High-Wire Heartbreak (Door to the Past) by Anna Schmidt

Title: High-Wire Heartbreak (Doors to the Past)

Author: Anna Schmidt

Pages: 256

Release Date: January 1, 2022

Genre: Dual-time Novel

Publisher: Barbour Publishing

Format: eBook (also available in paperback)

Note: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher, through NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All of the opinions expressed are my own.

About the book:

     In 1936—A party at the Ringling mansion Ca d’Zan in Sarasota, Florida, leads to a robbery—and possibly death.

     A successful historical mystery writer, Chloe Whitfield come to Ca d’Zan to research her next novel. Chloe’s fascination with the circus is rooted in family stories of her great-grandmother Lucinda Conroy, who reportedly was a trapeze artist of some renown. She’s heard hints of scandal—and perhaps larceny, but no details.

     Chloe’s grandmother—rumored to be Lucinda’s only offspring—was raised in an orphanage and never knew her mother. Intrigued as she is, Chloe has no intent of writing about Lucinda until she sees a poster featuring Lucinda as the star performer for a 70th birthday gala for John Ringling in May of 1936. From there the trail goes cold.

     Who was Lucinda and what happened to her?

My review:

     This is an absolutely incredible dual-time novel!

     I totally love the main characters in both time periods. Chloe and Ian are great. Watching their interactions change as the story goes along was a lot of fun. Then when we got to the 1936 storyline I was quickly captivated by Lucy and Bernardo. They were all surrounded by a full cast of supporting characters in each period.

     I was fascinated by the procedures that were described for doing research in a museum’s archive. I’m amazed thinking about all of the work that takes place to piece together historical stories. I was enthralled by the details that were included in connecting the two stories into one cohesive book.

     I’m giving this wonderful book a rating of 5 stars. I highly recommend it.

Disclaimer: *Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a copy of this book for free in the hope that I would mention or review it on my blog. I was not required to give a positive review, only my honest opinion - which I have done. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.*