What do readers think of City of Light by Lauren Belfer? Write your own review.

Secrets. Lies. Innuendoes. Betrayals. More secrets. A murder mystery. And great tragedy. Oh, and enough of a lesson on how electricity is generated from Niagara Falls that it (almost) masquerades as nonfiction. Written by Lauren Belfer, this is one of those utterly delicious books that will also make you feel smarter after you read it—even though it reads a lot like a soap opera.

Taking place in Buffalo, New York in 1901, the story is told in the first person by Miss Louisa Barrett, a 36-year-old spinster who is headmistress of the prestigious Macauley School for Girls. Louisa has a deep and dark secret that would totally ruin her reputation should it ever be revealed. But she isn't the only one with highly-charged and potentially damaging secrets, as we soon learn. The cast of characters is wide, including cameo appearances by two presidents and one vice president. (In fact, so many of the characters are real people that the author's note at the end of the book actually list those that are fictitious. The Kindle X-ray feature helps with this, too.) Meanwhile, the new power station at Niagara Falls is coming online, but not without much political intrigue and a murder (or two?). It's a time that is ruled by powerful men who smoke cigars in backrooms. WHO can be trusted?

I gave the book four stars instead of five because it seemed to me that some of the text is needlessly drawn out. Yes, it's a long book and that's just fine, but the author stretches the plot line at times in ways that add only to the length and not to the development of the story or characters. Still, that's a minor complaint. Read it. It's a fun and educational book.