A Storm in the Blood

Events that took place in London nearly 100 year ago—the Houndsditch Murders and the Siege of Sidney Street—form the basis of Fink's captivating ensemble crime drama. In early 20th-century Russian-occupied Latvia, Rivka Bermansfelt witnesses her father's attack on a Russian soldier, which leaves her a fugitive. She escapes to London and falls in with a colorful group of Jewish and other immigrant revolutionaries who tend to appreciate the arts and wish to live simple lives in America or Australia. Among them is Peter, a painter with a dark past, whom Rivka falls for while the group plots a jewel heist. All around, appearances are misleading: people think of Rivka as a hardened terrorist, but she just wants to be a singer; Peter gains the reputation as a criminal mastermind even though he's only minimally involved in the notorious murders that happened during the botched heist. While on the surface, the novel relates events of the present day to the terrorism of the past, Fink's story goes deeper, creating a compelling and psychologically driven tale of people who have lost their way in the world. (Oct.)