Quieting the Storm

“I needed to find Patricia. I’d stash her in a safe place, and then I was going to kill that son of a bitch Armistan deader than the goddamn dodo bird.” This introduces the conflict in Quieting the Storm by Alexander C. Juden, a gripping historical thriller set in the post-World War I era. The story follows Major John Griffin, a disfigured and haunted investigator entangled in a web of espionage, political intrigue, and personal vendettas. Upon returning to New York from Europe, Griffin is determined to save Patricia Kingsbury from her estranged father, Harry Armistan, but is shocked when he discovers a dead body of a girl in his trunk. It could be a setup by Armistan, but his investigation into the killer brings him face to face with corrupt police, dangerous gangsters, and covert German agents. Tension escalates when Patricia goes missing. What will it take Griffin to find and save her? His quest leads him from opulent hotels to dark alleyways, where he must rely on wit, deception, and a fierce sense of justice to survive.

Alexander C. Juden’s novel is one of the best I have read this year on sleuthing, packed with action, and the tension builds in intensity from page to page. I was fascinated by the deft characterization, and Griffin is depicted as a man with a very rough exterior, yet there is something tender about him. Patricia Kingsbury is a wealthy, conflicted young woman torn between her loyalty to her family and her conscience. Rebellious Rebecca Kane and the ghostly Tippy Frederickson are quirky characters to follow. Juden’s sharp dialogues and humorous exchanges humanize the characters and elevate the entertainment quality of the story. The setting is finely depicted, capturing the gritty, bustling streets of New York, the lavish interiors of high society, and the ominous world of espionage activities. You’re gripped by the constant threat of violence that fuels the tension, from the hero’s haunting memories to bombs and unseen enemies. Quieting the Storm is a crime thriller with an unpredictable plot; it is as propulsive as it can get.