A pretty good cloak and dagger story of spies and espionage during the American Civil War. ( )

The Halifax Connection is a great work of historical fiction set in Halifax and Montreal at the time of the American Civil War. Filled with intrigue, suspense and romance, the novel paints a vivid portrait of Canadian life in the mid-19th century, most especially of those members of society caught up in the politics, diplomacy and intrigue of the Civil War occurring south of the border.

This novel should appeal to fans of both historical fiction and thrillers, and fills a much needed void in the Canadian historical fiction field. The book was fast-paced and well-written, and my only criticism stems from the romantic storyline included in the novel, which I found too unrealistic to be believable. ( )

WARNING: This review contains spoilers.

****

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. ( )

There is, no doubt, a sterling thriller to be made surrounding Canadian involvement in the American Civil War. Warfare has often served as a fertile ground for rousing tales of cloak-and-dagger espionage, and Canada’s heretofore-unheralded background role in the ultimate creation of the United States seems an ideal launching point for such a yarn.

Canadian author Marie Jakober certainly would appear to have the chops for such an undertaking. A past winner of the Michael Shaara Award for Excellence in Civil War Fiction for her novel Only Call Us Faithful, Jakober has published seven well-received novels of historical/fantastic fiction, and deserves kudos for unearthing a little-discussed area of Canadian history for fictional dissection.

Unfortunately, Jakober cannot decide what she wants her novel The Halifax Connection to be, and the resulting plodding narrative does the subject matter a disservice.

Erryn Shaw is a lanky English expatriate living in Halifax, an unemployed theatre owner who, in the words of his handler, is “a fish to whom the whole world is water…[and] the best God damn natural spy I’ve ever seen.”

Recruited for his talents at blending in, Erryn is charged with infiltrating the Grey Tories; “Canadians who actively supported the Southern cause; or, in plainer words, Confederate agents.” Such men scheme to involve England in a war against the United States, a conspiracy that would unavoidably result in England backing the Confederate cause.

There is an obvious and important modern-day analogy brewing in The Halifax Connection, as 19th century Canada flirts with involvement in a war between two parties it holds no allegiance to. Yet despite the possibilities for intrigue inherent in a war that would result in a “little ribbon of colonies crushed between two empires, precious to neither, sacrificed by both,” Jakober squanders the opportunity with a romantic sub-plot as obvious as it is unnecessary.

Shaw’s protracted dalliance with Sylvie, a working-class woman with a tragic past, is meant to illustrate the personal compromises Erryn must undertake to fulfill his mission, yet bleeds the story dry of any true tension. Purple descriptions of “kisses to burn up all the fogs of the North Atlantic” distract from the plot, lending undue emphasis on the least interesting storyline.

The major problem with The Halifax Connection then comes from the uneven pairing of these two elements. The far more attention-grabbing secret agent storyline suffers from its episodic structure, while the admittedly strong characters of Erryn and Sylvie are stuck serving a by-the-numbers romance.

There is a fascinating tale to be told in the Canadian angle of the American Civil War, but The Halifax Connection is not that tale. Jakober should have trusted the material to be strong enough on its own.

Originally printed in The Winnipeg Free Press, Sunday, May 20, 2007. ( )