I have great admiration for those who preserve the chronicles of their family ancestry. Our modern world is so infested by sound bites and fleeting images, much of the time people don’t bother to contemplate on the rich complexity of the past.

Karen Charlton not only has taken great strides to research her husband’s lineage, but she has the talent of vibrant storytelling to share it with us in her debut novel. The first in the Regency Reivers Series, “Catching the Eagle” is a fictionalized account based on the true story of the Charlton family history, and of a crime that made a mark on 19th century England.

A small town in 1809, Northumberland, is thrown into an uproar when Kirkley Hall is robbed — 1,159 pounds of rent money — drawing the attention of lower and upper class alike. The staff of Kirkley Hall all initially accuse the unscrupulous and unkind steward, Michael Aynsley, of being the thief.

Soon, however, blame falls on a farm laborer, Jamie Charlton, a good family man but short-tempered, brash and someone who Aynsley hates passionately. Having flaunted an inexplicable fortune at a local pub and paying off his mountain of debts shortly after the robbery, Jamie is taken into custody to stand trial. This forces his wife and several children, who have no means to support themselves, to move in with Jamie’s mother and brothers for the time being.

Will Charlton has great loyalty to his brother Jamie, and he struggles to find a way to clear Jamie’s (and the Charlton family’s) name of the crime, while also resisting his gradually growing fondness for Jamie’s wife, Cilla. Matters get worse when the authorities announce a reward for any information about the thief, bringing forth over 60 “witnesses” willing to testify against Jamie.

Will the truth ultimately prevail? And what if that truth actually reveals guilt rather than innocence?

Karen Charlton has a beautiful narrative style, reminiscent of classic Victorian texts in its detailed descriptions and distinctive dialects. This can be a double-edged sword; those who admire such attention to detail (as myself) will enjoy the imagery, while others may feel that it slows the pacing.

Some of the symbolism within the story is heavy-handed; there is a recurring connection of a golden eagle being hunted for capture while Jamie is being hunted down. This parallel did not feel necessary to tie into the plot but it did add moments of intrigue. We hope for the eagle to elude its captors as much as we hope Jamie will be cleared of the crime.

The greatest strength of the novel comes from the characters, as even secondary characters are given as much liveliness and depth as the main players. The two authorities hired for the case, Detective Lavender and Constable Woods, are a type of Holmes and Watson duo, sharing the same camaraderie, intellect and humor as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous crime solvers.

Aynsley, while he is the common sleaze that is typical of antagonists, can also be humorous in his frustrations when things do not go his way; he is the type of villain we love to see foiled again and again.

Jamie is sympathetic, if not always likeable (he tends to be fairly idiotic, particularly when gambling or drunk or both), and Will is commendable for his devotion to his family’s and his own honor. In fact, he can be a little too good at times, more like a hero archetype than a flawed human being.

“Catching the Eagle” is a wonderful start to the series, and is a great read for fans of regency mysteries and historical fiction. The Charlton charm is sure to touch any reader who enjoys this genre.

Alison Reeger Cook is a Gainesville resident whose Off the Shelves book review appears every other week in Sunday Life. Know of a good book to review? Email her to tell her about it. Her column appears biweekly and on gainesvilletimes.com/life.