Overall, this book was an interesting read. It is based on an atrocious practice of grave-robbing “for the sake” of medical advancement. Taking place in the early 1800s in Massachusetts, “Josie Clay” finds herself pulled into being an unwilling participant in grave-robbing in order to save her father from the evil people that he has made bargains with. Her journey through the book brings her into a relationship with the manager of a factory where she finds work, as well as other young women who are employed there. As a series of unfortunate things happen, Josie finds herself pulled in several directions of love, friendship, secrecy and inner turmoil. For me, the book started out holding my attention; the middle seemed muddled and grasping towards continuing the story and developing characters; and the ending was once again attention-grabbing. It was difficult for me to become engaged in the characters. However, the story itself was interesting. I received an ARC of this book from the author, publisher, and NetGalley in return for an honest opinion, which this has been. #TheYellowLantern, #NetGalley

This is not my typical genre but I have loved other books by this author, so I thought I would try it. I was pulled in by the opening scenes and liked the story. There were parts in the middle where the pace slowed a bit. But it picked up and I loved the last few chapters! Lots of suspense and action. I liked that the author showed the details of what was happening without being overly graphic. I didn't feel that anything was missing. I liked how a romance blossomed in the midst of all that was going on.
The history was interesting and I appreciated the detailed author's note at the end.
I rounded the star rating up to 4, as there were parts I really liked and a few that I simply liked. I do really like this author and I'm glad to have read out of my comfort zone.
*My thanks to the publisher for providing an advanced reader copy via NetGalley.
A review was not required. All thoughts expressed are entirely my own.

Thank you to Netgalley for my preview copy.

How far would you go to help and protect someone you love? This is the dilemma of Josephine Clayton. In order to help her father she must turn to an unspeakable crime. She will become a spy for grave robbers. Josephine gets a job as "Josie Clay" at a factory. She soon becomes friendly with her manager Braham. Overtime they grow close and Josie must reveal what she is hiding.

I enjoyed the ups and downs of Josie's life. The loyalty she felt and the pull to do the right thing were at war in her hear. A very enjoyable book

This book is part of the series of fiction books based on strange but true history. Grave robbers and body snatchers rule here.

Josephine Clayton agreed to help a doctor who deals with body snatched when he allows her to live after she lands on his dissection table. Gruesome indeed. Fans of true crime will enjoy this one.

*My thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book via Net Galley. Opinions expressed are my own.

The Yellow Lantern grabbed me from the beginning! Angela Dicken writes about a time in America where Grave Robbers were rife. One begins to wonder how Josie, a Dr's attendent, was buried alive and soon to be the Dr's next victim. Only to wake up as Dr Chadwick was about to intentionally take her last thread of life. What on earth was her Father mixed up in? Was Josie really the cause of so many girls at the mill getting ill? Will Mr Braham believe her that she really didn't want to be apart of Dr Chadwick's scheme? Could Josie ever start again and be rid of this horrific past?

The Yellow Lantern is an interesting read, portraying the depravity of man, along with goodwill, perseverance, trust and love.

Another intriguing story based on real events, with suspenseful moments, interesting characters, and a tender romance.
"How could she choose between affection and her own blood?"
Josephine (Josie) is faced with a very difficult choice--save her father by participating in the macabre business of grave robbing, or turn away. She isn't really given much choice, but hopes it will be over quickly. In 1824, women didn't have much control, especially those from poor families. The author does a good job of conveying this, and the tension Josie feels while trying to 'do no harm', as a healer or apothecary. Her new job as a mill girl is dangerous enough, but add in some bad characters, a plot with a dark twist, and she is really pushed to the edge. I like her determination to still try to do what was right, and serve others, even at her own expense. Her faith grew as the challenges came. She was a loyal daughter, hard worker, and good friend.

"Mother told her to always remember her first love--the Christ, the Creator and Comforter."
The contrast of good versus evil, or dark and light, was a theme that popped up throughout Josie's dilemma. Her lantern prevented a darker event, and was a light in a dark place. I like the use of lilacs, that she remembered symbolized 'first love', her mother had told her; their sweet fragrance at the dark grave sites were a reminder of something good that she could cling to. Reading Psalm 139 to the sick was a nice way to remind her that God was with her, and that He would help her; she was not alone. Prayers added an extra faith boost in some dark moments too.
The subject matter of grave robbing was indeed a macabre one, but handled sensitively. Readers who like historical mysteries with faith, and a clean romance, would probably enjoy this book.

When I was a teenager I was fascinated with the idea that people were buried alive. I read everything I could find about it. This book made me think of that interest. The time in history where grave robbing was the only way to have cadavers for research was a sad and scary time. This story highlights the dark side of grave robbing. It was an interesting book.

The Yellow Lantern by Angie Dicken is set in 1824 when grave robbers were active.
Josephine Clayton died and was buried. When dug up by the grave robbers and brought to Dr. Chadwick for autopsy to search for new cures it was discovered she was alive. She was then enlisted to work with the grave robbers to settle a debt her father owes. Josie Clay goes to work at a cotton mill where accidental deaths happen often. Braham runs the mill and is very concerned for workers safety. He also takes special notice of Josie. Will Josie ever pay the debt?
I liked this book and finished it though at times I felt it made little sense and moved along too slowly. It seemed every character was keeping some kind of secret for someone. There wasn’t a great focus on Christianity or living out Christian principles. The mill did close on Sunday and all the workers were expected to attend church. Also, Josie shows she has a conscience when someone she cares about dies and she is to assist with the grave robbing. I give this book 4 of 5 stars.
I received an advance copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

The Yellow Lantern is another in the True Crimes series that focuses on historical crimes in America. Set in the early 1800’s, this story deals with the criminal activity of grave robbers stealing bodies in the middle of the night. The story starts off with Josephine Clayton, who gets sucked into the grave robbers’ scheme. She becomes the look-out for bodies and begins working in a mill run by Braham Taylor.

This novel started out with plenty of suspense and intrigue. It’s an unusual topic and starts off with everyone believing Josephine to be dead. She’s about to be operated on in the name of medical research until they discovery that she’ still has a pulse. Once she's rescued from certain death, Josephine is blackmailed into finding the next body. While the story had an intriguing premise and started off strong, it kind of dragged in the middle. I felt like the love story took over, which seemed a little contrived. But the ending picked up again and the story wrapped up with action and an exciting finish. If you are a fan of historical fiction and novels with more of a romantic backdrop, add this to your summer reading list.

I received an ebook review copy of this book through NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

What a creepy book! Romance and grave-robbing—now that’s a strange combination, but the author makes it work. This is Massachusetts in 1824, and Josephine is supposed to be dead—but is actually saved in order to help a doctor obtain more bodies. Braham Taylor, the manager of the factory where Josephine goes to work, is in a fight with the owner’s son. I had pretty much figured everything out before the end of the book (the author provides little hints along the way). A story about grave robbers is an interesting idea, it was just a little too gruesome for me.

I suppose I thought I would like this book since I requested it, but I was slightly disappointed. Once you get through the beginning you begin to see the story and conflict of the main characters. It started slow, dark and gruesome and was difficult to connect with. It could be that the subject matter itself: persecution, dominance of women, grave.robbing and downright murder, is so distasteful and upsetting to me that I just couldn't connect. I didn't like any of the characters ,not to be misconstrued with the writing, it just wasn't for.me. I am sure the author did a great deal of research prior to writing this book . Others may enjoy this type of historical fiction.
I received this book as a complimentary copy for an honest review. The opinions expressed are my own.

“What price will Josie pay for love when her secrets begin to unravel?”

3.5 stars
They call them grave robbers, body snatchers or resurrectionists. Those, who after the burial, stole a body in the middle of the night to perform medical procedures, all in the name of research. Or who killed when death was eminent, to quickly fill their need for a fresh body. It’s the unfortunate gruesome piece of our American history that I learned about in The Yellow Lantern. While it wasn’t my favorite subject to read about, Angie Dickens writing was superb and brought this era to life.

It’s a combination of fledgling love, a reluctant heroine forced to fulfill a need, an unaware cotton mill owner hero, and undertones of a gothic nature where you don’t know who to trust or believe. The last half of the book picked up the pace for me as it was a case of I-need-to-know-what-happens-right-now! I can’t say it had me glued to the pages throughout the whole book, but it certainly did at the end when all the pieces came together in a surprising manner.

I’ve only read this book in the True Colors (American Crime) series and I can’t wait to read the others.

*I received a complimentary copy of this from the author and I was not obligated to leave a favorable review. *

I received this from Netgalley.com for a review.

In 1824, Josephine Clayton is considered dead by everyone in her Massachusetts village—especially the doctor she gas assisted for several months. Yet, she is still very much alive.

A feel good story with a feel good ending wrapped in a truly horrific truth, killing people to sell their bodies. But, I never felt truly connected to any of the characters and found myself bored with the story and felt it lacking in real depth.

2.5☆

Chilling. Gothic. Suspenseful. Intriguing. All words that I’d use to describe this book. From the opening paragraphs, you know you are going to be swept up in a story that will have a grip on you and won’t let go. If you like mystery and suspense, this is the book for you. Another good entry in the “True Crimes” series.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

The book was well written but I was very confused in the beginning and I had to reread the first chapter a few times to understand what I was reading.. I was hoping the author had some insight to the story in her notes but I couldn’t find any. The story dragged for me and I found myself skipping around and I finally right to the end.

This is the third installment in the Barbour’s “True Crime” series. All the books are based on historical facts, and this one (like the others) was unfamiliar to me, so I learned a bit along the way.

Josie Clay has a shocking discovery and learns she’s the victim of Dr. Chadwick’s (her employers) deception. He plans to take her life, but she agrees to help him in exchange for him letting her live. She must stick with it in order to save her father, who was taken to debtor’s prison. However, her father owes bodies, not money, and now that task falls on Josie.
Josie takes a job at Gloughton Mill in 1824. She’s there to spy on the factory’s operations, as well as be on the lookout for grave robbers. She must secure some bodies for medical experimentation if she hopes to pay off her father’s debts.

Each book in this series is by a different author, and, overall, I’ve enjoyed them so far. Parts of this book, however, did have some lulls, and it was occasionally hard to tell the connection between some of the characters. For the most part, I enjoyed Josie and her development. This book does have a Christian theme running throughout, but it wasn’t as strong as anticipated. Sadly, the suspense element wasn’t as strong as in the prior books in the series, and the relationship between Josie and her employer (Braham) felt a bit forced at times. The other books contained an author’s note that gave the historical facts underlying the story, but that wasn’t the case with this one.

This is the third installment in the Barbour’s “True Crime” series. All the books are based on historical facts, and this one (like the others) was unfamiliar to me, so I learned a bit along the way. I look forward to reading the final book in the series.

The Yellow Lantern by Angie Dicken is both intriguing and disturbing. I will admit I didn't think I was going to enjoy this book. I am not really interested in such a dark story. But I do love history!
The story began with the main character, Josephine, rising from the dead. Actually she was dug up and delivered to the local doctor for "research" purposes. Apparently being declared dead when you really weren't was a common occurrence in those days. In exchange for her life and to keep her father safe and out of debtor's prison Josephine enters into an agreement to help deliver numerous bodies to the doctor. This goes against Josephine's faith and her calling as a healer. Dicken has created a dark world in the book. I felt like the sun rarely shone and the situation was hopeless through much of the story. It really is a Dudley Do Right and Nell kind of story., good vs evil, dark vs light. And the heroine must be rescued. It took me awhile to figure out why the title is The Yellow Lantern. Probably because I wanted to skip over the grave robbing parts. I ended up enjoying the book more than I thought I would. The description of the time period and the accuracy of the historical information was truly interesting. I gave the book 4 stars because I didn't enjoy the dialogue. It seemed too formal and stilted. I assume it was accurate for the time period.
I voluntarily received a copy of this book from NetGalley.

Intrigue, mystery, and fast paced story line kept me interested from the beginning. I received a complimentary copy of this book. No review was required.

Once I figured out who was who and what their relationships were all about, I really enjoyed The Lantern. Braham and his parents left Ireland for America hoping for a better life. There was sickness in the crowded hold below deck and many died.

Josephine woke up not knowing where she was. Imagine the first thing you see is a doctor you work for holding up a knife in preparation to cut you up all in the name of "advancing knowledge of how the human body functions."

Life was hard in the 1800's and people did not always have a choice about where or how they lived. The characters who came alive in this book were skillfully crafted and at times I wanted to make their decisions for them because they could not see the bigger picture. The two main characters had seemingly insurmountable obstacles to overcome before they could become friends or maybe more. This is an interesting story based on life at that time. It felt so real it made me happy to be living in the present.

I received an Advanced Readers Copy from Barbour Books through NetGalley. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.
#The Lantern #NetGalley

I have enjoyed all of the books in this series, The Yellow Lantern is no exception. To think that this is based on activity that took place in our history is a bit chilling. I loved learning about the fabric mills and the shady/illegal operations of parts of the medical community in the 1820s. The story pulled it all together with strong characters.

I received a digital ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.