D. Clark Gill - Author

Horatio's Promise

Horatio’s Promise is a historical mystery with an omniscient narrator that hints at the mysteries to come from the first pages. The author does well to introduce you to the town of Horatio’s Promise and describe the quirks of the townsfolk. I didn’t find Alfred Spellmen particularly likeable to begin with, seeming either perhaps a little self-absorbed and entitled or naive in regards to his relationship with Leonora, his landlady. As the story progresses we see that he is a flawed character that I grew to appreciate a little bit more. In his eagerness to get everything back to how it was the last summer he’d spent in Horatio’s Promise, Alfred tries to discover what happens to his landlady’s husband. This mystery combined with a polio epidemic affecting a number of his music students, puts Alfred in greater danger, and his survival is under threat. This book handles a mystery while also covering the effect of loss on a community. There’s suspicion, plot twists and enigma that I think would be of interest to anyone who likes a classic-feeling mystery.