About the Book

Meg and Sylvie Townsend manage the family bookshop and care for their father, Stephen, a veteran still suffering in mind and spirit from his time as a POW during the Civil War. But when the Great Fire sweeps through Chicago’s business district, they lose much more than just their store.

The sisters become separated from their father and make a harrowing escape from the flames with the help of Chicago Tribune reporter Nate Pierce. Once the smoke clears away, they reunite with Stephen, only to learn soon after that their family friend was murdered on the night of the fire. Even more shocking, Stephen is charged with the crime and committed to the Cook County Insane Asylum.

Though homeless and suddenly unemployed, Meg must not only gather the pieces of her shattered life, but prove her father’s innocence before the asylum truly drives him mad.

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In My Opinion

The historical fiction books that have the greatest impact on me are those that put me in a particular event or time period and bring it to life. In Veiled in Smoke, Jacelyn Green not only brings the horror and destruction of the great Chicago Fire to readers’ attention, she also gives us a look into the speedy rebuilding of the city and lives through the eyes of the Townsend family.

Meg, Sylvie, and Jonathan have a comfortable existence with their bookstore, even with the difficulties the two sisters have with caring for their father. But when they lose everything (even more than belongings), each of them responds in different ways.

Throughout the book, Green deftly paints the efforts of the city and the people to come back from devastation while shadowing it with a mystery. The author also patiently and honestly describes Jonathan’s PTSD from the Civil War, and his daughters’ frustration and helplessness in knowing what to do for him.

There’s some romance in there as well, but Veiled in Smoke is about family, they way they interact, and the sacrifices they make for each other

Disclosure statement:
I receive complimentary books from publishers, publicists, and/or authors, including NetGalley. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.