Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner
Dead March: A Civil War Mystery
Amazon US PB Amazon Canada PB
Ann McMillan
Class/Genre: Mystery Historical
Viking, Sep 1998, $21.95, 212 pp.
In 1861, both sides expect to quickly and easily win the Civil War. However, the impact of battle has not been felt and deaths have not yet increased. White Virginian Narcissa Powers rushes to the side of her dying brother Charley Wilson, a medical student. She is shocked when he dies from a minor infection. However, before succumbing, he manages to whisper the dreaded word "resurrection". Later, she finds a burnt letter form Charley in which he explains his role as a grave digger, seeking corpses for medical research. He insists one such corpse was the victim of murder and not a disease.
At about the same time, Cyrus Roper hires free blackwoman Judah Daniel to investigate the deaths of Charley and the cadaver that appeared to be a murder victim. Soon, Narcissa and Judah defy society's basic tenet of their segregated society and join forces to uncover the truth.
DEAD MARCH is a lively retelling of the period between Fort Sumter and the first battle of Manassas, which begins the bloody and deadly stage of the Civil War. The story line is intriguing, fast-paced, and extremely authentic; while The mystery is first rate. The prime characters are all understandable and their motives fully developed. In this debut novel, relationships remain tenuous as they should be at this point. Fans of historical mysteries and the Civil War era must read Ann McMillan's fabulous story that hopefully will be followed with more period who-done-its.
Harriet Klausner
Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner
If you enjoy this website, a link would be appreciated. |