Burning Secret
by R J Lloyd
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Pub Date 24 May 2022 | Archive Date 17 Oct 2022
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Description
In 1844 Enoch Price was born into poverty. An ambitious youth, he becomes a bare-knuckle fighter amongst London’s underworld. In debt to a violent and unscrupulous moneylender and facing ruin and imprisonment, he escapes to Jacksonville, Florida, abandoning his wife and three young daughters, a decision that will haunt him for the rest of his life. By the time he arrives in Florida, Enoch Price has become Harry Mason.
Through a series of thrilling and risky escapades, he plays an important role in the development and history of Jacksonville, building an extraordinary new life of political and financial notoriety, the shooting of a rival, and the concealment of a murder. Despite imploring his wife to join him, she declines, exhausted by his lies. Tormented by loneliness and guilt, Harry seeks solace through a bigamous marriage, leading him into a web of deceit as he tries to conceal his true identity and past. Meanwhile, lauded and enjoying popular success, Harry is elected in 1903 to the Florida State House of Representatives with the prospect of becoming State Governor. He advances his business interests through a series of corrupt practices, becoming a wealthy and successful politician. However, success brings neither happiness nor contentment, and, seeking redemption, Harry plans to return home - but life is rarely that simple as the First World War breaks out, the Spanish flu pandemic takes its toll, and the American government introduces prohibition. Will there be a good end for Harry, or will his secrets prove to be the death of him?
A Note From the Publisher
It was Roger's cousin, Gillian, who, after several more dead-ends, called one day to say that she had found him through a fluke encounter. Susan Sperry from California, who had recently retired, decided to explore the box of documents given to her thirty years before by her mother, which she had never opened. In the box, she found some references to her great grandfather, Harry Mason, a wealthy hotel owner from Florida who had died in 1919. It soon transpired that Susan’s great grandfather, Harry Mason, was, in fact, Enoch Price. From this single thread, the extraordinary story of Harry Mason began to unravel, leading Roger to visit the States to meet his American cousins, and it was Susan Sperry and Kimberly Mason, direct descendants, who persuaded me to write the book.
Roger graduated from Warwick with a joint in Philosophy and Psychology and a Masters in Marketing from UWE. Since leaving a thirty-year career in policing, he has been a non-executive director with the NHS, social housing, and other charities. He lives with his wife in Bristol, spending his time travelling, writing and producing delicious plum jam from the trees on his award-winning allotment.
Available Editions
| EDITION | Ebook |
| ISBN | 9781803139500 |
| PRICE | £4.99 (GBP) |
| PAGES | 200 |
Featured Reviews
Reviewer 823951
I highly recommend reading this book! It was well worth reading! The storyline was very interesting, it sucked me in and had me glued to my Kindle! Definitely don't miss out on this one! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!
Natalia P, Reviewer
I love historical fiction and have read R. J. Lloyd's book with great pleasure. The author has done a wonderful job of researching facts from the life of his great-great-grandfather. Burning Secret begins in the Dickensian London of crime, poverty and violence. The main character, facing ruin and prison, flees London to start a new life in America. The story seamlessly blends fact with fiction and moves quickly from one thrilling escapade to the next gripping exploit.
Tension builds throughout the book as the central character, Harry Mason, makes a new life and becomes increasingly trapped in a web of lies. And even though he’s often cunning and less than honest, I couldn’t help but like the character.
The story works on several levels; as a thrilling adventure, a historical drama, or even a tragic story of unrequited love.
It would be great to see the plot of this book on the screen. It would make a great TV series.
R J Lloyd is an excellent storyteller, and this very well-written and unique book is brilliant read.
Wendy M R, Book Trade Professional
Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I am an avid reader of Historical Fiction, and this book was a gem. It kept my interest from beginning to end. I think this book would make a great mini series. A recommended read.
Elliot H, Reviewer
Thanks to NetGalley for the copy of this novel
The story idea is an interesting one, but it lacks cohesion, leaping between ideas and jumps ahead in time too often. After a while, the discussions between characters felt like reading a history book, disguised as a novel, and ultimately it wasn't interesting or engaging. There's a lot of "this happened, then that happened then that happened," with little depth, and not enough information about each featured scenario before a line is drawn in the book, and we shift by several months or years.
Janalyn P, Reviewer
When Enoch leaves London, because he doesn’t want to pay the lender who swindled him out of his business back he thinks he’s going to go to Canada, but changes his mind due to an advertisement in harpers bazaar and goes to Jackson Florida instead. While on the way he meets a kind lady named Betsy and although he has his wife Eliza and three daughters back in London he tells her he is a widow. When he arrives in Jackson his first stop is a bar called Knicks and the owner “Nick“ Will not only be his new boss, but his best friend and lifesaver as well. After five years he loses his best friend Nick but nicks widow gifts The bar to Enoch who is now called Harry Mason and goes back to her home country. But this time since his own wife Eliza isn’t coming to America he has married Betsy and soon he will be convinced to run for alderman. This is the score as I will go in my summary just know this was such a good book with American history threaded through the narrative it not only keeps you entertained but keeps you wanting more. I love books like this and this was a really great one. I can’t recommend it enough tactics. If you love American history and great fiction you need to read Burning Secret by R J Lloyd I did and I loved it! I received this book from NetGalleyShelf and a publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review but all opinions are definitely my own.
Becky M, Reviewer
Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC copy of this novel.
This novel starts off well, with Enoch Price abandoning his wife and children to escape debtor's prison in England. Unfortunately, he soon starts a new life and essentially abandons his original family, sending a pittance of money home on occasion. The book begins to lag about one quarter of the way through and starts to read like a history book. At 65% finished, I quit reading and skipped to the end -- only to then learn that the book was historical fiction, based on the author's own relatives. The ending -- what happened to those real-life characters -- was quite interesting.
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