The Halifax Connection

by Marie Jakober

A Canadian counter-intelligence novel with a memorable romance at its heart, The Halifax Connection brings to life 1860s Montreal and Halifax with wit, action and a finale that will leave you breathless.

Canada in 1862 is still a few scattered colonies run by an indifferent British crown. As the American Civil War heats up south of the border, Southern Confederates flood into Montreal and Halifax, among them numerous spies and military officers planning secret missions against the Union – missions they hope will provoke a war between England and the United States, throwing the whole weight of the British Empire into the Confederate camp.

Erryn Shaw is a charming British aristocrat who has been banished to the colonies and now wants nothing more than to run a theatre. Instead, he is convinced to spy for the British and finds himself befriending Southern Rebels to learn of their plans. On a mission to Montreal, he gets wind of a sinister plot–a plan the Confederates believe will win them the war. And he can’t seem to find a way to stop it.

At the same time, he meets and courts an intriguing woman, Sylvie Bowen, who escaped the cotton mills of England seeking a better life. Though she’s drawn to Erryn’s charm and cleverness, she once met with disaster at the hands of the South, and he knows it is only a matter of time until she discovers his ties to the Rebels and turns against him.

Drawing on actual events, The Halifax Connection captures a fascinating and largely forgotten piece of Canada’s history. From the comfortable parlours and ballrooms of the bustling metropolis of Montreal to the back alleyways of the port town of Halifax, to the deadly high seas patrolled by Southern raiders, the novel draws a remarkable picture of Canada in the mid-1800s – its people, its power struggles, its hopes and its dreams.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Canada, Fiction, Canadian Literature

496 pages, Hardcover

First published April 24, 2007

About the author

From Wikipedia:

Marie Jakober is an award-winning Canadian novelist.

Based in Calgary, Alberta, Jakober writes historical fiction and fantasy. Sandinista: A Novel of Nicaragua (1985) won the Writer's Guild of Alberta Novel Award in 1985. She received the 2002 Michael Shaara Award for Excellence in Civil War Fiction for her novel Only Call Us Faithful (2002).[1]

Her second Civil War novel, Sons of Liberty, won the Georges Bugnet Award for Novel at the Alberta Book Awards in 2006.

Reviews

[Matthew Stienberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

In an interesting (and very uncommon) piece of historical fiction, Marie Jakober brings us to the docks and houses of Halifax where we follow the lives and loves of some unlikely spies. As a Canadian myself I found the story fascinating and felt that it was a lively and original piece of historical fiction. Chronicling events from early 1862 to September 1864 the novel delves into the spycraft of the era, law keeping, and the constantly changeable attitudes of Canadians towards the American Civil War.

In the fictional persons of Erryn Shaw, Slyvie Bowen, Matt Clavery, and Colonel Hawkins we find some compelling narratives of the divide in the fractious provinces of British North America, and especially in the port city of Halifax. Though the characters are fictional, they chronicle close to real life events and make some clever fictional introductions to things we know relatively little about in Canadian history!

As a piece of Canadian literature I found it clever. Using plot elements from the beginning of the novel to introduce you to later events and unravel the mystery of the later portion of the novel. It was a novel which touches on a relatively unknown portion of the American Civil War and Canadian history. A very interesting read.

[Mandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was super excited about this book, but it was tough to get into. Lots of different, peripheral characters on almost every page, endless paragraphs of Erryn's inner thoughts based on one line of dialogue. Erryn did not make me care for his character. Sylvie's story, on the other hand, captured me right away. That was well done, or maybe just a more sympathetic character. I flipped through the first half of the book. Matt was an intriguing character. Erryn was so damn snotty, while trying to appear completely the opposite.

The historical stuff was cool. Maury Janes' big plot was a good climax to the story. The romance was surprisingly good.

[Megan Gilchrist · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this book. I found the first half hard to get into - there were a lot of characters and it was initially challenging to keep all of the threads of the story together. I really liked Sophie's story - I kind of wish it was just about her - as I felt Erryn's story wasn't really fleshed out enough to be enjoyable. The ending felt a bit rushed as well. I liked that the storyline explored a little-known part of Canadian history, but I think it maybe just needed more time - perhaps a series would have been more satisfying. An interesting read if you like Canadian or Civil War history.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book by Marie Jakober is a historical romance with some hints of espionage.

Some historical background from Wikipedia:

The American Civil War again saw much activity and prosperity in Halifax. Due to longstanding economic and social connections to New England as well as the Abolition movement, a majority of the population supported the North and many volunteered to fight in the Union army. However, parts of the city's merchant class, especially those trading in the West Indies, supported the South. A few merchants in the city made huge profits selling supplies and sometimes arms to both sides of the conflict (see for example Alexander Keith, Jr.). Confederate ships often called on the port to take on supplies, and make repairs. One such ship, the CSS Tallahassee, became a legend in Halifax when she made a daring midnight escape through from northern warships believed waiting at the harbour entrance. Halifax was also played a significant role in the Chesapeake Affair.

The plot shows Erryn Shaw, a British aristocrat-spy and his passion for Sylvie Bowen, an escape from the cotton mills of England.

However this romance doesn't convince the reader to find some interest on this book, I almost abandoned it. Perhaps it wasn't a good idea to mix three genres in a same book.

[Joyce]

Who knew the Confederates during the civil war were coming up to Canada in huge numbers to muster support for their cause against the Yankees? This novel is based on historical events around Halifax at that time, basically the navy contingent of the Confederates and their spy rings. This author has written seven books about the civil war.. she is Canadian living in Calgary? Can't say I really enjoyed the book because i'm not a fan of dialogue and this volume is 75% dialogue.

[Margaret Joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of special interest to Canadian maritime history buffs, and more especially to those such as myself with ancestry in Nova Scotia, this is a fascinating story in the historical fiction genre. The setting is largely Halifax--with some action set in Montreal--in 1862, when a British-born Canadian turns spy on the Southern Confederacy during the American Civil war. Eye-opening to say the least, it tells of how the Confederates used Halifax harbour as a launching pad for blockade running and counter-plots against the Yankee northerners, of those Nova Scotians with whom they found sympathy, and of those who hated them. A great read with a spicy romance to boot.

[Danny · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 fun read on a period of Canadian history i'm less familiar abt.

[Frances Philpott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good read

[nimrodiel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Canada in 1862 was not the proud country we know today. It was still collection of colonies run by the British crown. To the south of Canada in the United States, the Civil War is becoming more volatile. As the fighting gets hotter, people from both sides, Yankee and Confederate alike cross the border into the British Colonies for many reasons. Among the southern gentry flooding into the cities of Halifax and Montreal, there are many spies and military personages. These men and women have ulterior motives to put into action secret plans against the Yankees. Secret plans that may or may not start a war between England and the United States. If a war is started between the two countries, the Confederacy would have an ally in fighting against the Yankees.

Former theater manager and ex-British aristocrat Erryn Shaw finds himself recruited as a spy for the British crown. His job is to befriend the Southern rebels and learn their secret plans. While on a mission to Montreal, he hears about an exceptionally sinister plot being planned by the Confederates. A plan, which the men in charge believe with all their hearts will win them the war.

While in Montreal, Erryn meets and courts a woman he finds intriguing and charming named Sylvie Bowen. Sylvie has recently emigrated to Canada, escaping life of drudgery working in the cotton mills of England. Sylvie also stands firm in her hatred of the Southern rebels. Because of their piracy, she and her aunt Franny were forced to land on Nassau. Only Sylvie would then travel onto Halifax. Her aunt left behind to be buried in a mass grave, for the victims of a Yellow Fever epidemic that was raging through the island when the women were forced ashore by the sinking of the English trader they were traveling on by the confederate ship the Alabama.

Erryn finds himself drawn deeper into the intrigue surrounding the plot he has uncovered. Meanwhile his feelings for Sylvie deepen as he spends more time with her. He finds himself in a race against time. Can Erryn Shaw find a way to stop the Rebel’s plans and keep England from starting a war with the United States? Can he do so and pull out of the spy game before his beloved Sylvie discovers he is a “Grey Tory” siding with those she despises? Or will he run out of time and loose both Sylvie and the hope of defeating the plan that the Rebels believe will end the war.

The Halifax Connection draws its story from actual events in Canada’s history. I was fascinated by the story, as much of my Civil War knowledge had ended with Canada being one of the end points of the underground railroad. This book is a fantastic example of historical fiction. It is superbly written and transports readers back in time to an exiting time in Canada’s colonial history. Author Marie Jakober takes us into the ballrooms and parlors of the bustling city of Montreal to the dirty, military garrisoned port town of Halifax. I originally won this book as a part of the first Hidden Treasures contest held by West of Mars back in the summer of 2007. I’m finding myself sorry for letting this book languish for so long in my “to be read soon" basket. This is one of the best examples of fiction set during the Civil War that I have read in a very long time. Author Marie Jakober has a love and passion for the Civil War and her own country’s involvement in it. This passion shows through in an extremely well crafted and exiting adventure of a story.

[rabbitprincess · Rating 3 out of 5]

A competent historical novel with a splash of romance. It's set during the American Civil War and is apparently based on real events. Halifax finds itself with rather a lot of Confederates using the city as a base to plot various schemes and conspiracies to overthrow the Union and win the war. Officially, Canada, as a British colony, is neutral, but there are prominent community members (creatively named "Grey Tories") who support the Confederate cause. And of course there are spies on either side. One such spy is Erryn Shaw, a British aristocrat and former theatre owner, whose social graces and connections enable him to befriend these influential Grey Tories and do some spy work.

Meanwhile, the romance aspect comes from Sylvie Bowen, a Lancashire girl who used to work in the cotton mills but left with her aunt before the mill killed them both. Unfortunately, her aunt died in Nassau and so she is alone in the world. She does have work as a chambermaid, but her standing is considerably lower than Erryn's.

Of course, because this is a somewhat romantic book, you have to expect the usual hurdles and setbacks before the inevitable happy ending. There are a few breath-holding moments where you might suspect the author would play a dirty trick on you and make it turn out badly, but never fear, all ends up being right with the world.

Overall I think it was merely okay. The spy bits were pretty good, and it's obvious that the author has done her research. The ending did not leave me breathless, as the back of the book promised -- at least not the epilogue. The climax of the story proper was pretty shocking, though, and it was very well done. Definitely didn't see that coming until Erryn did. Some of the romance bits were pretty okay too (albeit slightly embarrassing to read on the bus).

There were a few downsides. Some of the dialogue didn't feel quite true, especially Erryn's annoying habit of calling Sylvie "my heart". If my boyfriend called me that I would barf. It's just so cloyingly sentimental it doesn't sound very sincere. And there was a LOT of expository narration at the beginning. I suppose that in stories with lots of characters, the author has to provide enough introduction so that the reader remembers who each one is later on, but when there are a lot of people to introduce it can get rather overwhelming. I guess I should be grateful that the exposition wasn't delivered in clunky dialogue, like "Hello, James Orton, noted society figure and prominent Grey Tory, who is my brother-in-law!" Also I don't buy the copper keeping spiders. It seems almost quirky for quirkiness' sake.

So to sum up, this isn't treacly book-clubby junk, but it's not the most groundbreaking novel ever. Still, it's pretty good. Read it if it interests you.

[Toni Osborne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a Canadian counter-intelligence novel with a North of the border spin in the 1862 American Civil War.

Numerous Southern Confederate spies and military officers flood into Montreal and Halifax to plan secret missions. Their aim is to provoke war between England and the Union. Officer Erryn Shaw, a British aristocrat one of Monck's spies, is assigned to infiltrate groups of Confederates in order to keep Canada and Britain out of the war. On a mission to Montreal he meets and courts an intriguing woman, Sylvie Bowen, who previously escaped the cotton mills of England seeking a better life. Their relationship is put to the test as they are caught up in a whirlwind of intrigue.

This historical fiction is based on fact although the timing of the events may not be accurate according to the author's notes. It was revealing to find out that a number of prominent Canadians "Grey Tories" aided the Confederacy with illegal and clandestine activities and many others were outspoken supporters of the cause. Although most of the characters are fictional, their activities are real. The American Civil War posed a danger to its Northern neighbour; this necessitated the use of strangely placed "Informers" along the border.

Here are some of the events:

.The intended raid on the Federal prison camp at Johnson's island.
.The capture by the Union of the Princess Royal, the most important blockade seizure of the war.
.The yellow fever plot where contaminated material destined for three American Cities was discovered in trunks coming from Bermuda.
.The deadly high seas raids by the Southern forces.
.The famous hesapeake Affair, in which a hijacked U.S. vessel is retaken inside Sambro Harbour.

The novel is written with a memorable romance at its heart "The Halifax connection" captures a fascinating and forgotten piece of Canada and U.S history. The story will appeal to those enthralled by tales of adventure and international intrigue.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book of Canadian historical fiction is an interestiing and entertaining read. It is set in 1860, on the cusp of the American Civil War which broke out in April, 1861. In 1860, Abraham Lincoln was elected president on an election platform that would prohibit the expansion of slavery into the nation's western territories. Within months, seven southern states seceded from the Union and formed the Confederate States of America. Their objective was to obtain European support, especially from England, whose elites had an empathetic mind set with the slave owners, even though England was officially neutral. There was already hostility between Britain and the United States over the War of 1812. It was thought that the best place to provoke the war would be Canada because Confederate raids might lead to retaliation. Both North and South sent intelligence operatives to keep track of one another's activities and Halifax was the hub of such activities with it being a naval port. Erryn Shaw is one of these spies, who falls in love with a girl who escaped the cotton mills of England and finds herself drawn into the intrigue as well. Canada's role in this war was a revelation to me and I'm glad Marie Jakober wrote her book.

[Deane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book that dealt with the provinces of the British Empire before the Confederation of said provinces into the Dominion of Canada and their involvement in the American Civic war. The story is set mostly in Halifax, Nova Scotia which, of course, made it all the more intriguing to me.

Somehow I hadn't read before about the merchants and businessmen of the provinces who did support the cause of the South....I always thought the people of north of the border were with the Union cause. I found the espionage part of the story most interesting and I like the fact that the author gave true historical facts at the end of the book.

Since there were many people involved in the story; both real and fictional, I was more than happy to see a 'cast of characters' listed in the preface pages.

And of course, I did enjoy the improbable romance between a British aristocrat, Eeryn and the very poor, uneducated scullery maid, Sylvie.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story takes place in the 1860's during the American Civil War. The location is mainly Halifax with a side trip to Montreal. Erryn Shaw, an exiled Englishman and an actor, is persuaded by Matt Calverly, a Halifax police constable, to act as a Canadian spy. A group of Confederates are trying to entice England and Canada into an alliance with them so they can defeat the North and emerge as victors. Erryn has to use his wits complemented with his acting skills to help prevent the Confederate/British alliance from forming and causing a war. To further complicate his life, he meets Sylvie Bowen, an English cotton mill worker who has immigrated to Halifax for a better life. It's an interesting read and depicts how the American Civil War influenced eastern Canada. I learned something about the history I was totally unaware of. The author is an Albertan who lives in Calgary.

[Valerie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book started out as a 2 star. About half way through it picked up and I enjoyed it, so giving it 3 stars. It is about the Confederate presence in Canada during the Civil War. Interesting.