The Sentinels of Andersonville

Christy winner Groot (Flame of Resistance) uses the Civil War atrocity at Andersonville Prison, where 13,000 Union prisoners died in a single year, as the background for a probing retelling of the story of the Good Samaritan. Three young Southerners—two Confederate soldiers and a young woman who lives in the town nearest Andersonville—come to understand the true conditions in the prisoner-of-war camp, and must decide what they can do. Readers used to gentle inspirational novels may pale at some of the descriptions, but Groot has done good historical homework. She has also created memorable characters both major and minor, whose anguish is palpable. Confederate sentry Dance Pickett is especially well-realized. The pacing is page-turning, and Groot has a good instinct for sprinkling comic relief into a wrenching tale. This Civil War–era story grapples with fundamental moral questions about decency and conscience—questions that can be asked about all wars. Agent: Kathryn Helmers, Creative Trust. (Feb.)