Stoker
British aristocrat Matthew Stoker is traveling through the Great Plains of the American West in 1860 when he comes across a young woman covered in blood following an attack on the campsite where she had rested with five other people. She is the only survivor. The young woman refuses to speak to Stoker, but he encourages her to trust him enough to travel with him to St. Louis, where he plans to leave her in someone else’s hands. Along the way, however, Stoker finds his plans disrupted with the appearance of renowned explorer, Richard Burton. Burton has his mind set on having Stoker assist with a mission to serve the British Crown. Soon after, two more complications appear: Stoker’s troubled brother, Buller, and James Maybrick, the cotton merchant from Liverpool known perhaps best in history as a potential Jack the Ripper suspect.
As Stoker maneuvers through a series of violent events and chicanery, the mute young woman finally finds her voice, sharing with Stoker a story of unfortunate circumstances, the mystery surrounding her past deepening.
Warburton has a way of writing compelling characters with rich backstories and a keen attention to detail and description. This book is recommended for readers interested in the American West in the late 19th century. On the surface Stoker appears to be a typical Western, but it turns out there is a deeper level of intrigue that was refreshingly surprising to encounter. This is not a novel I would have likely picked up on my own, but I was not disappointed to read it.
