The Thirteenth Husband

Macallister’s (The Arctic Fury) latest historical novel features real-life American railroad heiress, author, and mystic Aimée Crocker. Aimée narrates her remarkable life story, which begins with her as a spirited teen chafing at the strict social restrictions of late-1800s society. When she is a young woman, she visits a fortuneteller who predicts that she will have 13 husbands and that the 13th will bury Aimée. Aimée grows up to travel all over the world—to Japan, Borneo, Hawai‘i, and Madrid—becomes a devotee of Buddhism, writes a book chronicling her adventures, and narrowly escapes violent death more than once. Macallister deftly weaves in information about the social mores of the day, such as how scandalous and uncommon divorce was at this time and the widespread respect for and interest in fortunetellers and spiritualists. Well-drawn background characters, such as Aimée’s first husband, the charming and dissolute Porter Ashe, and her conventional sister Jennie, add zest to the story, and the strife between the two sisters is entertaining.