The Elusive Truth of Lily Temple

February 26, 2024
Politano (The Lost Melody) takes a fantastical trip through a world of silent movies, fairy tales, and hidden identities in this bewitching historical. In 1903 Britain, Peter Driscoll, a self-professed “finder of lost things, pursuer of truth, restorer of what’s been broken,” is hired by a rich dowager to hunt down the Briarwood Teardrop, a legendary sapphire believed to have healing properties. Driscoll finds it at a movie premiere hanging from the neck of mysterious silent film actor Lily Temple (not her real name), but before he can figure out a way to take it or how it came into her possession, it disappears from off Lily’s neck without her realizing. Intrigued by Lily, Peter recruits her to help on a different case, aiming to unravel her hazy past and restore the faith in God she lost after suffering a nameless betrayal. Meanwhile, a powerful magistrate lurking in the wings seeks information on the gem and threatens harm to them both. Rich with biblical allusions (the sapphire is supposedly a gateway to an otherworldly garden), the layered plot accrues tension and texture by alternating perspectives between Lily and Peter as the mystery intensifies. Readers will be kept guessing through the many twists and turns.

March 1, 2024

A master of illusion and a spinner of yarns, Lily Temple is a 1903 silent-film star, who can make anyone believe in fairy tales--except for maybe Peter Driscoll, a private detective and fixer who has been hired to find the lost Briarwood Teardrop gemstone and who thinks Lily knows more than she is letting on. He has a mysterious urge to protect Lily, though, especially when she picks up a stalker dressed in tweed. When Peter's case about a missing soldier requires some playacting, he and Lily team up to find the truth, which can sometimes be stranger than the fictions Lily loves to create. Powerful forces are at work, and corruption reaches the highest levels of government, forcing Lily to leave her garden-haven near England's shore and face hard truths of her past. VERDICT This is a fascinating look at silent film, the power of story, and God's pursuit of lost children. Readers who enjoy the rich metaphor found in Amanda Dykes, Charles Martin, and Sarah Loudin Thomas novels will want to give Politano (The Lost Melody) a try.

Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2024
Whether on silent movie screens or evading the law, actress Lily Temple is certain of one thing--she will always be the author of her own fantastical story. Private detective Peter Driscoll has been tasked with recovering a lost gem appearing in Lily's latest film as well as handing the elusive actress over to a corrupt magistrate who is mysteriously determined to find her. Lily is concealing a puzzling world of secrets and stories, compelling Peter to uncover the truth behind her singularly captivating magic, turning Lily's world more topsy-turvy than any fairy tale of her own creation. Politano's (The Lost Melody, 2022) latest is an absolute gem of a novel about the power of stories in the pursuit of truth, understanding, and meaning. Set in 1903 England, it is an inspirational tale with tonal hints of magic realism, reflections of God as author and gardener, and period details related to the making of silent films. The novel sparkles with creativity, and its elegant layers balance the weight of the philosophical with the levity of a literary wonderland. Lily is a most enchanting narrator whose whimsical unreliability and cheeky assuredness will delight readers.

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