A Citizen of the Country

§ "A virtuosic fusion of speculative history, boldly stylized character drawing, and intricately plotted rousing melodrama...Fiction just doesn't get any more entertaining and satisfying than this. A bloody triumph."
Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

§ "A seductive storyteller...Taking inspiration from the chalky hills, the Roman history, the witchcraft legends and local landmarks that would soon be reduced to rubble in the war, [Smith] finds the ideal setting for resolving the sad, strange mysteries that have haunted Reisden since childhood."
The New York Times Book Review

§ "Stylish and literate... Readers will care about the splendidly realized characters, whose fates are decided in an eminently satisfying conclusion."
Publishers Weekly

§ "Though full of authentic detail, this isn't a typical 'historical novel, ' but rather proof that certain human conditions--the public and private face of heroism, the complicated love we feel for family--are the same no matter the century."
Entertainment Weekly (Editor's Choice)

§ "[Smith] fills the third installment with endlessly satisfying plot twists, historical verisimilitude, and character development--and still manages to keep her eye on the overarching question: not so much "What country?" as "Where do I belong?"...A Citizen of the Country illuminates a society on the brink, a way of life about to be lost forever...and one man's journey, by the hardest roads, home to his family."
Detroit Free Press (four stars)

§ "Think Poe, Agatha Christie, A Tale of Two Cities and Chinatown, and you have an idea of the mix that Smith juggles so delicately--and so well."
New York Post

§ "The characters are so beguiling, the writing so evocative and detailed that one emerges from the books pages--and the ancient catacombs of Arras--as from a dark movie theater, surprised by daylight and the real world."
Orlando Sentinel

§ "Stunning...Sarah Smith skillfully takes readers into the dark world of the human psyche and spirit."
Romantic Times

§ "HOLLYWOOD IS READING: A Citizen of the Country. . . A fascinating read...This one will surely be made into a movie."
Jill Jackson's Hollywood

§ "Elegantly plotted . . . Sarah Smith peoples her story with carefully drawn characters. . . . The result is a complex puzzle made of love and a desire for power."
The Denver Post

§ "[A] sinister tangle of political and domestic intrigue, witchcraft, and murder."
Library Journal

§ "Memorable ... A verbal kaleidoscope of blending and clashing ingredients . . . Greed, treason... and bloody murder are all on the agenda, as we watch Old Europe swell up with sin and prepare to explode in the coming Great War."
Chicago Tribune

§ "Chilling . . . Intrigue abounds in every chapter, and red herrings emerge at key points in the narrative. . . . Throughout this long action- packed novel, Smith keeps the reader completely engrossed. Her descriptive powers transport the reader from scenes of horror to ones of beauty and tenderness with equal effectiveness."
The Washington Post Book World

§ "Smith is an elegant stylist with a compelling understanding of psychology and an ability to apply it faultlessly to the period. Her intricate plots flow at a stately but inexorable pace toward high-impact, clever conclusions." The Poisoned Pen