The Nature of Fragile Things by Susan Meissner

 

5*

Meissner is a queen of historical fiction with stellar books such as As Bright as Heaven (set in Philadelphia during the Spanish Flu pandemic), Secrets of a Charmed Life (set in London during the Blitz), and A Fall of Marigolds (set in NYC after 9/11). The Nature of Fragile Things is one of her best yet, a taut thriller that opens just months before the 1905 San Francisco earthquake and fire. The story begins with Irish immigrant and mail-order bride Sophie Hocking being questioned by a detective concerning the whereabouts of her husband Martin after she reports him missing weeks following the earthquake. She left home under mysterious circumstances, lived briefly in the tenements of New York, then married the very handsome Martin in order to have a good life like she had in her childhood with “a warm house and clean clothes and food in the pantry,” someone to share it all with, and the opportunity to be a mother to his daughter Kat.

However, she soon finds that Martin is a very dispassionate man who pays little attention to her or Kat other than amply providing for them. He’s gone many days a week for his insurance business, but Sophie doesn’t know the name of the company or exactly what he does on his trips. When he tells her he’s going to be storing and helping sell a hair tonic made by his cousin, Sophie becomes suspicious, but she can’t begin to comprehend the depths of his deceit until she receives shocking news when a stranger appears at her door on the eve of the earthquake.

Meissner deftly weaves together the horrors of the SF tragedy, the mystery of Martin, the friendship between three women thrown together by circumstance, and the love of a mother for her child. Her descriptions of the earthquake and fire are alarmingly accurate, making readers feel as if they’re there experiencing it with Sophie and Kat. The adrenaline spikes as the mystery unfolds, and leaves us on the edge of our seats. Masterful and epic! Highly recommend.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Berkley Books through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.