The Angel of Second Street

Blakey (Bertie’s War) kicks off the Enduring Hope series with this richly detailed late 19th-century historical. Raised by her aunt and uncle, devout 17-year-old Ida Dempsey dreams of spreading the word of God to the people of Eureka, Calif., including the residents of Chinatown and the prostitutes who work on Second Street. Her aunt and uncle are less-than-pleased about her plans, though her idealism endears her to Blaine Prescott, a college graduate who’s recently returned to town in search of a godly wife. Blaine’s parents disapprove of the match for reasons that aren’t immediately clear, and they attempt to keep the pair apart. Meanwhile, an undeterred Ida starts teaching the women of Second Street to read using the Bible. When Ida’s increasingly close relationship with one of her students leads to the discovery of a shocking secret about her own past, she’s forced to grapple with her faith and the foundations on which it’s built. Blakey convincingly depicts a stratified Western town corroded by poverty, anti-Chinese racism, and the narrow social roles for women against which headstrong Ida chafes. Readers will eagerly await the sequel. (May)