The Devlin Diary

Out of all the genres, historical fiction and mysteries are my favorite. What a true treat it was to find both combined into this one book! I had no idea what I was getting into when I picked this book up. I wish someone would have warned me that it would be absolutely impossible to put down. I spent every possible moment that I could find with this book. I found that it was not only engrossing, but I found myself rereading and savoring parts - lingering and just getting lost in the story.

To say Christi is a masterful storyteller would be a tremendous understatement. She has woven a beautiful tale, mixing past and present with mystery in both. She presents two puzzles that end up being pieced together in a most interesting and unlikely show more manner.

I have been entranced by both main characters - Hannah from the past and Claire from the present. Both are strong women that one cannot help but enjoy spending time with. They are complicated and passionate, and each has a career that drives them.

"The Devlin Diary" is definitely one of my favorite reads for this year. It's captivating, a true page-turner, and amazingly well told. This is a must read for anyone that loves historical fiction, mysteries, or just well written fiction.

Parental note: Book contains one sex scene. show less

I seem to be on a 17th-century streak. First it was The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane, then it was The Long Shadow… and now it’s The Devlin Diary, by Christi Phillips.

The story operates in a split time narrative. One strand of the story follows that of Hannah Devlin, a young, widowed, female physician in 1672 London. Threatened with imprisonment for practicing without license, Hannah becomes physician to Louise de Keroualle, mistress to King Charles II and afflicted with the clap. Pretty soon, dead men turn up on London, strange figures carved on their chests.

The other story follows that of Claire Donovan, who first appeared in The Rossetti Letter. Here, Claire has accepted a position as lecturer at Trinity College, Cambridge, show more through the influence of Andrew Kent. Claire has a run-in with another fellow, who one day turns up dead. Soon, it becomes clear that the murder in the present day is connected with those of the past, and Claire finds herself, like Hannah, investigating murder.

I really enjoyed this book. Although Hannah is a little bit modern and feminist, I really enjoyed reading her story. The story that takes place in the present isn’t quite as compelling, but I thought the author’s transitions from one time to another were really well done. I guess my biggest problem with this novel were the scenes set in the present day. While the author did an excellent job researching the Restoration, she seems to have completely skipped over doing her research for the modern-day story. The British characters weren’t really British in the way they talked (for example, two different characters say that someone is “in the hospital,” when a real English person would say “in hospital,” unless talking about a specific place). Also, I thought the murder in the present day was a little tacked on, and the murderer (and their motive) gave me cause to scratch my head.

This book is sort of a sequel to The Rossetti Letter; references are made to that book throughout The Devlin Diary, but I felt that not reading The Rossetti Letter was a detriment to my enjoying the story of this book. As I said, I enjoyed the historical parts of this novel the most; it’s too bad that the author didn’t choose to focus solely on Hannah’s story. show less

An absorbing mixture of mystery, history and romance, The Devlin Diary proved to be one of my favorite books of the year. There are two interconnected stories here, one set in London in 1672, involving a woman doctor dealing with a series of grisly murders at the court of Charles II. The other story focuses on a female American history lecturer at Cambridge University in modern times, who investigates the murder of a colleague. As an Anglophile, I relished the author’s detailed, atmospheric depiction of the locales. Characters are very successfully developed as well, with a large cast that has few stereotypes. Transitions between the two stories, which could be awkward in less skilled hands, are smooth, with the parallel plots moving show more simultaneously towards the identification of the killers.

There are enough historical details in the 1672 story to make for what my mother used to call “sugar coated history,” and, thankfully, Ms. Phillips adds a note at the end to indicate what is fact and what is fiction. I’ll leave it to those better qualified to comment on the accuracy of the historical touches, but I’ll say that nothing jumped out to me as implausible.

This is the second book that Christi Phillips has written with the same (modern) heroine, the first being The Rossetti Letter, which, on the strength of this book, I have ordered. Recommended. show less

This second foray into the world of historical research fiction is more of the same but, unlike the first, actually reads more like two unrelated stories -- both are interesting but the marriage between the two isn't convincing.

Claire is back as a guest lecturer at Trinity College, Cambridge, thanks to her strong research skills and newly minted PhD. If she has a successful guest year, she will be offered the position of fellow. She quickly finds that she has trouble navigating both the world of professional academia and the social rules of the British. When a colleague steals Claire's research idea, she confronts him--and punches him in the face--in front of a large number of witnesses. When this man turns up dead the same night, show more details start emerging about both his personal and academic lives. Claire must navigate this minefield to reclaim her research topic and to find out the secret that this man was trying to reveal.

In the seventeenth century, Hannah Devlin, is a non-licensed female physician. She has lost everything else in her life--father, husband, child--and has thrown herself into her work. When she is ordered to attend to the mistress of the king, she has no choice but to obey or be prosecuted for her profession. Once in court, Hannah learns that there is some mystery behind the death of the king's sister, Henriette-Anne, a few years prior and that those with knowledge of this event are starting to turn up dead. When her father's death is linked to this same serial killer, Hannah feels compelled to bring the truth to light.

Though Claire finds Hannah's diary near the beginning of the story, she doesn't even begin to understand what it is about until over half-way through the book. And then she doesn't even really research to solve the mystery but only needs to translate the shorthand of the diary for Hannah to reveal all. The stories have some forced parallels written in (choosing the "right" man or the more glamorous man) that don't necessarily ring true either. Still, this wasn't a terrible choice for a summer read. I just didn't feel it had some of the strengths of the first book.

http://webereading.com/2009/06/new-release-devlin-diary.html show less

Call me an Anglophile, but I love historical fiction set anywhere in the British Isles. So when I was offered the opportunity to read and review Christi Phillips new novel, THE DEVLIN DIARY, I jumped at the chance – and I’m glad I did! Remember that old commercial for Certs breath mints – “two, two, two mints in one!” Well, with THE DEVLIN DIARY, you get two, two, two books in one!

The first story, the historical one, is set in Restoration England. I haven’t read much about the reign of King Charles II, so it was fun to delve into some new-to-me history. I liked the main character, Hannah, immediately. She is an intelligent and knowledgeable woman living in a time when even those privileged few with access to the best show more education are hobbled by the limitations of contemporary scientific, philosophical, sociological, and religious thought. To work as a physician, Hannah must struggle against a tide of sexism and superstition.

The second story, that of Claire Donovan, is set in present day Cambridge at Trinity College. Maybe not surprisingly, she too is faced with an abundance of sexism as she settles in as a temporary lecturer amongst the almost all male faculty. Claire’s character was introduced in the author’s first novel, THE ROSSETTI LETTER, in which she meets historian Andrew Kent while conducting research in Italy for her PhD dissertation on the life of a Venetian courtesan. It is through that relationship that she lands such a coveted appointment at the prestigious and exclusive Trinity College. Unfortunately, the character of Claire always seems to be a bit out of her element. Granted, she's an American trying to fit in among the British (and that makes for some funny scenes and dialogue). However, for a research historian with a PhD under her belt, she comes across as a bit dense and, basically, often seems to be in over her head. She is likable, though -- perhaps she just needs more real-life experience. (Did I just say that about a fictional character?)

I do wish that I’d read THE ROSSETTI LETTER first. Don’t get me wrong, THE DEVLIN DIARY can be read as a stand alone novel, but I would have enjoyed “getting to know” Claire Donovan through reading about her experiences in that first case rather than being “brought up to date” in her second. I think that when I do read the first novel (and I will!), I’ll miss some of the fun of discovery. If you haven’t already read THE ROSSETTI LETTER, and if you have any inclination to do so, I would definitely recommend that you read that book first.

All in all, THE DEVLIN DIARY is a wonderful read. There’s plenty of interesting period detail worked skillfully into the narrative of the historical sections. The scenes are vividly drawn and atmospheric - you won’t forget that the narrow little streets are either cobblestone or mud! The murder mystery aspects are compellingly intricate, and the characters engaging and complex. While I somewhat preferred the historical sections of the novel over the present day sections, I'm looking forward to whatever intrigue Claire Donovan stumbles upon next! show less

I admit it ... I have a weakness for historical fiction. As a matter of fact, as I FIRST started reading this book, I was saying to myself, "I really could do without the modern-day flash forwards; just let me keep reading about Hannah Devlin." And then, of course, there's the obligatory "will they or won't they? They probably will ... " between Claire and Andrew.

But the book quickly pulled me in ... and I was up at 3:30 A.M. forcing myself to close the pages and finish reading it the next day.

If you find yourself fascinated when reading accounts of how life was "way back when" and finding out that scandals and debauchery are not modern phenomena, you'll like this book. If you like tales of discovery and of being an 'outsider' in a show more world that really doesn't seem to strive to include you (Claire is living and teaching in a 'man's world' in a traditional and rather stodgy environment), you'll like this book. If you just plain like a book that makes the scenes you are reading come alive in your mind, you'll really like this book. This is a book about two very strong women, but it's not only a book FOR women; it's for everyone to enjoy. show less

I have mixed feelings about this engaging book that features two Cambridge historians investigating parallel mysteries today and 300 years in the past. The writing is crisp though I did find the use of the present tense for the historical portions rather jarring. Claire and Andrew seem like engaging characters, but the focus of the book is clearly Hannah and Edward in Restoration England.

It was definitely the historical portions of the novel that hooked me as a reader- the characters and Restoration London itself were well-drawn and the mystery was riveting. Though I enjoyed the interactions between Claire and Andrew, the modern day mystery seemed like an afterthought at best, and the solution had a deus-ex-machina quality that I found show more unappealing.

Regardless, I truly enjoyed the book, and will be looking to read Phillips first installment, "The Rossetti Letter". Strong 4 stars. show less