Conduct in "A Minor"

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Pub Date 20 Jan 2020 | Archive Date 8 Aug 2020

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Description

Haunted by a mysterious melody, seventeen-year-old Savannah Briggs, orphaned and homeless, faces a life of loneliness and danger on the streets.

Nearly killed in a savage attack, she is saved by the enigmatic Isaac Neillands, medical doctor and professor of anatomy.

Neillands, who has skeletons of his own, takes Savannah into his home to heal from her wounds.
As time passes, she becomes a member of the family, but has Savannah found safety or merely exposed herself to greater danger in the house of this seeming gentleman?

Is the minor melody a guide, curse or madness? What is the secret of Conduct in “A Minor?”

Haunted by a mysterious melody, seventeen-year-old Savannah Briggs, orphaned and homeless, faces a life of loneliness and danger on the streets.

Nearly killed in a savage attack, she is saved by the...


Advance Praise

"""From all the books I have read in the last half a year, this one left the strongest impression. Set in the late 19th century, the historical setting created a beautiful, nostalgic atmosphere with touches of nobility, old manners, but also differences among social classes and difficulties of living in times without current modern gadgets or knowledge. The easiness and evil of the crime in such a vast extent is chilling and horrifying, and so is the injustice and ease with which the criminals were able to almost pin the guilt on an innocent; as much as the injustice in prejudiced opinions against one unlucky girl. The emotional depth of the story is cutting, and the impressions will surely last some more time. It is well accentuated by the use of appropriate language and use of third-person storytelling, allowing for a quick change of focus within the scene described according to the need. I must admire the brilliance of the work, considering it is the author's first piece... It pulled me deeply into the story from the very beginning. It is really awesome work."" -- The International Review of Books

""The novel deals with death, trust, love and hope. It also deals with criminal mental illness. The mystery is written expertly.. I kept wanting to know what was going to happen next. I look forward to reading more books by this author.

Disclaimer: I received an arc of this book from the author/publisher from Netgalley. I wasn’t obligated to write a favorable review or any review at all. The opinions expressed are strictly my own."" -- S. Mahaffey

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"""From all the books I have read in the last half a year, this one left the strongest impression. Set in the late 19th century, the historical setting created a beautiful, nostalgic atmosphere with...


Available Editions

ISBN 9781913545123
PRICE US$3.99 (USD)

Links


Average rating from 14 members


Featured Reviews

Savannah's mother had just passed away. At the age of 17, Savannah was now an orphan - she took to the streets but not to be a prostitute, as many others had done. No, Savannah stayed in abandoned houses and on park benches, eating when possible. A number of times she found herself vulnerable to men but mostly she was able to run away to a "safer" place. Once a particularly nasty group had hurt he badly.

A stranger, Doctor Neillands, helped Savannah through the tousle and gave her first aid at his home Since the doctor's wife and daughter disappeared 2 years ago - he is lonely - so Savannah stays there (to some as his niece), yet it is apparent that he thinks of her as his daughter - Candace - but he called her "Allie". During this time, Savannah is besotted with Alexander, the Dr.'s assistant...

A twisty kind of read, best noted through the historical aspect.

Enjoyable!

Many Thanks to BooksGoSocial and NetGalley for a different kind of read.

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I really enjoyed this book. It was a fairly quick read and it kept me engaged to the end. It follows the story of Savannah, who has lost both of her parents. She becomes desperate but not enough to turn to prostitution. She is living on the streets so people assume that she is. It isn't long before she encounters some men who want to harm her. She is rescued by a doctor, whose wife and daughter disappeared several years prior. He takes her into his home, initially to recover but then permanently. She poses as the doctor's niece but when it is learned that she is not, assumptions about her identity abound. I don't think the music is well enough explained or plays a prominent enough part to have that as the title of the book.

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Samatha Briggs has become an orphan at the age of 17 years. Her mother died and she is alone. She has no home and o one to get help. Samatha is attacked by three boys.She is fighting them when a man comes to her aid. He takes her home and attends to the broken glass in her foot. He is a surgeon who teaches anatomy at the medical school. He has lost his wife and daughter but can’t believe that they are dead even though it has been two years. Will the doctor find his wife and daughter? He has Samatha go to his daughter’s bedroom to get a good night’s sleep and a chance to bathe inn the morning. Much to her surprise, she ends up living with the doctor. Due to her beauty his friend thinks he is using her for his sexual pleasure which he isn’t. He thinks of her as a daughter. He tells his fellow doctors and others that she s his niece who has lost her parents and has taken her in. It is a secret between the doctor and Samantha. Will the secret be found out? If so, what will happen?

The novel deals with death, trust, love ad hope. It also deals with criminal mental illness. The mystery is written expertly.. I kept wanting to know what was going to happen next. I look forward to reading more books by this author.

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Description
Haunted by a mysterious melody, seventeen-year-old Savannah Briggs, orphaned and homeless, faces a life of loneliness and danger on the streets. Nearly killed in a savage attack, she is saved by the enigmatic Isaac Neillands, medical doctor and professor of anatomy. Neillands, who has skeletons of his own, takes Savannah into his home to heal from her wounds. As time passes, she becomes a member of the family, but has Savannah found safety or merely exposed herself to greater danger in the house of this seeming gentleman? Is the minor melody a guide, curse or madness? What is the secret of Conduct in “A Minor?”

My Review
Conduct in "A Minor" is a great novel full of mystery and suspense! Highly recommend this story if you are looking for an engaging well written story.

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A chilling narrative.

Smith captures grotesque charm and haunting poignancy in a manner that complements the oddly romantic, emotionally intense and intricate elements that are symbolic of the many facets of life.

Every reader – young or old – will definitely find moments that will strike a chord within them.

It’s a book that will have one uneasy yet reluctant to leave it unfinished. Quite outstanding for Mr. Smith’s first novel.

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I enjoyed reading this book. I like historical mysteries and this one was very interesting. I thought it was well written and easy to follow.
Many thanks to BooksGoSocial and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

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I liked Savannah as a character and really enjoyed her adventure in this book. The other characters were great and I really enjoyed the mystery going on in the book.

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