5-STAR REVIEW: PATH OF PERIL by Marlie Parker Wasserman

Book Reviews Crime Fiction Historical Fiction

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About The Book

Publication Date: January 17, 2023

Would the assassins plotting to kill Theodore Roosevelt on his visit to the Panama Canal succeed?

Until this trip, no president while in office had ever traveled abroad. White House secretary Maurice Latta, thrilled to accompany the President, could not anticipate the adventures and dangers ahead. Latta befriends watchful secret service agents, ambitious journalists, and anxious First Lady Edith Roosevelt on their hot and humid trip, where he observes a country teeming with inequalities and abounding in opportunities. Along the way he learns about his own strengths—what he never imagined he could do, and what he discovers he can’t do.

Theodore Roosevelt did visit Panama in 1906, accompanied by White House staffer Maurice Latta. Interweaving the stories of real-life characters with fictional ones, Path of Peril imagines what the newspapers feared to report and what historians never discovered about Roosevelt’s risky trip.

Excerpt

The Review

For four days in 1906, Assistant Secretary Maurice Latta had five primary responsibilities while accompanying President Teddy Roosevelt to Panama, marking the first time a sitting president had left the United States.

It was a trip filled with risk, as noted in Path of Peril by Marlie Parker Wasserman. This historical fiction tale is told by key characters ranging from Latta to First Lady Edith Roosevelt to reporter Frederick Palmer. The author delivers a cast of characters guide at the beginning to differentiate between real and fictional characters.

The construction of the Panama Canal serves as a fascinating backdrop for the story. While the French had failed in construction efforts, Roosevelt was determined that the United States would succeed.

Amid presidential assassin plots, anarchists, and contract rigging, the story provides an interesting mystery not typically found in history books. In this case, it’s essential for readers to overlook the cover and dive in. For the writing quality inside, this deserves a much more appealing cover.

Path of Peril focuses on a short timespan key to American history and the legacy of Teddy Roosevelt.

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About The Author Marlie Parker Wasserman continues to write historical crime fiction. Her first book, The Murderess Must Die, was published in 2021. After spending many years in New Jersey, she now lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. She is a member of Sisters in Crime and the Historical Novel Society.