Find

Me

Agai

n

Books in

Canada

Despite

Find Me

Again’s

cover

notes I

was

unprepar

ed for

the

engrossi

journey

over two

centuries

on which

I was to

accompa

ny the

author.

This is

Warsh’s

second

novel, a

sequel to

the well

regarded

To Die in

Spring,

and

once

again its

central

characte

r is Dr.

Rebecca

Temple.

Rebecca

’s

husband

has

been

dead

eleven

months,

too short

a time for

her to

reconcile

herself to

this

tragedy

and the

opening

chapters

are

suitably

poignant

and

melanch

oly. Her

relations

hip with

Sarah,

her

Mother-

in-Law,

someho

w stilted

and

mostly at

arms

length

emotion

ally.

Sarah

has

justificati

on for

her

reluctanc

e to

commit

to a

warmer

relations

hip; her

experien

ce as a

Holocau

survivor

occupied

Poland

makes

her a

victim of

dark and

distressi

nightmar

es. The

horrors

of the

Holocau

st are a

necessar

y and

integral

ingredie

nt of this

tale and

this

aspect is

handled

with

great

sensitivit

y by

Warsh.

We are

diverted

from

Rebecca

’s

sadness

with the

arrival of

Halina,

an old

friend of

Sarah’s,

who has

come

from

Commun

ist

Poland

Toronto

in the

hope of

finding a

cure for

her

daughter

Natalka’

s serious

illness.

Through

these

visitors

we are

introduc

ed to

Count

Michael

Oginski,

a larger

than life

charmer,

describe

d with

affection

Warsh

and

John

Baron,

another

Polish

émigré,

who is

the

martinet

owner of

the

mining

company

that the

Count

now

works for

Toronto.

The

Count

tells

Rebecca

with

great

enthusia

sm of the

historical

novel

that he is

writing,

which,

claims,

will

revise

current

understa

nding of

history

and

confirm

his royal

ancestry.

surprisin

develop

ment

soon

follows:

There is

a murder

and we

are

introduc

ed to two

mysterie

s-one set

in the

late

1970s,

the other

in the

mid

1740s.

While

Rebecca

strives to

identify a

murderer

Toronto,

believing

that the

Count’s

manuscri

contains

the

answer,

Warsh

transport

s us

through

history.

become

witnesse

s to the

often-

incestuo

us affairs

and

political

intrigues

of the

royal

courts of

Poland,

Russia,

Saxony

and

Prussia.

Rebecca

, while

searchin

g for

answers

in the

Count’s

novel,

becomes

transfixe

d by the

characte

rs and

their

machinat

ions;

there’s

plenty of

romance

, political

diplomac

y, and at

times,

plain

jostling

for better

status at

court.

Warsh

knits the

two

mysterie

together

seamles

sly,

writing

convinci

ngly of

Europe

in the

1740s,

ably

capturin

g the

nuances

of the

languag

e of

those

times.

She

handles

the

transition

from one

story to

the other

deftly

until Dr.

Temple,

through

her

sheer

determin

ation

and

courage,

presents

us with

satisfyin

g and

believabl

solutions

to both

conundr

ums.

The

author,

while

raised in

Toronto,

was born

Germany

, a child

Holocau

survivors

, and has

obvious

empathy

for those

who

lived

through

those

events;

she has

successf

ully put

that

understa

nding to

use in

this

excellent

novel.

Desmon

McNally

(Books

Canada)

Find Me Again

Books in Canada

Despite Find Me Again’s cover notes I was unprepared for the engrossing journey over two centuries on which I

was to accompany the author. This is Warsh’s second novel, a sequel to the well regarded To Die in Spring, and

once again its central character is Dr. Rebecca Temple.

Rebecca’s husband has been dead eleven months, too short a time for her to reconcile herself to this tragedy

and the opening chapters are suitably poignant and melancholy. Her relationship with Sarah, her Mother-in-

Law, is somehow stilted and mostly at arms length emotionally. Sarah has justification for her reluctance to

commit to a warmer relationship; her experience as a Holocaust survivor in occupied Poland makes her a victim

of dark and distressing nightmares. The horrors of the Holocaust are a necessary and integral ingredient of this

tale and this aspect is handled with great sensitivity by Warsh.

We are diverted from Rebecca’s sadness with the arrival of Halina, an old friend of Sarah’s, who has come from

Communist Poland to Toronto in the hope of finding a cure for her daughter Natalka’s serious illness. Through

these visitors we are introduced to Count Michael Oginski, a larger than life charmer, described with affection by

Warsh and John Baron, another Polish émigré, who is the martinet owner of the mining company that the Count

now works for in Toronto. The Count tells Rebecca with great enthusiasm of the historical novel that he is

writing, which, he claims, will revise current understanding of history and confirm his royal ancestry. A

surprising development soon follows: There is a murder and we are introduced to two mysteries-one set in the

late 1970s, the other in the mid 1740s. While Rebecca strives to identify a murderer in Toronto, believing that the

Count’s manuscript contains the answer, Warsh transports us through history. We become witnesses to the

often-incestuous affairs and political intrigues of the royal courts of Poland, Russia, Saxony and Prussia.

Rebecca, while searching for answers in the Count’s novel, becomes transfixed by the characters and their

machinations; there’s plenty of romance, political diplomacy, and at times, plain jostling for better status at court.

Warsh knits the two mysteries together seamlessly, writing convincingly of Europe in the 1740s, ably capturing

the nuances of the language of those times. She handles the transition from one story to the other deftly until Dr.

Temple, through her sheer determination and courage, presents us with satisfying and believable solutions to

both conundrums.

The author, while raised in Toronto, was born in Germany, a child of Holocaust survivors, and has an obvious

empathy for those who lived through those events; she has successfully put that understanding to use in this

excellent novel.

Desmond McNally

(Books in Canada)

To Die In Spring

After the recent death of her artist husband, it's not all raisins and almonds in the relocated and refurbished

consulting room of Dr. Rebecca Temple in downtown Toronto. There was nothing in Rebecca's past to prepare

her for the headlong lethal drama that walked innocently into her waiting room in the guise of harmless old

Goldie Kochinsky. From Goldie, Dr. Temple learned, to her pain, that even paranoids have enemies. With the

unrelenting pace of a jack-hammer, the suspense and horror combine to keep the pressure on full, while

Argentine heavies and a relentless murderer stop at nothing in their attempts to keep the lid on a whole

Pandora's box of secrets going back to the death camps of Poland in the Second World War. This is the sort of

novel that sells the sequel as you turn the pages of the present most accomplished introduction.

Howard Engel

Author of the "Benny Cooperman" mysteries

"...To Die in Spring is Torontonian Sylvia Warsh's first published mystery and it's a good deal better than the

work of many veterans. It's also set up as a kickoff to a promising series featuring Dr. Rebecca Temple, a young

widow recovering from the early death of her beloved artist husband.

...The novel is set in 1979, which puts it in temporal reach of the Second World War as well as the horrors of

Argentina, where many Nazis and some surviving Jews fled after the war. Warsh handles fairly deftly the now-

historical issues, putting them into the terms and mouths of characters who display the full range of greed and

obsession required to play out her plot.

...Warsh, who teaches creative writing to seniors in Toronto, does a fine job of unwrapping mysterious identities

until both sins and crimes lie satisfactorily revealed."

Joan Barfoot

The London Free Press, August 19, 2000

"...Warsh writes sensitively about the persecution of the Jews, and she shows convincingly how the actions of

the past are not discrete-they have monumental effects on the present and future. And Warsh is even-handed in

her treatment of human nature by making villains whose evil is not based in religion, but in greed.

...Somehow Warsh manages to pull off the combination of oppressed and oppressors, while adding in losses of

love and life. In tying the threads of the mystery together, in the conclusion Warsh gives her characters and her

readers hope that the positive side of human beings will prevail."

Candice Fertile

The Edmonton Journal, September. 10, 2000

"It's cause for celebration when another Canadian mystery writer has confidence enough to set a novel in a

Canadian city instead of somewhere real or fictional in the USA. Especially when the latest American trend has

been to use Britain as a setting and a nobleman, a la Peter Wimsey, as detective. When novels like Sylvia

Maultash Warsh's To Die in Spring appear, I am delighted to be on my home turf in a believable world."

Susan Evans Shaw

701.com, June 14, 2000