Review of New Release- Paradise on the Pike by Sarah Angleton

 

For fans of Water for Elephants and Devil in the White City, a mystery set in the enchanting world of Hagenbeck's Zoological Paradise on the grounds of the 1904 World's Fair.

1903

Twenty-year-old Max Eyer is still reeling from his father’s recent death when a mysterious stranger’s offer to buy the family farm outside of Hamburg, Germany presents to him and his mother an unexpected opportunity to make a fresh start in America.

Welcomed by his uncle’s bustling family in St. Louis Max finds employment on the grounds of the upcoming 1904 World’s Fair, where he is hired as a zookeeper at Hagenbeck’s Animal Paradise on the Pike. Max’s enchantment with the trained animal shows, ostrich rides, and water sliding elephants is rivaled only by his fascination with Shehani, a beautiful Sinhalese woman who captivates the crowds of fairgoers by dancing among the lions.

However Max’s paradise unravels when a grisly discovery leads to an accusation of murder against the woman he loves. His efforts to uncover the truth may save her, but in this fantasy land of the fair where palaces are temporary, animals roam free, and people are on exhibit, will his own dreams be shattered by an ugly reality?

To Purchase

My Review

Max and his mother leave Germany after selling their potato farm. Their past haunts them so they leave for America to live with family in St. Louis, Missouri. In America his mother fits right in, but not so for Max. The storyline mixes history and fiction during the 1904 World's Fair.

Max works for the Animal Paradise at the Fair. The story is interesting and Max's character is complicated. Lots of suspense, and mystery, which kept me guessing. The description of the Animal Paradise and the Fair made me feel like I was there. There were intense moments but then some humorous ones.

I received an ARC from the author and voluntarily chose to review it.