Sup with the Devil by Barbara Hamilton

Sup with the Devil by Barbara Hamilton ISBN-13: 9780425243206 Trade Paperback: 336 pages Publisher: Berkley Trade Released: October 4, 2011

Source: Bought from Half.com.

Book Description, Modified from Back Cover:
After an attempt on the life of her young nephew Horace, Abigail Adams, wife of attorney John Adams, travels to Harvard to investigate. A mysterious woman hired Horace to translate some Arabic, then left him at the mercy of her henchmen. He survived-with a tale of pirate treasure...

Meanwhile one of Horace's fellow students--loyal to the King--is murdered. The Sons of Liberty are desperate to find the rumored gold, but Abigail wants the truth. For the Devil's treasure comes with a curse that could bring down anyone, regardless of where their allegiance lies.


My Review:
Sup with the Devil is a historical mystery set in (and around) Boston in the spring of 1774. This book is the third in a series. You don't need to read the previous novels to understand this one, and this novel didn't spoil the previous mysteries.

My enjoyment of the previous two Abigail Adam's mysteries was mainly due to the nicely portrayed political tension--and yet personal respect--between Abigail and Coldstone as they worked to solve the mystery. But there is no Coldstone in this book. I also previously liked how Abigail was a part of everything and yet could view people as being real people instead of simply "us" and "them." Yet in this book, Abigail has gone from sympathy toward slaves to very anti-slavery with no explanation beyond the anti-slavery theme of the book. I was also surprised at Abigail's sudden change from troubled by Sam Adam's actions to practically vilifying him (and for fictional actions, too). I found this sudden change confusing.

The author also frequently combined two sentences into one in a disjointed way, which made Abigail come across as scatterbrained or distracted. There were sentences like, "Her mind returned to Johnny as she made ready for bed ("Now I've a clean hairbrush that I keep for those who're taken by circumstances unexpectedly...[and more chatter, presumably from the innkeeper])." or "While waiting for Mr. Metcalfe's reply--he had assured John of the occasion of their last meeting that any help I can be, to you or any of yours--Abigail walked from the Golden Stair to the town jail, only to be told by Sheriff Congreve that Diomede, still half-stupefied, had slipped back into a heavy sleep."

However, as in the previous books, the vivid historical details about the everyday life and politics were skillfully woven into the story. The characters reacted realistically to the situations, and I always understood their motives. The mystery was an interesting clue-based puzzle. Whodunit was guessable, and I was absolutely certain who it was long before Abigail even considered the option.

There was no sex. There was a very minor amount of bad language.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


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