Edith Lawraine Smith

Francis (Dick Francis's Bloodline) successfully resurrects his late father's most popular series character, evoking a similar dry British humor and vividly bringing the racing world to life—all true to Dick Francis form. [See Prepub Alert, 3/25/13.]

While Empress Theodora's story unfolds in what is today modern Turkey, one could borrow from the cowboy vernacular and say that Thornton's well-conceived and engrossing tale exalts a historical figure of "true grit." Fans of Stella Duffy's The Purple Shroud and Theodora: Actress, Empress, Whore may want to check out Thornton's take.