A killing at Ball's Bluff

From The Critics

A can't-put-it-down book...A sense of urgency keeps the pace racing.

Rendezvous

A can't-put-it-down book...A sense of urgency keeps the pace racing.

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Harrison Raines of Virginia, the likable myopic operative working on the northern side for Allan Pinkerton's newly formed U.S. Secret Service, returns for another romp through the battlefields of the Civil War, in this case the fighting atop Ball's Bluff late in 1861. Veteran author Kilian debuted this series with Murder at Manassas (2000), featuring the battle of Bull Run, and has announced plans for mysteries set during each major engagement of the conflict. In his effort to solve the actual murder of a good friend of Lincoln's, Col. Edward Baker (a mystery unsolved to this day), Raines encounters such historical figures as Confederate spies Belle Boyd and Rose Greenhow, and the Cuban Loreta Janeta Velasquez (who dressed as a man and fought in the early battles). It seems a bit much when Nathaniel Hawthorne appears briefly to stiff Raines for a bar tab, but then our hero's lady love favors the arms of John Wilkes Booth (one senses this could lead to real trouble). Kilian offers clues for anyone wishing to guess the identity of the murderer, but also indulges in a case of misdirection that might nag at a genuine mystery buff for months. The weightier issues of slavery and the horrors of combat are sketched in, but the gist here is picaresque adventure--spy vs. spy, chase scenes on land and water: Civil War lite. (Jan. 9) Forecast: High-spirited military fiction is enjoying a field day, with the Flashman, Sharpe and Aubrey-Maturin series all riding high. Killian could benefit from this general interest, and cross-marketing to Civil War buffs, who are legion, could further enhance sales. Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.

KLIATT

This mystery closely follows the events of the first one in the series, Murder at Manassas. The battle at Manassas had been lost by the Union because of the treacherous spying of Rose Greenhow, one of the many aspects of Kilian's plot that follow historical facts closely. Raines is now officially sworn in as an agent of the North, working with Allan Pinkerton, but he is also a Southern gentleman, the son of a Confederate officer who is a close friend of Jefferson Davis. His main reason for supporting the North is that he detests slavery, but he still has many loyalties to Southern friends, family, and traditions. He is an intriguing young man, making his way in the world as a gambler, a horse trader, a lover of beautiful women, especially one actress who likes him as a friend but is passionately in love with another actor, John Wilkes Booth. Raines is part of the team that will spy on Rose Greenhow and her contacts, arrange her arrest and imprisonment. The intrigue is maze-like; the multiple characters and plot details challenging for readers. Most of the action takes place in that center of confusion at the time, Washington, D.C., with other sites equally confusing: Baltimore, northern Virginia, and the battlefield of October 21, 1861 near Leesburg, Virginia (Ball's Bluff). Again there is an actual murder in the middle of a war and Raines must solve the murder as he struggles to save his own life. Students who enjoy historical mysteries, and certainly those interested in the Civil War, will enjoy this series. It complements Monfredo's Seneca Falls series, with one of the main characters in that series also a spy during the Civil War, working for the North with Pinkertonas her boss. Kilian is especially earnest about adhering closely to actual historical events and persons. (A Harrison Raines Civil War Mystery) Category: Paperback Fiction. KLIATT Codes: SA—Recommended for senior high school students, advanced students, and adults. 2001, Berkley, 374p., $6.50. Ages 16 to adult. Reviewer: Claire Rosser; KLIATT SOURCE: KLIATT, March 2002 (Vol. 36, No. 2)