Review: The Unknown Beloved

Title: The Unknown Beloved

Author: Amy Harmon

Publisher: 19th April 2022 by Lake Union Publishing

Pages: 413 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre: historical fiction, mystery, crime, romance

My Rating:  4 cups

Synopsis:

From the bestselling author of Where the Lost Wander and What the Wind Knows comes the evocative story of two people whose paths collide against the backdrop of mystery, murder, and the Great Depression.

Chicago, 1923: Ten-year-old Dani Flanagan returns home to find police swarming the house, her parents dead. Michael Malone, the young patrolman assigned to the case, discovers there’s more to the situation—and to Dani Flanagan herself—than the authorities care to explore. Malone is told to shut his mouth, and Dani is sent away to live with her spinster aunts in Cleveland.

Fifteen years later, Michael Malone is summoned to Cleveland to investigate a series of murders that have everyone stumped, including his friend and famed Prohibition agent Eliot Ness, now Cleveland’s director of safety. There, in a city caught in the grip of a serial killer, Malone’s and Dani’s paths cross once again.

Malone is drawn to Dani and her affinity for the dead and compassion for the destitute. It doesn’t take long for him to realize that she could help him solve his case. As terror descends on the city and Malone and Dani confront the dark secrets that draw them together, it’s a race to find the killer or risk becoming his next victims.

My Thoughts

I am such a fan of Amy Harmon’s. Her writing is always so lyrical and you are guaranteed to be swept away no matter what she writes. Her previous books have covered genres including fantasy, historical fiction, contemporary and young adult just to name a few. I was intrigued to read what a mystery/crime novel by Amy would be like. I went in with no real expectations, except knowing Amy to be a talented author who can literally turn her hand to any genre. Her storytelling in any field with the characters she produces and research undertaken is always impressive.

‘Malone had learned that the images most people presented to the world didn’t reflect reality.’

The Unknown Beloved is based on actual happenings in 1930's Cleveland, Ohio during the Great Depression. It’s dark, sinister and gruesome. Infamous names including Eliot Ness and Al Capone arise. In terms of the criminal mystery it leans into the morbid and graphic but all based on facts from the real ‘Torso Murders’ of the day. You get an accurate sense of what Cleveland, poverty and the Great Depression really felt like. Add into the mix a serial killer and it most definitely is a dark read. 

‘No, the murders weren’t about the victims. Malone was convinced the murders were about the killer himself.’

Amy is a magician with how she turns her pen to any genre. She fits no author model. What a talent. Yes, this is a crime thriller, however, it is so much more given the author is Amy Harmon. The characters are real, the crimes are most certainly real but so too is the love story between the two leads. In many ways, it is like watching a black and white classic movie come to life. The blend of real facts with Amy’s fictional story is sublime. She even adds in a touch of the supernatural! In any other author's hands I would be wary, but not with Amy - it just adds that next layer of depth to the story. It is not only effective but most believable. 

“The truth is, the harder we are, the easier we shatter. It takes some softness to absorb life’s blows.”

This book is a crime thriller, it is historical fiction, it is a romance, it is mystery, it is classic Amy Harmon. Her story telling is something that has to be experienced. Amy has an incredible way with words and I will gladly read anything and everything she writes. This book, whilst not my favourite of hers, still testifies to her incredible storytelling. It conveys such depth and soul, sorrow and pain, hope and love, with moments that will simply steal your heart away. Do yourself a favour and go read some Amy Harmon. You won’t be disappointed.

“Must we try everything to know something is wonderful?” she asked softly. “I don’t think so.”

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.