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Memory's Hostage
In the England of 1883, the MacFarlane family has earned a reputation for being titans of the rail, coal, and textile industries. Elder brother Henry toes the line in all respects but younger brother Horace has allowed a shadow to fall on their spotless record with his dalliances with the ladies.
However, young Horace's escapades are shoved into the background when a much larger scandal lands on the MacFarlanes' doorstep, or in this case, their bathtub.
When a young woman is found with not a stitch of clothing nor a shred of memory in their house, the MacFarlanes must keep it secret while scouring their history and hers for any clues to why she was placed there.
With nothing to tell the police, the young woman is consigned to a private recovery until the mystery of her identity can be unraveled. Unfortunately, the police investigating her case run into multiple threads of blackmail, a secret agent of Her Majesty's Government, and an anarchist plot, all while trying to pierce the mystery. Can she trust the policeman on her case, Detective Barton? Or his superior officer, Sergeant Ragby? What about the MacFarlanes themselves, who seem to have something to hide...
Surrounded by people who may or may not be allies, she must find someone she can trust. Ultimately, she will have to choose whether to reinvent herself and move on or dive back into her past to find out who she is. With so many parties interested in her memory, the question becomes:
What does she know?
However, young Horace's escapades are shoved into the background when a much larger scandal lands on the MacFarlanes' doorstep, or in this case, their bathtub.
When a young woman is found with not a stitch of clothing nor a shred of memory in their house, the MacFarlanes must keep it secret while scouring their history and hers for any clues to why she was placed there.
With nothing to tell the police, the young woman is consigned to a private recovery until the mystery of her identity can be unraveled. Unfortunately, the police investigating her case run into multiple threads of blackmail, a secret agent of Her Majesty's Government, and an anarchist plot, all while trying to pierce the mystery. Can she trust the policeman on her case, Detective Barton? Or his superior officer, Sergeant Ragby? What about the MacFarlanes themselves, who seem to have something to hide...
Surrounded by people who may or may not be allies, she must find someone she can trust. Ultimately, she will have to choose whether to reinvent herself and move on or dive back into her past to find out who she is. With so many parties interested in her memory, the question becomes:
What does she know?
252 pages, Paperback
First published August 16, 2013
29 people want to read
About the author
Margaret Pinard
10 books85 followersSign up to hear about Margaret's new releases here: http://eepurl.com/-9Hj1 and follow her on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/margaret_pinard
Margaret Pinard has spent her first few decades traveling the globe in search of adventures to incorporate into her writing, including living in the lands of the Celts, the cities of European fashion, and several dolce far niente Mediterranean cultures.
Her five novels include the REMNANTS trilogy, historical novels about a family emigrating from Scotland to Nova Scotia in the 1820s; MEMORY'S HOSTAGE, a historical mystery; and DULCI'S LEGACY, a YA mystery. She resides in Portland, OR.
Margaret Pinard has spent her first few decades traveling the globe in search of adventures to incorporate into her writing, including living in the lands of the Celts, the cities of European fashion, and several dolce far niente Mediterranean cultures.
Her five novels include the REMNANTS trilogy, historical novels about a family emigrating from Scotland to Nova Scotia in the 1820s; MEMORY'S HOSTAGE, a historical mystery; and DULCI'S LEGACY, a YA mystery. She resides in Portland, OR.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 8, 2021
Quick disclosure: I have interacted with the author a bit via her YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC315...) so I was predisposed to enjoy this book!
SPOILER-FREE review:
That said, this book checks so many boxes for a good time:
- strong, resilient heroine with a logical mind
- endearing amateur sleuths
- a saintly detective who risks his career to do what's right
- a slightly annoying upper-class lady (pretty brief appearance)
- set in 19th century Britain!
- unusual crime (hypnotism plays a role!)
This book opens with a bang: 1st page, there's a naked woman with no memory in the bathroom of a wealthy home! Cue a bit of 19th century prudishness as the gentleman who discovers her, Henry MacFarlane, tries to handle the situation without triggering instant scandal. The mystery proceeds from there as the police begin an investigation to find out who the woman is, and the MacFarlanes carry out their own research to discover who might have done this and whether its an attempt to discredit their large rail shipping business by a rival family. Pretty quickly, we realize the police are not doing their due diligence - could it be corruption?? After discovering that the woman has been a victim of brainwashing via hypnotism, the police do little more. A young detective, Barton, goes rogue, determined to get to the bottom of the case. Meanwhile, the mystery woman, who has adopted the name 'Agnes', attempts to move on with her life by building a new identity as lady's maid to a typically hair-obsessed, party-planning lady, Lady Helen. But her new position is not as safe as she'd hoped...
I really enjoyed some of the main characters of this book, particularly Agnes and Barton. I'd definitely read more stories about Agnes and Barton if the author ever feels like revisiting them! :) The MacFarlane brothers were a bit interchangeable, but both were total sweethearts, including the somewhat rakish younger brother, Horace. I really enjoyed the details of the final reveal of the mystery - I won't say more because I don't want to do spoilers, but this book was great for someone who enjoys complex mysteries where the focal crime of the book is a small piece of a larger story.
SPOILER-FREE review:
That said, this book checks so many boxes for a good time:
- strong, resilient heroine with a logical mind
- endearing amateur sleuths
- a saintly detective who risks his career to do what's right
- a slightly annoying upper-class lady (pretty brief appearance)
- set in 19th century Britain!
- unusual crime (hypnotism plays a role!)
This book opens with a bang: 1st page, there's a naked woman with no memory in the bathroom of a wealthy home! Cue a bit of 19th century prudishness as the gentleman who discovers her, Henry MacFarlane, tries to handle the situation without triggering instant scandal. The mystery proceeds from there as the police begin an investigation to find out who the woman is, and the MacFarlanes carry out their own research to discover who might have done this and whether its an attempt to discredit their large rail shipping business by a rival family. Pretty quickly, we realize the police are not doing their due diligence - could it be corruption?? After discovering that the woman has been a victim of brainwashing via hypnotism, the police do little more. A young detective, Barton, goes rogue, determined to get to the bottom of the case. Meanwhile, the mystery woman, who has adopted the name 'Agnes', attempts to move on with her life by building a new identity as lady's maid to a typically hair-obsessed, party-planning lady, Lady Helen. But her new position is not as safe as she'd hoped...
I really enjoyed some of the main characters of this book, particularly Agnes and Barton. I'd definitely read more stories about Agnes and Barton if the author ever feels like revisiting them! :) The MacFarlane brothers were a bit interchangeable, but both were total sweethearts, including the somewhat rakish younger brother, Horace. I really enjoyed the details of the final reveal of the mystery - I won't say more because I don't want to do spoilers, but this book was great for someone who enjoys complex mysteries where the focal crime of the book is a small piece of a larger story.
April 5, 2015
Mystery in the England of Jane Austen...
Jane Austen’s England captured in this delightful mystery. A young lady is found naked in the bath of Henry McFarlane at Atwell (“near the East Coast of England”), Yorkshire. How has she come to be there, what is her history? But she cannot help as she has no memory, yet Alice as a name feels somewhat familiar…. Horace, dashing brother to Henry is tasked with researching the background, is it sinister, what could her story possibly be? One intervention might be the new treatment of hypnotherapy, but it causes great distress in the victim…. thereafter Alice has glimmerings of actually being Agnes.
She begins her own explorations, heading to Leeds, to earn herself an income. She takes up a post working for Lady Helen at Clatteringshaws. But there are policemen in the wings, quietly observing the comings and goings…. where will this all end?
An engaging story set in the later years of the 19th century. The flavour of the language is Victorian but for full authenticity the inevitable ‘sidewalks’ and “gottens” would need to be weeded out. This book would be fabulous to read in tandem with Thornfield Hall by Jane Stubbs, which is also set in Yorkshire.
Jane Austen’s England captured in this delightful mystery. A young lady is found naked in the bath of Henry McFarlane at Atwell (“near the East Coast of England”), Yorkshire. How has she come to be there, what is her history? But she cannot help as she has no memory, yet Alice as a name feels somewhat familiar…. Horace, dashing brother to Henry is tasked with researching the background, is it sinister, what could her story possibly be? One intervention might be the new treatment of hypnotherapy, but it causes great distress in the victim…. thereafter Alice has glimmerings of actually being Agnes.
She begins her own explorations, heading to Leeds, to earn herself an income. She takes up a post working for Lady Helen at Clatteringshaws. But there are policemen in the wings, quietly observing the comings and goings…. where will this all end?
An engaging story set in the later years of the 19th century. The flavour of the language is Victorian but for full authenticity the inevitable ‘sidewalks’ and “gottens” would need to be weeded out. This book would be fabulous to read in tandem with Thornfield Hall by Jane Stubbs, which is also set in Yorkshire.
October 29, 2021
I know Margaret Pinard from YouTube, with her BookTube/AuthorTube channel and interacting in the comments of videos. With that in mind, it's possible I'm slightly biased with my opinion here as a 4.5 star read. I've also already read three of her other books, the Remnants trilogy, and greatly enjoyed them.
Most authors annoy me by spending about 40-60 pages before really hooking me into the story, but this book doesn't suffer from that quality. Instead, Margaret Pinard managed to hook me within the first two pages.
The concept: the protagonist woke up naked in the bath tub of a noble family, unsure of who she was or how she ended up there. The family who owned the house tried to help investigate, with two main brothers, one a more respectable business man and the other more of a playboy. The police tried to help, but not all of them seemed trustworthy. There were other, more criminal factions, at play as well. As a reader, I liked not knowing who to trust while the breadcrumbs of clues were slowly revealed.
Many of the chapters were shorter than I would usually expect, but I enjoyed that since I often read in small bursts of 15-20 minutes at a time. I also liked how the point of view would change from chapter to chapter, with the various people trying to find out the truth of what was going on and why.
If, like me, you love historical fiction with mystery and intrigue, then I think you'll love this book. I highly recommend it.
Most authors annoy me by spending about 40-60 pages before really hooking me into the story, but this book doesn't suffer from that quality. Instead, Margaret Pinard managed to hook me within the first two pages.
The concept: the protagonist woke up naked in the bath tub of a noble family, unsure of who she was or how she ended up there. The family who owned the house tried to help investigate, with two main brothers, one a more respectable business man and the other more of a playboy. The police tried to help, but not all of them seemed trustworthy. There were other, more criminal factions, at play as well. As a reader, I liked not knowing who to trust while the breadcrumbs of clues were slowly revealed.
Many of the chapters were shorter than I would usually expect, but I enjoyed that since I often read in small bursts of 15-20 minutes at a time. I also liked how the point of view would change from chapter to chapter, with the various people trying to find out the truth of what was going on and why.
If, like me, you love historical fiction with mystery and intrigue, then I think you'll love this book. I highly recommend it.
December 10, 2017
Set in England in 1883, Memory’s Hostage tells the story of a woman who awakens in a rich man’s house with neither clothing nor memory. The mystery deepens as family histories collide. Police hide the woman but, lacking knowledge of who she was, she determines to become a new person with skills and purpose. Sometimes those skills might reveal her past. Sometimes they lead to her future. And sometimes she’s being led by strangers waiting with evil intent.
The twists and turns of this story take readers from Yorkshire to Scotland and beyond, with business and government interests, hints of scandal, and even anarchist plots! It’s all simply told with an omniscient narrator and convincing period detail, all following a classical path of increasing tension. The devious use of hypnotism (a new science, sometimes called mesmerism), and the determined investigation of a hapless policeman all lead eventually to a satisfying resolution, with various characters left to their own new devices at story’s end.
The novel’s long but a fairly quick read. While covering some dark themes it’s innocently told, never devolving too deeply into emotions or social concerns. Hints of human trafficking remind the reader the world still hasn’t changed—the users of people still abuse, and a strong enough woman can become free.
Disclosure: I met the author and bought a copy.
The twists and turns of this story take readers from Yorkshire to Scotland and beyond, with business and government interests, hints of scandal, and even anarchist plots! It’s all simply told with an omniscient narrator and convincing period detail, all following a classical path of increasing tension. The devious use of hypnotism (a new science, sometimes called mesmerism), and the determined investigation of a hapless policeman all lead eventually to a satisfying resolution, with various characters left to their own new devices at story’s end.
The novel’s long but a fairly quick read. While covering some dark themes it’s innocently told, never devolving too deeply into emotions or social concerns. Hints of human trafficking remind the reader the world still hasn’t changed—the users of people still abuse, and a strong enough woman can become free.
Disclosure: I met the author and bought a copy.
September 6, 2021
Loved this. The story has a creepy element of hypnosis; however Pinard makes it work. At no point did I think cheesy. She ties all the loose ends up. This is her first novel, and I read it on my Kindle. The British English is different, and my Kindle picked up the translation. (This is the first time I really used the Kindle dictionary. I love my physical Websters, but know it doesn't have everything.) I'm impressed with this being her first. I enjoyed the story, and ultimately two reasons for five stars: No swearing/profanity. Pinard used her gift with words for expressions. Secondly, The story is new to me. I havent read this 100 times. This is not a name and place change story.
And, I want to shout from the rooftops (rare for me) I LOVED the ending.
Margaret is a Book Tuber and that is how I found out she was a published author. Her channel as well as this book represents 100% class. I have her series (3 books) to read and hope to do those in Nov and Dec.
And, I want to shout from the rooftops (rare for me) I LOVED the ending.
Margaret is a Book Tuber and that is how I found out she was a published author. Her channel as well as this book represents 100% class. I have her series (3 books) to read and hope to do those in Nov and Dec.
September 3, 2013
I enjoyed this quite a bit! I don't actually like mysteries, but a friend wrote this so of course I had to read it immediately. (disclaimer: I know the author, but this is a legit review; if I had not liked it I would not have reviewed it.) It kept me up later than I intended to finish it so I could find out what happened at the end. The characters are interesting, and the plot moves quickly with some good twists--there were a couple of real surprises, and a few things that seemed like they were being set up one way went in another direction (in a good way). It's well-written and well-researched. I look forward to reading more books by this author!
February 3, 2025
3.5/5
Couple of things to get out of the way before we dive in here, and are worth bearing in mind.
Firstly, I am by preference a fantasy,sci-fi and horror reader, and while their is sometimes an overlap, it is very very rare for me to read historical fiction or mystery as the main genre, so this one was a little out of my normal reading comfort zone,
Secondly, I have the privilege of having contact with the author (Margaret) through my YouTube channel, and we have spoken a number of times on a few different things, which is worth mentioning in terms of personnel bias.
This is Margaret's debut novel based primarily in northern England with some sojourns to Scotland as well during the age of Steam and focuses on a couple of different groups, primarily the MacFarlanes who run and operate a major railway industry during a time of mass rail expansion and massive competition from others who want a piece of the highly lucrative potential future.
Upon finding a surprised undressed woman in his bath, holding no memory of who she is, how she got their or indeed why. With investigations unfolding from here to try and discover all these things, diving into corporate sabotage, people trafficking (in all its unpleasant forms), international diplomacy/rivalry and corruption.
This has a relatively sedate pace initially which picks up steam (TRAIN PUNS!), as we untangle the overarching conspiracy that is at play, with each knot leading to another, and is well constructed,and I personally really liked how ambiguous the ending was in terms of how effective discoveries and revelations from a wider view were long term
Also worth mentioning here is the clear appreciation of this time period both good and bad, and the setting that comes through in terms of certain cultural references and use of local dialects and speech patterns, although I do wonder if i picked it up so clearly because I am from Northern England and am familiar with the modern examples of these.
With all that said though I found myself bumping into a couple of issues as I read this
The first is one I often hit with classic literature, which is my personal reading flow for whatever reason snags badly on older variations of English Language construction. This is entirely down to my reading preferences, and nothing wrong with the writing of the dialog itself.
For me,this was compounded for me personally by the very short chapter length and rapid POV changes, which again is something that can break my flow, and i have said previously that i do prefer longer chapter lengths. Although this was less of an issue in the back half as the pace picked up.
Overall,I think this is a very solid debut.It has a good central core that nails the overall regional tone that it was aiming for, with compelling central mystery that gradually pulled me and had me fully invested after the halfway mark in where the ending of the tale would land, with my main issues being linked to some of my own preferences and lack of familiarity with the genre. I and i look forward to reading more of Margaret's work,as I continue to dive into a genre that I am still somewhat unfamiliar with.
Couple of things to get out of the way before we dive in here, and are worth bearing in mind.
Firstly, I am by preference a fantasy,sci-fi and horror reader, and while their is sometimes an overlap, it is very very rare for me to read historical fiction or mystery as the main genre, so this one was a little out of my normal reading comfort zone,
Secondly, I have the privilege of having contact with the author (Margaret) through my YouTube channel, and we have spoken a number of times on a few different things, which is worth mentioning in terms of personnel bias.
This is Margaret's debut novel based primarily in northern England with some sojourns to Scotland as well during the age of Steam and focuses on a couple of different groups, primarily the MacFarlanes who run and operate a major railway industry during a time of mass rail expansion and massive competition from others who want a piece of the highly lucrative potential future.
Upon finding a surprised undressed woman in his bath, holding no memory of who she is, how she got their or indeed why. With investigations unfolding from here to try and discover all these things, diving into corporate sabotage, people trafficking (in all its unpleasant forms), international diplomacy/rivalry and corruption.
This has a relatively sedate pace initially which picks up steam (TRAIN PUNS!), as we untangle the overarching conspiracy that is at play, with each knot leading to another, and is well constructed,and I personally really liked how ambiguous the ending was in terms of how effective discoveries and revelations from a wider view were long term
Also worth mentioning here is the clear appreciation of this time period both good and bad, and the setting that comes through in terms of certain cultural references and use of local dialects and speech patterns, although I do wonder if i picked it up so clearly because I am from Northern England and am familiar with the modern examples of these.
With all that said though I found myself bumping into a couple of issues as I read this
The first is one I often hit with classic literature, which is my personal reading flow for whatever reason snags badly on older variations of English Language construction. This is entirely down to my reading preferences, and nothing wrong with the writing of the dialog itself.
For me,this was compounded for me personally by the very short chapter length and rapid POV changes, which again is something that can break my flow, and i have said previously that i do prefer longer chapter lengths. Although this was less of an issue in the back half as the pace picked up.
Overall,I think this is a very solid debut.It has a good central core that nails the overall regional tone that it was aiming for, with compelling central mystery that gradually pulled me and had me fully invested after the halfway mark in where the ending of the tale would land, with my main issues being linked to some of my own preferences and lack of familiarity with the genre. I and i look forward to reading more of Margaret's work,as I continue to dive into a genre that I am still somewhat unfamiliar with.
June 21, 2022
I am familiar with the author from watching her YouTube channel.
This is the author's first published novel and it shows. I especially struggled with the first half. I found the constant changes of the point of view too jarring for me to get into a good reading rhythm. The writing does get better in the second half and I did enjoy the ending.
This is the author's first published novel and it shows. I especially struggled with the first half. I found the constant changes of the point of view too jarring for me to get into a good reading rhythm. The writing does get better in the second half and I did enjoy the ending.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews