In the dead of night, with blood on her hands, she made her escape.Accused of murder, Alejandra flees her home, escaping to the southern edge of Spain, where she faces a life of poverty and destitution.
Seduced by the power of the rich and the anonymity that waits across the water in Tangier, Ale makes a bid for a new start. But it will come at a cost: a life of deception. Because Ale's new friends want to know what she is running from, they want to know who she is and whether they can trust her.
Fifty years later, a young American writer wanders the streets of Tangier, searching for inspiration. When he stumbles across a trace of Ale's life, he finds himself tangled in a story of scandal, love and danger that has not yet reached its end.
Many thanks to Random House Uk/ Transworld via NetGalley for my copy of An Echo of Scandal to review and to Sharon for having my review on the blog.
An Echo of Scandal by Laura Madeleine is packed full of mystery, intrigue, scandal and suspicion right from the opening few lines. This deep sense of needing to find answers, of uncovering secrets and solving the major enigma driving the story only deepens and increases the further you delve into the story. More specifically the more our main male protagonist Samuel Hackett begins to enquire and examine what teaser lays before him that could turn his fortunes around. If he can solve the riddle from the at first seemingly meaningless clues scattered through the city of Tangiers than maybe his last ditch attempt at writing a book won't be fruitless. Perhaps he won't have to return home to his family in America with his tail between his legs whilst attempting to ignore the comments of 'I told you so' or the looks that say I knew this would happen. There has been fifty years of silence but now the time is ripe for the full story to be told and for everything which seemed muddled and confused to hopefully make perfect sense.
From the opening few pages, the reader is sucked straight into the story and like the mystery at the heart of this book you are held in its grip until the very last page. Tangiers has lots to hide and there are still those who wish one of the greatest secrets of all to remain hidden and unspoken. Initially, Laura Madeleine takes us back in time to get to know the main female character Alejandra or Ale. It is 1928 and she has not had an easy life and has grown up in a hosteria in Cordoba, Spain having been left there as a baby. She has no mother figure in her life for the owner cannot be described in that way. She is the kitchen porter, the general dogsbody whom scant attention is paid to. But when she is taken under the cook's wing she learns all manner of recipes and ways to make the most of what is on offer in the market. But as an incident occurs and the blame is laid on Alejandra she is forced to flee and disappear. She changes her appearance and wants people to believe she is a man which leads her into some very tricky situations. The most tricky of all will be the one that defines the remainder of her life and whatever way she plays it will have devastating consequences. Ale becomes embroiled in a situation she has no control over as greater forces are at work.
Poor, destitute, homeless and on the run she finds herself attracted by the lure of Tangiers across the Mediteranean Sea. Through means she wishes she never had to engage in she finds herself in the exciting, fragrant and foreign city which sets in motion a chain of events whose ripples will be felt for well over fifty years. I thought Ale was a strong and resilient character who through no fault of her own found herself in circumstances she stood no chance of turning to her advantage to prove her innocence. But maybe that was all meant to happen for the people she meets in Tangiers provide her with a different outlook on life. Englishman Arthur Langham is very much shrouded in secrecy. Both the man himself and his lifestyle seem to draw Ale in although she must not have either of her two major secrets revealed. As we move back and forth between 1928 and 1978 the reader attempts to establish connections although you can never can quite put your finger as to how the pieces of the puzzle may eventually connect. The tension, uncertainty and unease increase with every turn of the page and you question many times just what has Ale got herself involved in? Has she gone too deep into someone else's life attract by an aura of allurement? If she discovers the truth will it prove to be her downfall?
We follow Samuel in 1978 in a Tangiers that in some ways is very different from that of the city Ale knew in 1928 but in many others it has remarkably remained unchanged. Laura Madeleine excels at bringing the setting to life. The location is so enticing and the heat, colours,flavours, hustle and bustle all add to the sense of mystery. As the title says An Echo of Scandal and these echoes still reverberate through the many corners of the city. Laura is such a visual storyteller which really helps to capture your imagination and aids with getting to know Samuel better as he wanders the lanes, alleyways and hotspots of the city. The culture is described so richly and it seems like another time and place altogether. Samuel is a man down on his luck, struggling to pay rent or to even eat. He is on the verge of admitting defeat. His dreams of producing the great novel are about to be quashed. As he sells the last remaining item of any value, his typewriter, he ends up with a writing case in its place. A mystery has been dropped right into his lap for the contents within the case inspire Samuel to get writing but to also uncover the secrets behind what he has seen. He begins to retrace the steps of someone he does not know save for one lone initial. But the clues are all there scattered throughout the city. It's whether Samuel has the where with all and the perseverance to keep going to reach the ultimate destination?
Samuel was clever, insightful and had a creative and intuitive mind. At times you felt though was he just grasping at straws. You wonder given as we are also following Alejandra's story as well how do the two strands intertwine if ever? Samuel falls deeper and deeper into the mystery and wills himself on trying to establish who owned the case and why does he now feel as if he is being watched or even taunted? Will he uncover the truth or will it all be lies, lies and more lies. Someone wants the secret to remain that way. Has Samuel stirred up a hornets nest best left undisturbed? Or is it time for the full truth to finally emerge? Samuel was certainly brave in persisting when many doors appeared closed. Would it all prove to be much or will what he discovers transform his life forever?
An Echo of Scandal was an intriguing, interesting and absorbing read that even in the end left me wondering exactly what did happen. Maybe each reader will take something different from the ending. This is a story well worth the read and I look forward to seeing where Laura Madeleine transports us to next.
Thanks for supporting the Blog Tour Sharon and Emma x
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