Review: Certainty by Victor Bevine

Certainty by Victor Bevine

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing

Pages: 320

Format: ARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  When you're fighting an injustice, can it be wrong to do what's right?

Inspired by the scandalous true story that shocked a nation at the close of WWI.

With America's entry into World War I, the population of Newport, Rhode Island, seems to double overnight as twenty-five thousand rowdy recruits descend on the Naval Training Station. Drinking, prostitution, and other depravities follow the sailors, transforming the upscale town into what many residents—including young lawyer William Bartlett, whose genteel family has lived in Newport for generations—consider to be a moral cesspool.

When sailors accuse a beloved local clergyman of sexual impropriety, William feels compelled to fight back. He agrees to defend the minister against the shocking allegations, in the face of dire personal and professional consequences. But when the trial grows increasingly sensational, and when outrageous revelations echo all the way from Newport to the federal government, William must confront more than just the truth—he must confront the very nature of good and evil.


Kritters Thoughts:  A new look at men in the Navy and while Prohibition was happening, there was also a stigma against a certain population and the Navy weren't quite welcoming to them amongst their ranks.  

A book that focuses on accusations of a priest of homosexual tendencies to the men he was ministering to that were stationed in Newport, RI.  The accusations may be true, but the actions of the officers in the Navy were repulsive and their witch hunt was just crazy to read about.  I am not sure I knew when I started how true that this story was, but after finishing the book and doing some research, I couldn't believe the truth and wanted to read the book again to take the details in.  

Whatever your feelings are towards same sex marriage or homosexuality this book is such a good view of the historical aspect of this debate.  And it is interesting to see what was said back then and compare it to what is being said now.  If you are a historical fiction fan and especially of this time period, this is a book worth picking up and reading about the behind the scenes of the Navy while not in war time.


Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from TLC Book Tours.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.