"The mists parted. There behind the woman, limping
extravagantly: a stocky man in a bowler hat and long
gray coat, gun held ready at his side.
"Albert," Scarlett said. "You need to come with me."
There was no response when she grabbed him by the
sleeve. He was inert, a spent battery, a broken spring.
He was still staring back toward the woman as Scarlett
wrenched him into action, pulled him with her toward
the arch, sweeping up her bags as she did so."
When I received a copy of The Notorious Scarlett and Browne last year, I spent some time looking for information about the book and its story. It seemed a book I would enjoy reading. But, wait! There was a first book in the promised trilogy, and I hadn't yet read anything about it. So, I got a copy and have just finished it. It has been a terrific incentive for me: I read it every day while pedalling a stationary bike as part of my therapy following knee replacement surgery. The second awaits. I am sure it will be just as compelling!
First things first. Scarlett McCain is an accomplished bank robber, outrunning the law and keeping to herself as much as possible. When she rescues Albert Browne from a bus crash on the roadside, she has no idea that it will change her life in many ways. As they run from the armed men pursuing them, she realises they are not tracking her. They are after Albert, who has escaped from Stonemoor and Dr. Calloway, an evil woman who uses torture and cruel experiments on children who exhibit unusual powers that she can use for her own diabolical reasons.
Their flight for freedom and safety for Albert lasts twelve days and is largely spent on a river raft whose pilot is a crochety old man with little charm, but needed and practical knowledge of the journey that will get them to the Free Isles. Joe hires his raft to anyone who can pay the price. He is caregiver for his young mute granddaughter. Just as Albert's unusual mental powers make him an outcast in a dystopian England, Effie is sure to be a target when she is recognized as being unable to speak. They are a motley crew.
Their journey is wrought with the tension of the endless chase, giant birds, an unexpected meeting with the Tainted (cannibals who inhabit the wilds of this post-apocalyptic world), the social order established by the Faith Houses that have control over towns along the way, and the perils of the river itself.
The cast of characters is strong, the barbed and often humorous conversations between Scarlett and Albert are engaging, and the constant danger keeps the reader on edge at every turn. The abilities of both Scarlett and Albert, though very different, are integral to the promise of more adventures to come. Readers will very much enjoy the spirited action, the powerful setting, and the relationship established through often laugh-out-loud dialogue.
If you are looking for adventure and characters to admire, start with this first book and be prepared to move quickly to the next as I have just done.
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