Book and Review
The DARKNESS at DAWN
How much guilt can a man endure? How much depravity can a man display? These questions are examined in the fresh new novel, The Darkness at Dawn, set in early New England. When 13-year-old John Lee sees 19-year-old Richard Hawkes, already a petty thief and murderer, steal his Puritan church’s gold inlaid chalice during a storm in the middle of the Atlantic on their congregation’s journey to Boston, he has no idea that it would be followed by a 40 year conflict between them. Sworn to secrecy by Richard, John’s guilt grows over the years as he watches Richard commit vile acts in his effort to increase his power and wealth.
Meanwhile, John becomes a soldier, scout, civic leader, and Indian teacher. All the while, his guilt over his oath grows as he blames himself for unleashing Richard’s evil upon his community. At the same time, he believes breaking his oath would be a great sin. Finally, when Richard’s crimes are too great to ignore, John, a former constable, is asked by the Governor to prosecute Richard for them. In an incredible act of hubris, Richard calls John as a character witness at trial. Confronted with a question he cannot answer without violating either his oath to God or his oath to the Court, he remembers his most spiritual Indian student’s statement of how he resolved his conflict between his belief in God and his loyalty to his tribe, and John finds a way to answer.
Official Review: The Darkness at Dawn by Pamela Roberts Lee
book review by Kat Kennedy
“A simple thing. You are a pious Puritan to whom an oath is sacred.”
Members of a group of Puritan settlers en route to Boston in 1634, John Lee and Richard Hawkes find their fates intertwined when John spies the despicable Hawkes stealing a gold chalice in the midst of a storm. This incident begins a decades-long, dangerous war between the two. Agreeing never to mention the incident if the chalice is returned, John hopes to keep Grace, a fellow ward of Puritan William Westwood, safe from Hawkes.
Though Hawkes escapes the repercussions of having stolen the chalice, he has no intention of living a noble and chaste life. Unwilling to break his vow because of his deeply held convictions, John is forced to watch helplessly as Hawkes continues to inflict his crimes upon the community and take advantage of good people through the years. John suffers tremendous guilt over the information he feels would give the community both the clarity and knowledge needed to rid themselves of Hawkes, yet he feels compelled to withhold. Will John ever find a way to bring the evil Hawkes to justice for his crimes without compromising his values?
This story of good vs. evil set in Puritan New England is a sweeping look at life in the early years of American settlement. The author spins an intriguing tale that encompasses issues such as the Indian Wars, Puritan Christianity, race relations between the Native Americans and early settlers, and witchcraft.
The depth of information is impressive concerning life in New England during the 1600s. Not only does the book bring this time period to life through well-written, informative passages about the Puritans’ day-to-day life, its beautiful descriptions of the pristine, unmarred lands of early America even further enhance one’s understanding of this time. The pious John Lee and dastardly Richard Hawkes are the epitome of good vs. evil and perfect counterparts to carry the thematic elements of the work. Many philosophical and theological concepts are argued through John’s great heartbreak and inner struggle with his guilt at being powerless to stop Hawkes and his continued evil influence over the community.
Influenced by her grandfather’s role as the family historian, Lee draws upon her interest in her own family’s history for this first novel. In fact, protagonist John Lee is based on one of her ancestors, and it is a photograph of John Lee’s monument, which the family erected in the 1800s, that appears on the cover of the novel. This connection between author and subject is another fascinating layer in this multi-layered work of fiction. There is truly a lot to like in Lee’s novel. For example, as a historical work, the detailed information about life during the 1600s is exceptional. As a character study, the heart-wrenching guilt John struggles with as he tries to live up to his beliefs and maintain his integrity is rendered perfectly. As a study of Puritan Christianity, the book presents the tenets and beliefs of these early settlers in a comprehensive matter. Overall, it’s a captivating, compelling story that grabs one’s attention from the first and never lets up. This is an amazing offering for a debut novelist.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review
(c)2021 All Rights Reserved THE US REVIEW of BOOKS
Official Review: The Darkness at Dawn by Pamela Roberts Lee
by ritah
3 out of 4 star
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of “The Darkness at Dawn” by Pamela Roberts Lee.]
The beauty of historical fiction is its ability to transport us back in time. The novel The Darkness at Dawn by Pamela Roberts Lee successfully peels back the layers of significant historical events while enmeshing historical characters in a compelling work of fiction.
If you are a fan of historical fiction with a particular interest in 17th-century New England, hop aboard the ship Francis in The Darkness at Dawn. You’ll travel back in time to the year 1634, where you’ll witness the Puritans onboard weathering the storm to the New World and the events that would unfold in the new lands they ventured in.
As the storm rocked the ship and lightning struck, thirteen-year-old John Lee was puzzled to see a figure of a man seemingly stealing William Westwood’s gold-inlaid silver chalice (a precious piece for the puritan congregation). What he hoped to be a misunderstanding becomes a real nightmare when Richard Hawkes confronts him about what he saw. John finds himself having no choice but to take an oath of secrecy to a thief and murderer to protect the lives of his loved ones. Sadly, Richard’s crimes and vile acts would only escalate once they reached the new lands in his bid to gain ultimate power and wealth. As the tensions rise, the two men often find themselves at blows over the years. But who’ll have the last laugh: the cunning Richard or the pious John?
The story follows John as he wades through the unpredictable and sometimes tumultuous waves of life from a boy to an honorable man. Through his story, we bear witness to his strengths and weaknesses. I admired John’s critical thinking skills when it came to things he was taught to never question. On Richard’s end, though he’s the villain, I couldn’t help but be initially impressed with his ability of persuasion, work hustle, and wit while he built a name for himself. That being said, by the middle section of the book, I’d come to completely detest Richard given how depraved he’d become.
Written in the third person, the story shifts focus between John’s life and Richard’s illegal escapades while highlighting different historical events between the years 1634 and 1676. Bringing back to life historical figures like Reverend Thomas Hooker, Governor Edward Hopkins, and Deacon Stephen Hart just to name a few. Other figures like Matthew Hopkins (also known as the witch-finder general) and Alse Young (the first person to be executed in America on record for allegedly practicing witchcraft) were mentioned in passing. The wealth of historical information in this book is highly impressive, and it was quite evident that the author did a lot of research to create a believable setting and atmosphere in addition to the well-defined cast of characters.
The author’s use of vivid descriptions made it easy to picture places and unfolding events. The effective use of naturally flowing dialogues not only made it easy to follow the characters’ conversations but also enjoyable to read. The backstories added depth to the characters and in some cases explained why certain characters turned out the way they did.
A good portion of the narrative wasn’t fast paced, but it was one that unfolded gradually. However, I found myself turning pages quicker when it came to Johns and Richard’s encounters, the witches’ trials, the unanticipated plot -twists, and, of course, the final court case. Also, the ending was breathtakingly masterful.
My least favorite aspect of this book is that it sometimes seemed that the author tried to squeeze in too much period-related detail and even included descriptions of mundane tasks. Additionally, there were a few instances of repetition, which added pages to this already-lengthy read. Though the book appeared professionally edited, I counted more than ten errors, which include grammar and punctuation and a few misspellings of the characters’ names.
Considering everything, I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. I’d recommend this novel to those who enjoy character-driven narratives and period fiction that features themes of religion, migration, and war. Given that the novel contains a few mature scenes and graphic descriptions of violence, it’s best suitable for an adult audience.
Amazon Customer Reviews
by Shirley K. Adams
Reviewed in the United States on May 17, 2020
(5) star rating
Easy to Read
I enjoyed the book very much and after several chapters, hated to put down. I even recommended that my brother offer to his students on the reservation to encourage them to read because of the shortness of chapters and easy reading. Can’t wait for sequel.
by Kindle Customer
Reviewed in the United States on August 14, 2019
(5) star rating
5.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing book about family history and the development of the Northeast
This is a book written combining history of the northeast and People coming to this country to settle an area. The challenges they found and how they found their place in history. Hope you will take the time to read this novel. A fast read and exciting.
(5) star rating
Epic story of John Lee in Puritan New England with Indian Wars, Commerce, and Withcraft Darkness book review Great story and loved learning about 1600s in America based loosely on John Lee a real person back then. Loved learning about Boston, Hartford, Massachusetts , Connecticut, and especially the multitude of different tribes in Indian wars and witchcraft. I rooted for the main character John Lee to prevail against the evil Richard Hawkes. Can’t wait and hope for a second book! First the Title “The Darkness before Dawn” is beautifully portrayed by the real cemetery photo on cover of the real John Lee grave. It reminds me of the story that things were really bad for many years for John Lee and his people and the trouble that comes in the night with dreams and nightmares dealing with tragedy in life. But their always is a dawn or light at the end of the tunnel and things can be recovered from. The book is really written from John Lee’s point of view but has also a lot of the bad guy Hawkes point of view, really two competing views. As the summary on the back of the book and one of the very first pages describes, John sees Richard steal a chalice and the rest of the story is based on that. I really liked learning about the spiritual parts of the book talking about Puritan faith and how it differs from current modern day Christianity. My two favorite parts of the book were when they brought an Indians body back to the wife and she was so appreciative to see him one last time and the character Neshegan’s life. Nesehegan is almost a spiritual second coming of someone not Jesus, but an angel, an Indian, a carpenter, never upset, and as a child to adult an amazing character in the book. Of course I loved the descriptions of the countryside, the Indians, and the Indian wars interested me the most. It is a great story, I loved the beginning and the only thing I didn’t like was that the middle 10 years of the story took a while to develop. I could not put the book down the last 250 pages. I think a lot of guys and gals will like it, it is not a romance novel; it is an epic story about those times with a vivid description of all the things going on back then in New England.
by taz
Reviewed in the United States on August 17, 2019
(5) star rating
A book you can’t put down
I love a book that when you read it you want to reach into the pages and either strangle someone or give them a hug and this book delivered that for me. The descriptions of the people and scenes were vivid and really brought the story to life. I loved every page!
by Roadrunner
Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2020
(4) star rating
Tale of one John Lee in Puritan New England: Personal Conflicts, Witch Hunts, Murders, Hangings
This book was loaned to me by a friend, and I am happy that I had the opportunity to read it. It takes the reader back in time to the Puritan Days and includes strife, hardships and adventure.
It was on an Atlantic voyage that thirteen year old John Lee saw nineteen year old Richard Hawkes steal a significant religious item. Because of this incident, sinister threats were made, and a promise kept throughout forty years of unpleasant encounters between the two lads who grew into manhood harboring mutual hostile feelings.
The passengers traveling to America were a large group of primarily wealthy settlers who were seeking a religious refuge from the leanings of the Church of England. The bulk of the story takes place in New England in the 1600s. It deals with the Puritan faith, Indian wars, friendship between Lee and some of the tribal members, witchcraft, thievery, murders, hangings and the everyday life of the colonists and various Indian tribes.
The story is full of history, and the content is fascinating. It is; however, definitely not a quick read as it is rather long at 554 pages. The tale is filled with many archaic words and/or terms. It would make for faster and perhaps easier reading if a thesaurus was included.
by Bryan Martinez
Reviewed in the United States on November 14, 2019
(5) star rating
Great book, wonderful author.
Wonderful book by a great author and person.
by Catherine Lemons
Reviewed in the United States on August 19, 2019
(4) star rating
This book was a gift and I loved it!
Loved reading this book. Historical without feeling “teachy”! Great read. Highly recommend.
by Amazon Customer
Reviewed in the United States on July 27, 2019
(5) star rating
Great read!
Couldn’t put this book down! Looking forward to re-reading it!
by J. Marlow
Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2020
(5) star rating
Gripping Early American Drama
On a ship in the middle of the ocean, 13-year-old John Lee makes a promise in order to save a life. Coming of Age in 1600s America, he faces crooked politicians and religious fanatics (often one and the same), arms merchants, criminals, and a native people whose way of life is already disappearing. Through it all, he’s haunted by that promise he once made. Because he’s honor-bound to keep it—and doing so may bring ruin to all around him…
Based on historical figures; the main character–John Lee–is author Pamela Lee’s ancestor.
Pamela Roberts Lee is a retired U.S. Air Force Reserve Judge Advocate Colonel and former U.S. Department of Justice Trial Attorney who has appeared in courts throughout the United States. She currently lives in Alamogordo with her husband Matt, where she is the former Chair of the Planning and Zoning Commission. Attached is the latest book signing notice for her book signing at the Barnes and Noble bookstore in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
