. Michael is a likable character who’s passionate about uncovering the truth. He’s a savvy investigator but also a caring man haunted by regrets and his past. His love interest Belinda helps him in his investigation as well as Inspector Stiles, Sgt. Hammond and Director Vincent. The side characters were as interesting as Michael and I look forward to getting to know them better in future books.
Though this is the second book in the series, it can easily be read as a standalone. Having not read the first book, I felt like the author did a fantastic job giving enough backstory so I could dive right into the story and understand what’s going on. Highly recommend to historical mystery fans! There is some mild swearing including taking God’s name in vain, though it’s infrequent. There are also descriptions of the explosion and dead bodies sensitive readers may want to be aware of. I received an advanced complimentary copy from the publisher through AustenProse PR. All opinions are my own and I was not required to provide a positive review. show less
Enjoyed this second book in the Inspector Corravan series. This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I look forward to going back and reading the first book in the series. I’d compare her writing style to Anne Perry. It’s a Victorian show more mystery based on actual events that drew me in from the beginning.
Meet Inspector Michael Corravan or Mickey as his adopted family calls him. He’s a reformed street urchin/thief who was taken in by the Doyle family after his mother went missing. As an Irishman, he’s constantly aware in Victorian England of the prejudice harbored against him as the debate over Irish Home Rule intensifies.
When a collision between The Princess Alice passenger boat and the coal carrier Bywell Castle results in hundreds of people dead, Inspector Corravan is called in to head up the investigation. Is it an accidental tragedy or sabotage? As the clues keep piling up, it’s looking like it could be a plot by the IRB or Irish Republican Brotherhood as the newspapers are insinuating, but Michael has his doubts. His investigation will lead him to the highest rungs of society and with so much at stake, he can’t afford to get this wrong.
There’s also his adopted brother Colin who seems to have fallen in with the wrong people and whose resentment of him is palpable. As violence in Whitechapel increases with various Irish gangs warring for control, Michael is torn between helping the people he loves and solving the boating accident. But could they be related?
This story really kept me turning the pages as the mystery unraveled. Just when you think you may have figured it out, new motives and clues emerge which change the whole direction. Michael is a likable character who’s passionate about uncovering the truth. He’s a savvy investigator but also a caring man haunted by regrets and his past. His love interest Belinda helps him in his investigation as well as Inspector Stiles, Sgt. Hammond and Director Vincent. The side characters were as interesting as Michael and I look forward to getting to know them better in future books.
Though this is the second book in the series, it can easily be read as a standalone. Having not read the first book, I felt like the author did a fantastic job giving enough backstory so I could dive right into the story and understand what’s going on. Highly recommend to historical mystery fans! There is some mild swearing including taking God’s name in vain, though it’s infrequent. There are also descriptions of the explosion and dead bodies sensitive readers may want to be aware of. I received an advanced complimentary copy from the publisher through AustenProse PR. All opinions are my own and I was not required to provide a positive review. show less
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- 6
- Also by
- 1
- Members
- 498
- Popularity
- #49,659
- Rating
- 3.6
- Reviews
- 73
- ISBNs
- 24
