In this atmospheric thriller set in 1863 amid the Gullah communities off the South Carolina coast, the author of the delightful Fremont Jones mysteries (The Strange Files of Fremont Jones; Fire and Fog; etc.) has real-life Union nurse Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross, playing detective as well as ministering to the sick and wounded. Day has a wonderful ability to evoke the past, here the world of Hilton Head Island with its eerie swamps and Gullah people with their distinctive folk medicine and customs. As the fight for Charleston heats up, Clara is working with the local poor until she again receives the call to go to the battlefield. As ever, she is beset by male, military and doctoral prejudice. In addition, her brother, David, a Union officer, is on hand trying to make a wife and mother of her, totally unable to understand the life of dedication to others that she's chosen to lead. And, unbeknownst to Clara, a sinister surgeon, the demented Dr. Chamberlain, is tracking her every move and awaiting his chance to avenge himself on her for reasons that even he's unclear about. Day tastefully and effectively handles Clara's romantic interest in another real-life figure, Colonel John Elwell, who joins the suicidal assault on the rebel redoubt, Battery Wagner. Although this obvious labor of love doesn't contain much mystery or suspense, Day's fans should relish it, along with readers who appreciate well-researched historical novels. Agent, Peter Lampack. (May 21)
