A Killing at Ball's Bluff

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.