Absence of Mercy
Page 34
For example, I’ve conflated the events of May-mid-June 1857. I also make reference to Coulthard’s—or the Old Brewery—when it had actually been demolished in 1852. The first change I made to streamline the story. The second change I made because I’m fascinated by the Old Brewery and wanted to give it a small—if erroneous—part in Jasper and Hy’s tale.
Of course, the most obvious fabrication I engaged in is Jasper’s position with the NYPD, which is entirely a product of my imagination.
However, it’s worth pointing out that the Detective Department of the London Metropolitan Police—often colloquially referred to as the “Detective Branch,”—really did participate in at least two detective training programs with other countries. See Rachael Griffin’s “Detective Policing and the State in Nineteenth-century England: The Detective Department of the London Metropolitan Police, 1842–1878” (2015).
Lastly, one of the unavoidable results of writing anything historical—fact or fiction—is the danger of imposing modern thoughts/attitudes/behaviors on the past.
Although I’ve engaged in as little anachronistic meddling as possible, I’ve softened speech patterns, limited jargon, and avoided potentially offensive terminology whenever I felt it would add to reader enjoyment.
Interestingly, the one area where it might appear I engaged in the greatest anachronism—1857 tolerance toward homosexuality—is actually a matter of historical record. For example, Mary/Peter’s character was (loosely) inspired by Peter Sewally, a fairly well-known transgender prostitute during the era.
Unlike Britain, where sodomy was punishable by death until 1861, homosexuality wasn’t criminalized in New York until the end of the nineteenth century. That’s not to say homosexuals escaped abuse, but extant literature tends to support the contention that the degree of tolerance in the 1850s was greater than that in the 1950s.
S.M. Goodwin
June 10, 2020
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
S. M. Goodwin has worked as a bartender, college history professor, and criminal prosecutor. S.M. currently lives at 8,000 feet elevation in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains with a whole bunch of dogs, chickens, geese, ducks, and other critters. Absence of Mercy is S.M.’s first historical mystery novel.
This is a work of fiction. All of the names, characters, organizations, places and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to real or actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2020 by Shantal LaViolette
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Crooked Lane Books, an imprint of The Quick Brown Fox & Company LLC.
Crooked Lane Books and its logo are trademarks of The Quick Brown Fox & Company LLC.
Library of Congress Catalog-in-Publication data available upon request.
ISBN (hardcover): 978-1-64385-521-9
ISBN (ebook): 978-1-64385-522-6
Cover illustration by Karen Chandler
Printed in the United States.
www.crookedlanebooks.com
Crooked Lane Books
34 West 27th St., 10th Floor
New York, NY 10001
First Edition: November 2020
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1