Falcon in the Dive
“With as many twists and turns as an 18th-century Parisian alley, Falcon in the Dive draws readers into the dark, beating heart of the French Revolution.”
—Ashley Shelby, author of South Pole Station
Leah Angstman: Writer of Literary Historical Fiction
A novel
of the
French
Revolution
by Leah
Angstman
The darkest days of Paris, 1790s. Riots ignite the street, classes struggle for power, and death rests at the foot of the guillotine. For Ani, the French Revolution is a catalyst for bringing down the corrupt aristocracy and avenging her fallen family, until she unwittingly befriends a high-ranking military nobleman who exposes the dark conspiracies of her own father’s past. Suspenseful twists, action-packed battles, narrow escapes, and daring feats of espionage find Ani walking a thin line between both sides of an epic clash brought to life in rich, gritty detail and sensory terror. When Ani becomes a pawn of rival political factions in this hostile, rapidly changing environment where naming suspects and pointing fingers is the only way to survive, eventually someone must get betrayed — either those she’s always trusted or those who’ve newly shown that trust itself might be a lie.
The book
might appeal
to readers of
Alexander Chee, E. L. Doctorow, Paulette Jiles, Kathleen Kent, Neal Stephenson, Bernard Cornwell, James Clavell, Lalita Tademy, John Smolens, Patrick O’Brian, Arthur Miller, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, Genevieve Graham, Sarah Dunant, Geraldine Brooks, Charles Belfoure, Taylor Brown, Aline Ohanesian, Ian McGuire, Kathleen Grissom, Robert Morgan, Elizabeth George Speare, Sarah Vowell, Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell, Robert Louis Stevenson, Jack London, Kate Murdoch, Alexander Kent, Melanie Benjamin, Allison Pataki, TaraShea Nesbit, Stephanie Dray, Laura Kamoie, Kevin Baker, Hilary Mantel, Andrew Hilleman, Theodore Wheeler, Sara Donati, Winston Graham, Amber Sparks, Nina Shope, Victor Hugo, Charles Dickens.
Content
warnings
This book depicts historical: poverty, class systems, orphans, child labor, PTSD, patriarchal systems, disability, death, othering and ostracizing of outcasts, survival, physical violence, war violence, abuse, murder, graphic gore.
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Awards &
recognitions
Advance
praise
“With as many twists and turns as an eighteenth-century Parisian alley, Falcon in the Dive draws readers into the dark, beating heart of the French Revolution. From the dank mines below Nord-Pas-de-Calais and cellar hideouts crowded with ordinary Parisians to the exquisite palaces of the nobility, Leah Angstman tells the story of one remarkable woman whose courage and complexity changes — and saves — lives. There is no one writing today who can approach Angstman’s ability to blend profound erudition with a rollicking plot and indelible characters. A compelling page-turner, Falcon in the Dive will challenge everything you thought you knew about the French Revolution.”
—Ashley Shelby, author of Muri, South Pole Station, and Red River Rising
“Entrenched in historical detail, Leah Angstman’s Falcon in the Dive is the kind of book most authors wish they had the stomach for. No one is lucky in Angstman’s Paris, and the realism with which she crafts her tale will have readers white-knuckling the book, cringing and cheering on the same page. Falcon’s daredevil protagonist, Ani, is no exception to the rules of the world, and her losses are as tragic as her victories triumphant. Ani’s courage is without bounds, and in her, Angstman has realized a heroine as vital to today’s reader as she is to Falcon’s gritty, riotous France.”
—Eric Shonkwiler, author of Above All Men, 8th Street Power & Light, and Moon Up, Past Full
“[…] Falcon in the Dive is a novel about star-crossed lovers negotiating the physical and moral dangers of the French Revolution. […] Eighteenth-century Paris is rendered in gritty, chaotic terms, evoking shattered glass, the smell of rot, and the blood of men slain before feral crowds. […] The more entangled Ani and Aubrey become, the higher the price they pay for their […] freedom. The story culminates in emotional, shocking scenes in a Parisian jail and with a firing squad at the side of a dark road. As each hero fights for France in their own way, the other is not far from their thoughts, though the odds of their reuniting become ever dimmer. Only an extraordinary stroke of luck could bring them back together for good — and miracles are hard to come by amid faithless friends and hopeless causes.”
—Foreword Reviews
“Leah Angstman transports her readers to the perilous and fractured world of French Revolution-era Paris in her new novel Falcon in the Dive, […] a twisting tale of secrets, betrayal, and a star-crossed love. […] Angstman’s second full-length novel is a refreshing take on a historical subject that has been such a popular topic in the media [that] it has become borderline ad nauseam. Angstman’s Paris is a dark and gritty one, a place highlighting the impact [that] the corruption of power has on those ‘without.’ She attempts to deconstruct the villainy that has so often surrounded the lower-class population of Paris, especially in media pieces focusing on the tragedy of Marie Antoinette, and gives a voice to those who have long been forgotten by history. Angstman does a marvelous job of adding complexity to her characters, showing them in moments of happiness and peace to moments of insecurity, doubt, and moral ambiguity. The lack of fear she exhibits in examining the multifaceted nature of humanity and the will to survive in difficult circumstances makes Angstman’s novel truly authentic in its portrayal of the French Revolution. She has once again proven herself to be a master of historical fiction.”
—New Pages
for Book Clubs
Leah has material packets, hosting ideas, discussion questions, recipes, and craft designs for all your book club needs. She’ll drop in for Q&As, virtual calls, book signings, discussions, workshops, and more. Plus, find out how you can get a book-club bulk discount.
Book
details
- Genre: Historical fiction ➤ Literary fiction ➤ Historical suspense ➤ Novel
- Publisher: Regal House Publishing
- Release date: February 27, 2024
- Formats: Hardcover ➤ Paperback ➤ Ebook ➤ Audiobook
- Paper format: 6” x 9” ➤ 324 pages
- Paperback ISBN: 978-1-64603-433-8
- Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-64603-435-2
- Ebook ISBN: 978-1-64603-434-5
- Distributor: Independent Publishers Group (IPG) in paperback and ebook
- Available everywhere books are sold and through all major online retailers
- Booksellers: Available through Ingram and IPG
- Librarians: Available through OverDrive and Hoopla
- Library of Congress Control Number: 2023934867
- Cover design: C. B. Royal, Regal House
Media, news,
interviews,
& reviews
News
- FEB 27, 2024 ➤ Release day! The book is available in any format anywhere books are sold!
Reviews
- AUG 4, 2024 ➤ Review in New Pages
- MAR 13, 2024 ➤ Review in Coffee & Ink
- JAN 2024 ➤ Review in Foreword Reviews
- You can also check out reader reviews on Goodreads
Interviews
- OCT 18, 2024 ➤ Author Talk interview at Good Fight Fridays
Media
- DEC 2024 ➤ Audiobook excerpted on Katharine Chin’s website
- FEB 27, 2024 ➤ Mentioned in Foreword Reviews’ publication-day review list
- FEB 2, 2024 ➤ Featured in “February 2024 TBR Options featuring Falcon in the Dive by Leah Angstman” on Bookworlder
- DEC 2023 ➤ Mentioned in “Forthcoming Historical Novels for 2024” list at Historical Novels Society
- DEC 19, 2023 ➤ Mentioned in “Fiction of 2024” list at CLMP (Community of Literary Magazines and Presses)
Request
review, exam,
or desk copies
Review copies are available in print, PDF, and ePub for those with promotional outlets who wish to obtain a copy for review, interview, and feature purposes. Print copies are limited and shipping is always expensive, so please request digital if that will work for you.
Exam copies (or examination copies) are available for teachers or instructors interested in teaching the book in a course. Print exam copies are limited and shipping is always expensive, so please request digital if that will work for you. Digital exam copies are also available for book-club hosts who are interested in featuring the book as a book-club selection.
Desk copies are available only to teachers or instructors who are teaching the book in a course and did not receive a prior physical exam copy.
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If you are a general reader, the ebook is available on Edelweiss+. For hi-res author photos, media kits, teaching kits, press releases, etc., visit the media kits page. To contact publicists, agents, or publishers with inquiries, visit the contact page.
Pay it
forward
We can’t just write about worlds from the past; we have to help preserve them. A percentage of royalties from the sale of this book will go to the Child Labor Coalition, the Society for French Historical Studies, and the Institute on Napoleon and the French Revolution, who are all doing great things to make the world a better place—past, present, and future. But you can also help, while you’re here.
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