Soul Catcher by Michael White

From the author's website: In the tradition of Cold Mountain and Widow of The South comes an epic novel of love, freedom and a country on the brink of war.

Cain is a scarred, but proud man haunted by a terrible skill--the ability to track people who don't want to be found.

Rosetta is a runaway slave fueled by the passion and determination only a mother can feel. And she will risk everything for the promise of freedom.

In the perilous years before the Civil War, their fates will intertwine in an extraordinary adventure--one of hardship and redemption that will take them from Virginia to Boston and back. it is an odyssey that will change them forever.

I read this book as part of my Facebook Historical Fiction Lover's book club. Same group that read Loving Frank. The book club leader, Jennifer from The Literate Housewife, has done a great job picking out books so far - I really enjoyed this book. It was a compelling story and it made me want to know more about some of the elements within the story - I'd like to read a tale with the backdrop of the Mexican-American War and I would like to know more about the abolitionist Brown. There were scenes that were filled with old fashioned gun fights and roughhousing that wouldn't normally be something I would think would appeal to me but they were fun to read and just right as part of this story.

Cain was a great character despite the fact that the idea of the "gruff but lovable" hero is a bit too romance novel for my taste. I enjoyed seeing his evolution and acceptance. I had fun when he would seem to be at a dead end and he would find a way out. The epilogue surprised me, but I was content with the ending.

I couldn't help but notice that Cain is very similar to a current TV character Dr. House. In fact, the resemblances are so marked that I began to suspect something. My hypothesis is that Augustus Cain and Gregory House are the same person AND...he's a vampire. It really makes perfect sense. Everyone who has read Twilight knows that once you are a vampire you remain the same age and just have to keep reinventing yourself into a new person in order to live amongst the mortals undetected. So Cain has probably undergone several transformations before his current persona as Dr. House. If you need further convincing, please examine the chart.

Augustus Cain	Dr. Gregory House
Has a bum leg from the Mexican –American war.	Has a bum leg from I don’t know where.
Addicted to laudanum.	Addicted to Vicodin.
Lost great love – the Indian girl.	Lost great love- the brunette who marries the other guy.
Performs surgery on self to remove bullet.	Performs surgery on others – he’s a doctor!
Despite his arrogant, crusty demeanor – girls love him.	Ditto.

Hmm... it is verrry suspicious.


This book is my "S" for the A-Z Reading Challenge! Click on the logo to see my progress.