Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.

Start by marking “The Reservoir” as Want to Read:

Other editions

Enlarge cover

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Open Preview

The Reservoir

John Milliken Thompson

3.30 · Rating details · 1,204 ratings · 199 reviews

On an early spring morning in Richmond, Virginia, in the year 1885, a young pregnant woman is found floating in the city reservoir. It appears that she has committed suicide, but there are curious clues at the scene that suggest foul play. The case attracts local attention, and an eccentric group of men collaborate to solve the crime. Detective Jack Wren lurks in the shado ...more

Get A Copy

Paperback, 368 pages

Published June 21st 2011 by Other Press (first published January 1st 2011)

More Details... Edit Details

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about The Reservoir, please sign up.

Be the first to ask a question about The Reservoir

Lists with This Book

City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare

What will you read this year (2011)

583 books — 413 voters

Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Title Challenge - Water

1,273 books — 87 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

Showing 1-30

Average rating 3.30 ·

Rating details

· 1,204 ratings · 199 reviews

More filters

Sort order

Start your review of The Reservoir

Jul 22, 2011 Lou rated it it was amazing

Shelves: july-read, mystery-thriller

There is is a noose waiting, waiting to tighten on a neck. That neck better be the killer of one stirred heart of a girl an expectant mother.
Stirred hearts, love and friendship. Many hearts wavered by one rather beautiful empty Heart, a web of family intrigue.
Justice is the key, the good should rise above the evil ideally as the common rule.
This story is one to be talked about for many years to come one I hold it highly up there with the greats of Human struggle, greats like 'To Kill a Mockingbi There is is a noose waiting, waiting to tighten on a neck. That neck better be the killer of one stirred heart of a girl an expectant mother.
Stirred hearts, love and friendship. Many hearts wavered by one rather beautiful empty Heart, a web of family intrigue.
Justice is the key, the good should rise above the evil ideally as the common rule.
This story is one to be talked about for many years to come one I hold it highly up there with the greats of Human struggle, greats like 'To Kill a Mockingbird.' I think you feel the essence of what kind of story we are dealing with here soak it up and savor this delightful poignant true story presented in an exemplary fashion of storytelling of the joys and the losses in life. The bliss of youth and friendship and the grimness and loneliness of the loss of love and life.

Excerpts

"The contrast between the two girls seemed to give him a window into the nature of his soul; he thought he must be in love with Lillie, but it disturbed him that the way he felt about her was passionate and physical, almost violent in its ability to take over his entire body and mind. It would be so much more pleasant if he were in love with Nola."

" You couldn’t just Walk into a saloon on Main Street in the middle of the day, and into house of bad repute at night. People had morals then. Now it’s

just sin everywhere you go. People smoking, spitting, gambling, cussing. Nossir, in my day, people didn’t act thataway. They behaved theirselves, and people got along just fine, even if they didn’t like each other.”

"Reservoir’s the end of the line. I been twenty years driving this route, ever since the war ended, and Reservoir’s always been the end of the line.”

"is beauty all around. When you're out there trying to make your mark on the world, don't ever forget how beautiful it already is."

Visit my web blog for Video of author taking you behind the true story.

http://more2read.com/?review=the-reservo...

Once you finish the story visit the authors website here http://johnmillikenthompson.com/resources/spoilers1 for some images of real letters sent. ...more

flag 13 likes · Like · see review

May 13, 2011 Jeanette (Again) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: miss-trees, all-fiction, america, historical-fiction, five-star-fiction, av

We'll never know if the real Tommie Cluverius killed his cousin Lillie. Available records make convincing arguments for both guilt and innocence. John Milliken Thompson has taken the bare bones of a real case from 1885 and filled in the meat of the story using his imagination and thorough research.

The body of a pregnant girl is found floating in a reservoir in Richmond, Virginia. The immediate assumption is suicide by a girl in trouble. But when the girl is identified as Lillian Madison, people We'll never know if the real Tommie Cluverius killed his cousin Lillie. Available records make convincing arguments for both guilt and innocence. John Milliken Thompson has taken the bare bones of a real case from 1885 and filled in the meat of the story using his imagination and thorough research.

The body of a pregnant girl is found floating in a reservoir in Richmond, Virginia. The immediate assumption is suicide by a girl in trouble. But when the girl is identified as Lillian Madison, people come forward with information leading to the arrest of Lillian's cousin Tommie Cluverius on suspicion of murder.

Tommie is a 23-year-old lawyer with a bright future. He's likeable, if a bit of a rogue, two-timing the girls who love him and making regular brothel visits. The case against him seems weak at first, and his Aunt Jane and brother Willie believe firmly in his innocence. But Tommie seems to be the only suspect in Lillian's death, and the evidence mounts.

The author weaves together the present and the past, bringing in Lillie and Tommie's shared history since childhood. He shows how that history might have given Tommie a motive for murder.
You'll change your mind several times throughout the story. Sometimes you'll be absolutely certain Tommie did it. Then you'll be equally sure he didn't, and you'll wonder when the real culprit will surface. Still other times, you'll be convinced that Lillie really did commit suicide, or maybe it was even an accident. We'll never know for sure, but Thompson brings the story to a convincing conclusion. Convincing enough that it made me cry, because guilty or not, Tommie's really still just a boy, and he's so fearful of the unknown. His brother Willie's unwavering loyalty is especially touching.

This is a well-written, carefully researched novel, full of the period detail we historical fiction fans love to savor. Post-Civil War Richmond, Virginia and its environs really come alive with the sights, sounds, and sentiments of the era. The pace is a little slower and the prose more literary than the average contemporary mystery, but that extra attention is what makes it so rich and satisfying. I recommend it for history buffs and those who love literary mysteries.

...more

flag 13 likes · Like · see review

Apr 19, 2011 Carol rated it it was amazing

Recommended to Carol by: Kate Henderson, Editor, Other Press

Shelves: fiction

Recently I attended The BooksontheNightstand Reading Retreat in Manchester, Vermont where I had the opportunity to meet and listen to author John Milliken Thompson talk about his forthcoming book, The Reservoir. If I hadn't heard John speak, The Reservoir might not have made it into my hands nor onto to our book shelves. What's the word? fate, serendipity, what ever you call it...I'm pleased I had the opportunity to read this excellent novel.

The Reservoir is being pitched as a mystery and that i ...more

flag 8 likes · Like · see review

Apr 11, 2011 Trish rated it really liked it

Shelves: true-crime, fiction, debut-author, mysteries

The Reservoir is a debut novel and mystery drawn from a true story that was the sensation of 1885 in Richmond, VA. A young, unmarried, pregnant woman is drowned in the city reservoir, presumably by her paramour: a young lawyer on his way up who also happens to be her cousin. Newspaper records of the time whipped up a frenzied appreciation of the scandal among townspeople, who flocked to attend the trial. The accused was gifted in many ways…he could write well and spoke with conviction; he ke The Reservoir is a debut novel and mystery drawn from a true story that was the sensation of 1885 in Richmond, VA. A young, unmarried, pregnant woman is drowned in the city reservoir, presumably by her paramour: a young lawyer on his way up who also happens to be her cousin. Newspaper records of the time whipped up a frenzied appreciation of the scandal among townspeople, who flocked to attend the trial. The accused was gifted in many ways…he could write well and spoke with conviction; he kept his head under crushing pressures; he was not unpleasant to look upon, and dressed soberly but well. He was an ideal defendant in many ways. This novel is what might have been the backstory to the trial, richly imagined by a man 125 years later. Court documents and evidence of the trial are still available: letters, photographs, a watch key.

Just as townspeople were riveted a century ago, we read the story of this ill-begotten romance, not knowing if the defendant should be accused of murder. The length of the trial and the sensationalism of the evidence kept it in the news for some time, and the author does a good job of revealing outcomes slowly, just as if we are hearing the outcome anew. We are as unsure what burdened the hearts of the victim and her cousin. Some readers have pointed out that the courts have changed so much that it doesn’t seem possible we are talking about the same legal system. While I cannot speak to this, I can say that the death penalty was still in vogue, and I could hardly wait to hear what the defendant would reveal in his own defense…and sucked in my breath when yet another piece of crucial evidence succumbed to flames by well-meaning relatives. It was hard to remember this is fiction, until we realize once again that it was not.

So what was fiction and what was fact? A reader will be able to discern the outlines of the case easily and can spend hours ruminating over what was known, by whom, and when. It is a story that stays with one, and is a cautionary tale as well. What comes across loud and clear is that the family of the defendant was also victim to the crime, for it was badly torn by the allegations. I can’t help but think this would make a marvelous film. All the material could be portrayed through edited scenes and pictures and would be a great vehicle for actors able to confuse us viewers as jurors. The ending is unknowable until the very end. Kudos go to the author, John Milliken Thompson, for recognizing a story when he saw it.
...more

flag 7 likes · Like · see review

Jul 07, 2011 Lou rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: july-read, arc

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Dec 12, 2011 Erin Forson rated it did not like it

The Reservoir
John N. Thompson
Released June 21, 2011
The Story Line
Lillian Madison, a young, beautiful, unwed, and pregnant woman is found dead and floating in the reservoir. From the opening pages of the novel, the reader witnesses Thomas Cluverius stealing away from the scene of Lillian’s death, and thus begins the drama. At first, the reader may think they are to embark on a journey into the mind of a killer. Not so. Instead, this post-civil war drama is set mostly in the jailhouse and the cour The Reservoir
John N. Thompson
Released June 21, 2011
The Story Line
Lillian Madison, a young, beautiful, unwed, and pregnant woman is found dead and floating in the reservoir. From the opening pages of the novel, the reader witnesses Thomas Cluverius stealing away from the scene of Lillian’s death, and thus begins the drama. At first, the reader may think they are to embark on a journey into the mind of a killer. Not so. Instead, this post-civil war drama is set mostly in the jailhouse and the courtroom where Thomas is held and tried for Lillian’s murder. Cluverius is tight-lipped throughout; even his attorneys fail to persuade Thomas to share every detail of his involvement in this case. Is he guilty of Lillian’s murder or just an innocent bystander? Perhaps he is neither.
Critique
The setting of the story is true to post-civil war Virginia and gives a wonderful flavor of the period; yet for the non-historical book lover the descriptions may come off as old-fashioned or dry. The dialect is a bit over-done in parts of the novel; a flavor of the accents of the characters would be much better than each line being peppered with oddly spelled words meant to represent the sounds altered words. Sometimes the narrator jumps from inside the mind of one character to the mind of another with very little transition which is jarring—the reader thinks they are listening to the thoughts of Tommie, when in fact they are actually listening to his brother, Willie’s thoughts. Lastly, the narrator sometimes jumps in and tells about an event, rather than showing the action more naturally through the eyes of a character.
This book left me feeling:
Bored (see above)
The Author
Thompson is a first-time novelist with a background in history. In fact, most of his previous writing has been non-fiction and has appeared in many well-respected publications like Smithsonian and National Geographic Traveler. This book is loosely based on an actual court case that took place in Richmond, Virginia shortly after The American Civil War.
...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Jul 15, 2011 Mary Ronan Drew rated it really liked it

I no longer remember where I heard about this novel or what it was that made me want to read it. In any case, I requested it from the library and today I sat down to give it the Nancy Pearl treatment, reading the first 35 pages or so and expecting to then make a note in my database as to why I didn’t want to bother reading the whole book.

But it caught me. The story is based on the death of a young woman in Richmond, Virginia, in 1885. The author has researched the case in newspapers and other ma ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Apr 12, 2011 Paul rated it really liked it

Recommended to Paul by: BOTNS Retreat

The body of a young pregnant woman is found floating in a reservoir in 1885 Richmond, Virginia. At first thought to be a suicide, the local police along with the coroner soon decide that this case did involve murder. Soon, a young man is charged and the action proceeds from this decision through a courtroom trial. Hmmm . . . a typical courtroom procedural, you say? Well, no. The thrust of this novelized version of an actual case is really to portray the country (and especially the South) twenty ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Sep 13, 2011 Julie Christine rated it it was amazing

Recommended to Julie Christine by: Jeanette, Chris

Shelves: usa-historical, historical-fiction, mystery-crime-thriller, read-2011, best-of-2011

"On March 14, 1885, a body is floating in the old Marshall Reservoir, in a light snow, and then under a waxing moon." From its opening sentence, The Reservoir draws in the reader with harsh details rendered in shapely language. This is historical fiction at its entertaining, dramatic, and authentic best.

Historian and short story writer John Milliken Thompson read a paragraph in a history of Richmond, VA that sparked his curiosity. His research took him deep into 1880's Virginia, into the death "On March 14, 1885, a body is floating in the old Marshall Reservoir, in a light snow, and then under a waxing moon." From its opening sentence, The Reservoir draws in the reader with harsh details rendered in shapely language. This is historical fiction at its entertaining, dramatic, and authentic best.

Historian and short story writer John Milliken Thompson read a paragraph in a history of Richmond, VA that sparked his curiosity. His research took him deep into 1880's Virginia, into the death of a single, pregnant woman and the sensational trial of a promising young lawyer. He emerged with a classical Greek tragedy that is rich with period detail and crime noir suspense. It's all here: passion and lust, brotherly love and rivalry, trust and betrayal, tenderness and violence. But murder? You be the judge...

This is not a page-burner. The suspense builds slowly, as the story winds back and forth in time and the details of the dead woman's final days, as well as her childhood, are reconstructed. It's like sipping a few fingers of small batch bourbon, not tossing back a belt of Wild Turkey. You'll want to savor the nuance and the smoldering tension as the characters' true natures emerge and you piece together the clues. Milliken Thompson does a masterful job of giving his characters multiple dimensions. No one wears shining armor or angel's wings, but neither is anyone completely black of heart. Well, almost no one...

I was also impressed by the way the author shows the South struggling to adapt in this generation after the Civil War. The societal contrasts are striking: Slavery may be abolished but racial oppression is deeply rooted; cities are rapidly modernizing, but the South is still an agrarian region; most women have little say in their social or economic futures, but some are finding their way into higher education and white collar employment.

The latter third of the book is a gripping courtroom drama that will have you racing to the end. What you discover in the final pages may not be at all what you'd expected. It is not an easy ending, but it is perfectly executed. What you can be certain of is a brilliantly written drama that brings immediate life to a long-ago tragedy. ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Oct 01, 2012 Marie desJardins rated it did not like it

I really did not like this book. I didn't particularly enjoy it as I was reading it, but I stuck it out because I wanted to know what had really happened and why Tommie didn't want to talk about it. (view spoiler) ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Jan 31, 2012 Blair rated it it was ok

Shelves: read-in-2012

I was really excited about this book (setting in Richmond, mystery based on fact) and the first 1/4 of it seemed to live up to my mind's hype. There was just something lacking in it - character development maybe? You would read a page and feel like you knew who you were reading about and then the next page would throw you off. It was slow-moving, not a whole lot happened and I was left feeling unsettled and like I'd only read half a story. Maybe that was the author's intention, I don't know. It ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Jun 08, 2012 Carol rated it liked it

Shelves: donate

Slow, not much substance. Sometimes boring.

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Jun 24, 2011 Tj rated it liked it

*Review first appeared at Skull Salad Reviews*

John Milliken Thompson’s debut historical mystery novel, The Reservoir (Other Press, 2011), starts off very promising. We are introduced to a pair of workers at a reservoir who find the body of a young pregnant woman floating lifeless in the water. This is a great set-up for a moody, atmospheric story. We have one character – one of the workers who found the body – fall into infatuation with this young lifeless woman. He takes some items from her tha ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jul 19, 2011 Michelle added it

The Reservoir is one of those fascinating true-life mysteries that is fleshed out through fiction. A woman named Lillian was truly found dead in a reservoir in Richmond, Virigina and Tommie Cluverius did stand trial for her murder. Yet, the truth is stranger than fiction, as Mr. Thompson shares with his readers through this intriguing look at 1885 Richmond and a city that was struggling to recover its dignity after the end of the Civil War.

The key to the success behind The Reservoir is the metic The Reservoir is one of those fascinating true-life mysteries that is fleshed out through fiction. A woman named Lillian was truly found dead in a reservoir in Richmond, Virigina and Tommie Cluverius did stand trial for her murder. Yet, the truth is stranger than fiction, as Mr. Thompson shares with his readers through this intriguing look at 1885 Richmond and a city that was struggling to recover its dignity after the end of the Civil War.

The key to the success behind The Reservoir is the meticulous research that oozes from every page. The reader has no problems picturing the town through which Tommie and Lillian ultimately meet their fates or the various scenes of society life portrayed. The glorification of the dead Confederacy and romanticising of its heroes plays a role in each of the character's backgrounds and in the characters that have the most impact upon them; while Mr. Thompson could have made a mockery of a society that is stuck in the glory days, he handles this tricky scenario with delicacy and feeling. In addition, the truth behind the murder remains as murky at the ending of the novel as at the beginning. While this could be construed as frustrating to some, it is a testament to the messiness of life and the difficulties behind discerning the truth from lies. Like real life, The Reservoir has no clear-cut answers or definitive solutions to a problem. The authenticity of the times and of life in general helps to create a strong narrative.

Unfortunately, where The Reservoir struggles is with its characters. The narration flips back and forth between points of view as well as past and present. This keeps the reader from sympathizing too much with any one character, or even from forming a connection with one or the other. Instead, the reader stays impartial, and therefore unengaged, in Lillian's emotional outbursts or Tommie's conniving ways. Mr. Thompson does not attempt to hide the flaws in his characters, but this also detracts from the narration because the reader cannot discern the truth from the fiction, even when one character is telling his or her side of the story. Since the reader does not truly care about the characters, it is difficult to feel the tension behind the proceedings, thereby minimizing the suspense or even interest.

The pacing is another weak point with The Reservoir . The switching between narrators and time periods is uneven and somewhat jarring in spots. The story itself speeds up and slows down at an unsteady pace. The reader will be struggling to get through a section, will all but speed-read through another, only to get bogged down again into another slow and somewhat boring section. There is no rhyme or reason for this unevenness, as it occurs with all narrators, in the past as well as in the present. In a mystery, this is a fundamental flaw.

The Reservoir is not a novel for those who like their stories tied up with tidy endings. It is for those who appreciate the darker, more complicated mysteries, as well as those who can appreciate the depth of research required to take the skeleton of a story idea and flesh it out to create a fully-realized hypothesis of an event that occurred over 100 years ago.

Thank you to Other Press and Nicole from Linus's Blanket for my reading copy!
...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

May 13, 2011 Barb rated it liked it

Shelves: read-in-2011, vine, new-in-2011, fictionz-of-real-people, america-post-civil-war

This is a bit of a twist on the murder mystery. The first chapter opens on a pregnant Lillie Walker's dead body floating in the reservoir, then a few pages later we are taken back to the previous evening. Tommie Culverius is looking down on her in the water trying to puzzle out what to do with her hat and gloves.

I thought I knew what happened, it seemed obvious, but then John Milliken Thompson made the straight-forward a bit more complicated and gave Tommie Culverius a voice to tell the reader This is a bit of a twist on the murder mystery. The first chapter opens on a pregnant Lillie Walker's dead body floating in the reservoir, then a few pages later we are taken back to the previous evening. Tommie Culverius is looking down on her in the water trying to puzzle out what to do with her hat and gloves.

I thought I knew what happened, it seemed obvious, but then John Milliken Thompson made the straight-forward a bit more complicated and gave Tommie Culverius a voice to tell the reader exactly what happened when he and Lillie went to the reservoir.

There were several things that made this story compelling, the first being the relationships between Tommie, Lillie and Tommie's older brother, Willie. Even while I thought I knew what happened to Lillie I still wanted to know why? What happened between Tommie and Lillie that resulted in her dead body being dragged from the reservoir? What were their true feelings for each other? Were Tommie and Willie both guilty of Lillie's death? Once Tommie was taken into questioning the story took on another level of suspense and uncertainty and the question became, not only was he guilty but would he be found guilty? Then other questions followed, Would he be sentenced to death? What if he was innocent? Was there evidence out there or an eye witness who could exonerate him? All of those questions kept me reading, as did my concern for these characters, even more so because they were based on real people.

I want to quote a favorite passage from the book, forgive me if it's overly long.
(Charles was Tommie and Willie's brother who drowned when they were young.)

"On another dreamy afternoon by the river, a somnolent breeze to cool them, Willie was fanning Nola with her folding Chinese fan, its mythical river and green mountains swishing up and down, up and down. Tommie was toying with Lillie's tight sausage curls, and nobody cared because they were under the spell of "Lycidas" from Nola's reading: "He must not float upon his watery bier unwept." Then somebody brought up Charles, and Tommie told how he imagined him going under - drawn to his own image on the dark surface of the water. He talked as they sat by the river, and it was easy, Tommie felt, for in that moment they were all in love. With each other? With life? It didn't matter. They were so young and ripe and filled with passion they could bring the dead into their sacred unity. It was as though they were drunk without drinking anything stronger than lemonade."

Thompson did an excellent job of creating likeable and realistic characters with believable relationships and realistic dialog. For me this achievement is one of the most important measures of a successful novel and in that, as well as the quality of the writing, I give him high marks.
...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

May 08, 2011 Amy rated it liked it

Shelves: rec-botn, fiction, _own-ebook, read-in-2011

The Reservoir is a historical novel that is built around a true story that took place in Richmond, Virginia in 1885. It is obvious that the author has done exhaustive research into the original case and into Richmond, VA in 1885. He brings both alive in vivid detail! Goodreads describes this book as "a novel of lust, betrayal, justice, and revenge, The Reservoir ultimately probes the question of whether we can really know the hearts and minds of others, even of those closest to us." This is a re ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Apr 10, 2011 Chris rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2011-reads

Fingers crossed that GR doesn't crash again as I'm writing this review!

First off, thank you to Katie Henderson of Other Press for handing me an uncorrected proof of this book at the BOTNS retreat. (She heard me whisper during Thompson’s talk that the book sounded really good!) And it was. Thompson is a gifted Southern writer and old fashioned, too. Slowly and methodically, he wove a story of guilt and innocence of a young attorney and left the reader wondering.

But this reader wasn’t buying Tom ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jan 28, 2011 Sara rated it really liked it

I was able to get this book through netgalley. Based on a true story.

One early Spring morning in Richmond, VA, in the year of 1885, a body of a young pregnant woman was found in the reservoir. The police believe she committed suicide but curious clues at the scene start to make them think otherwise.

I had a hard time putting this book down. It was so interesting and it made me want to read the court case that the book was based on. The author wrote the book beautifully. It's a amazing to see how ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jul 12, 2011 Sherri rated it really liked it

Shelves: good-for-book-clubs

Guilty or Innocent? Which version is the truth? Who is the liar? The author takes a real case from the 1800s and turns it into a novel. I hesitate to call it a mystery because it is never fully solved.

The basic parameters of the story are that a woman is found drowned in a reservoir in Richmond, Virginia. What initially appeared to be a suicide, quickly turned to a murder investigation. The woman, Lily, is 8 months pregnant. Her cousin, Thomas is eventually charged with murder. The book delves ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Aug 26, 2011 Becky rated it liked it

Shelves: bookclub

Based a real 1880's court case, a pregnant woman is found dead in a reservoir outside of Richmond, Virginia. From the start, the finger is pointed at her cousin Tommie, with whom she was romantically interested. The first half of the novel is interesting, but as the novel continues, the trial becomes dull - and no new information is given to the reader. It is basically like reading the same novel twice, once from the character's point of view and then hearing it all again in court. When the nove ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Nov 09, 2011 Georgia rated it it was amazing

This is a very haunting book. It doesn't leave you. You keep thinking about it. It begins with a body of a young, pregnant girl found floating in a resevoir near Richmond, Virginia. Tommie, a distant relative, is quickly apprehended. From there we enter his mind and feel his anxieties, his deliberations, his excuses, his thoughts. The evidence points to him, but did he do it? This is the question that is asked from the beginning. This book is written in a gentle, southerly, simplistic way but pa ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

May 24, 2011 Darcia Helle rated it liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction, review-copies, fiction

The Reservoir is a well researched, intriguing story based on a real crime back in the late 1800s. I found the story interesting but I just couldn't get lost in it. The writing kept me slightly removed. I felt like I was being told a great story, rather than experiencing one. Also, the author jumps back and forth in time without any clear indication. I often found myself reading a scene I thought to be in the present, only to realize several paragraphs later that we'd jumped back into the past. ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Sep 27, 2013 Laureen Hyman rated it liked it

It kept my interest and it was entertaining to read about Richmond, VA, when it was still a new city, but the last half of the book dragged a bit and it was pure speculation about what happened with the crime itself.

flag 1 like · Like · see review

May 18, 2011 Brenda rated it really liked it

Shelves: simple-pleasures-favorites

Review to follow on our blog. http://simplepleasuresbooks.wordpress...
Very compelling read! Just selected as an "Okra Pick" by the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance. ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jul 16, 2011 Amy Meyer rated it it was amazing

The Reservoir by John Milliken Thompson

ISBN: 978-159051444-3
Pages: 368
Release Date: June 21, 2011
Publisher: Other Press
Genre: Contemporary Fiction; Historical Fiction
Rating: 5 out of 5

Book Summary: On an early spring morning in Richmond, Virginia, in the year 1885, a young pregnant woman is found floating in the city reservoir. It appears that she has committed suicide, but there are curious clues at the scene that suggest foul play. The case attracts local attention, and an eccentric group of ...more

flag Like · see review

Sep 22, 2019 Marythios (AkaSusanne ) rated it really liked it

John Milliken Thompson took the bare bones information from a real case from 1885. A pregnant girl is found floating in the water in Richmond Virginia. The girl is Lillian Madison and her cousin Tommy Cluverious is accused of the murder after people come forward with information. John did a great job researching this book and filling in the pieces to bring this case alive and fill in the pieces of what happened to Lillian. You wax and wane between Tommy's innocence and guilt. He is a likeable gu ...more

flag Like · see review

Oct 20, 2017 Bayneeta rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction, audio, historical-fiction

Came across this book as a recommendation at the end of another audio book. Both are part of Recorded Books' Southern Voices series, and this one is narrated by Tom Stechschulte, a favorite of mine. Virginia, 1885. A young woman drowns in the reservoir and in pretty short order her cousin is arrested and tried for her murder. I really did get caught up in the story and the characters. The audio was not available within my library system, but it was well worth it to me to pay the small ILL fee to ...more

flag Like · see review

Aug 26, 2019 Steven rated it really liked it

Shelves: big-people-books, fiction

This is my first post-Civil War novel and I was sucked in right from the beginning. I enjoyed the characters, the setting, and the unique story structure. This is not a whodunnit novel. The tension comes from elsewhere. How do you collect evidence without photographs? The only recording device here is human memory. How limited can that be? What a detailed and creative possible retelling of a famous court case. This novel reminds me that it's usually impossible to determine the whole truth of any ...more

flag Like · see review

Mar 16, 2018 Kathleen rated it it was ok

2-1/2 stars

As I read this book, I kept wondering when the characters would seem compelling, and when their story would matter to me. I got to the end, and it had never happened. I don't know why. I suppose the book was well-written technically speaking, and it seemed well-researched. But I couldn't relate to or feel for these characters. Once I finished, I wondered why I had read it at all. This one won't stay with me at all. That happens.

flag Like · see review

Jul 21, 2018 Vicki rated it really liked it

This book is based on a real court case in the Richmond area. I thought it was great, really held my interest and was very thought provoking. It covered a lot of different moral quandaries. Great writing of historical fiction!

flag Like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
Gwinnett County P...: The Reservoir	1	5	Aug 23, 2012 11:34AM

Readers also enjoyed

See similar books…

Videos About This Book

Add a comment

Genres

Historical > Historical Fiction

68 users

Mystery

53 users

Fiction

37 users

Historical

13 users

Mystery > Crime

11 users

Mystery > Historical Mystery

7 users

American > Southern

5 users

Novels

4 users

Thriller

3 users

Romance

3 users

See top shelves…

About John Milliken Thompson

John Milliken Thompson

20 followers

John Milliken Thompson is the author of America’s Historic Trails and Wildlands of the Upper South, and coauthor of The National Geographic Almanac of American History. His articles have appeared in Smithsonian, Washington Post, Islands,and other publications, and his short stories have been published in Louisiana Literature, South Dakota Review, and many other literary journals. He has lived in t ...more

Books by John Milliken Thompson

The Body, Revised Edition: A Complete User's Guide

More…

Debut Novel Finds Resilience in Reading Jane Austen

While dealing with her husband's illness, this debut author turned to the refuge of Jane Austen's work. That refuge turned into her highly anticipa...

Trivia About The Reservoir

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

See a Problem?

Preview — The Reservoir by John Milliken Thompson

The Reservoir

Get A Copy

Friend Reviews

Reader Q&A

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topic
Discuss This Book

Readers also enjoyed

Videos About This Book

Genres

About John Milliken Thompson

Books by John Milliken Thompson

Related Articles

Trivia About The Reservoir

See a Problem?

Preview — The Reservoir by John Milliken Thompson

The Reservoir

Get A Copy

Friend Reviews

Reader Q&A

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topicDiscuss This Book

Readers also enjoyed

Videos About This Book

Genres

About John Milliken Thompson

Books by John Milliken Thompson

Related Articles

Trivia About The Reservoir

new topic
Discuss This Book