The Compass club was
formed by four boys at school who’ve remained fast friends even into adulthood.
They’re each named for the four directions of the compass - Earl of Northam, Viscount
Southerton, Marquess of Eastlyn, and Mr. Marchman (a.k.a West). ‘Let me be the
one’ told North and Elizabeth’s tale of love and redemption. This book is
all about Southerton.
This book begins at around the time
North has newly married Elizabeth and not everything is hunky-dory with the couple. To
cheer him up, his friends take him out for a night at the theatre where they cause enough
disturbance with their ribaldry to cause the lead actress, the incomparable India Parr to
take offense and stop her performance right in the middle. After this inauspicious
beginning, South goes to offer his apologizes to the lady and receives a punch in the jaw
in return. India intrigues South with her poise and her spirit, but his keen gaze is able
to penetrate her veneer of frozen calmness to find the sadness hidden deep beneath.
However, South has hidden reasons of his own for making her acquaintance. A murderer is on
the loose and South suspects India has some hidden involvement in this deadly affair.
Without even trying India has all the
men in London at her feet, including the promiscuous Prince Regent himself. Though
surrounded by admirers, this beautiful and self-possessed young woman is shrewd enough to
realize the lustful and less than honorable intentions behind their words of flattery, and
has always kept herself aloof from them. South, with his unconventional ways and
directness is like none of her so-called admirers and this not only awakens a rare
interest for him in her, but also makes her very wary. India harbors a deadly secret that
has not only the power to destroy her, but countless others. For this reason, against her
growing feelings, she’s determined to keep South away from herself. But can she hold
out against this stranger who’s so rapidly becoming dear to her?
Jo Goodman has long been known for her skilled weaving of timeless tales. With the
Compass Club books, she’s surpassed herself. Her immense skill is evident in the
accomplished way in which the adventures of these four friends doesn’t happen one
after the other, but more or less at the same time. Readers are liable to read some of the
same scenes in different books, but from a different friend’s perspective in each and
this goes a long way in making the entire series more convincing. Ms. Goodman’s
characterizations are always deep and strong, and this includes the main protagonists, the
villains and various side characters. The author also makes the readers cognizant with
every character’s innermost thoughts and feelings thus keeping them involved. Regency
England with its political intrigues and sexual dalliances is atmospherically brought to
vivid and vital life. India is far from the typical Regency novel heroine for she’s
an actress (which was almost synonymous with prostitute in those days) rather than a rich
young lady or a simpering debutante, as is usually the case. Even South, with his deep and
abiding friendship and his keen intellect hidden under a lazy exterior, easily wins over
the readers. There is great mystery in the book, and the ending is very shocking, one
which no one could have begun to guess. Ms. Goodman retains the reader’s interest
till the last and that is something which can be said about very few books.
To sum up – deeply intriguing and simply not to be missed.
Reviewed By Rashmi Srinivas for The Road to Romance
March 21, 2003
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