A Literary Triumph: Winner of 13 Awards (and Counting)
Deftly blending historical details inside a character-driven thriller
Available now
A quietly fierce secretary, a brash young scientist, a town cloaked in silence, and an entire region under threat...
"Original, exceptional, emotionally engaging, memorable, and raised by its author to an impressive level of literary excellence, TANGLES is especially and unreservedly recommended for community and public library Contemporary Fiction collections." -- The Midwest Book Review
"A beautifully written, important story. Tangles packs a punch and hits close to home."
--Robert Dugoni, New York Times Bestselling author of the Tracy Crosswhite Series
"In her knockout debut, Smith-Blum skillfullyblends historical detail and nail-biting suspense."
-- Kevin O'Brien, New York Times Bestsellingauthor of Everyone a Stranger
"Gorgeously recreated, this story
speaks to us all."
--Steve Olson, Award-winning author of
The Apocalypse Factory
"A brilliant, captivating ride that reveals much
about our radioactive legacy."
--Joshua Frank, Award-winning author
of Atomic Days
"The juxtaposition of two memorable characters
keeps the reader guessing...I could not put it down."
--Michele Gerber, phd, author of On the Homfront: the cold war legacy of the hanford nuclear site
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Readers’ Praise
150+ FIVE STAR reviews and growing
Awards
five-star trade reviews
Historical
Fiction Company
An incredible, gritty novel with an unexpected plot, twists and turns…and an engrossing, immersive narrative that will stay with the reader.”
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Amy’s Bookshelf Reviews
“Smith-Blum exhibits a wide range of talent and skill, along with passion with writing this story. Definitely recommend.”
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Readers’
Favorite
“Smith-Blum plants readers into the heart of America's Cold War secrecy with a poignant clarity, haunting and hopeful, reminiscent of E. Annie Proulx.”
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History
Solarium
Readers
Choice
“Fascinating, thought-provoking fiction…with memorable characters, and a gripping plot based on real-life events.”
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San Francisco
Book Review
“TANGLES has guts and teeth…rather than looking through a veil, TANGLES has a a sense of immediancy…highly recommend.”
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Midwest
Book Review
In a distinctive storytelling style, Smith-Blum's deftly blends a poignant love story
with a suspenseful thriller...highly recommended.”
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Literary
Titan
“A gripping narrative…that offers a deeply moving yet unsettling look at historical events and their lasting impacts.”
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Feisty Deeds: Historical Fictions of Daring Women
Co-edited by Carolyn Korsmeyer, Christy Matheson, Elaine Aucoin Schroller, Kay Smith-Blum and Kimberly Sullivan
THE STORIES IN THIS COLLECTION depict ordinary women from the 1470s to the 1970s meeting life's challenges with fierce determination.
An unhappy housewife in 1950s California gathers the courage to escape an abusive marriage. As local men are shipped off to WWI, a young Yorkshire woman joins others to keep a munitions factory at peak operation. As her land and way of life are threatened, a 19th-century Chickasaw wife and mother rekindles the strength of her ancestors. A midwife strives to protect mothers from accusations of witchcraft. A Victorian portrait artist possesses a rare sought-after talent that dispatches unwanted relatives.
Foreign invaders, rigid domestic authorities, strictures of society and religion, the supernatural and love and family bonds serve as catalysts for the feisty women in these tales.
