- Mass Market Paperback: 288 pages
- Publisher: Penguin Paperbacks; 2nd THUS edition (Sep 3 1999)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0140280200
- ISBN-13: 978-0140280203
- Product Dimensions: 17.6 x 10.7 x 1.9 cm
- Shipping Weight: 172 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #2,238,961 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Amazon
Ann McMillan's Dead March is the first in what promises to be a series of Civil War-era mysteries as appealing as Anne Perry's historical procedurals. Narcissa Power, a young Virginia widow consigned to a dismal existence in the country home of her sister-in-law, receives an urgent summons from family friends of her beloved brother, Charley. Shortly after she rushes to his side, he dies of a disease that should have caused only a minor infection. The mystery of his death is compounded when Narcissa finds a fragment of a half-burned letter from Charley that someone has hidden in her Bible. Wanting to do right by her brother and avoid returning to the doldrums of her country existence, Narcissa plunges into the turmoil of Richmond in the days between Fort Sumter and the first great battle of the Civil War. A colorful collection of plausible characters gather in the parlors and back alleys of Richmond--a British journalist, a dashing but arrogant young doctor, a cruel overseer, and Judah Daniel, a freedwoman who is also the local herbalist and "conjure woman." Each will be a part of the eventual unraveling of the mystery.
Against the background of a beautiful city in turmoil, clues come fast and furious. The players converge at the hospital and secrets are shaken loose, leading to surprising and satisfying denouement. But relationships are only beginning to develop among the cast, and the reader must wait for McMillan's next volume to learn the outcome. The credible detail and authenticity of setting and scene will captivate those with a renewed interest in the American Civil War, which has been aroused by Cold Mountain and Ken Burns's PBS series. --Barbara Schlieper --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Publishers Weekly
There is much to like and admire in this Civil War mystery debut. In Richmond, Va., in 1861, the coming conflict over secession seems inevitable. Narcissa Powers, whose son died soon after his birth and whose husband succumbed to consumption not long after that, is called from her nearby home to Richmond, where her brother, Charles, is a medical student. She arrives just in time to attend his deathbed and hear some fevered words about "resurrection." A half-burned letter stuck in her Bible provides clues that Charley's death may not have been an accident. Her suspicions gradually fall on his medical teachers and on the practice of "resurrecting" recently buried corpses for medical students to use as cadavers. The sense of social isolation and legal inferiority enforced on women and blacks is forcefully captured as Narcissa circumspectly probes for the truth. Charley's death also troubles a black man whose friend, Judah Daniel, a freed black woman who is a healer and "conjure woman," joins Narcissa in their quiet investigation. This highly auspicious debut is marked by McMillan's dexterous weaving of historical detail into a first-rate mystery plot and by her penetrating analysis of the era's Southern culture. Narcissa's reflections on and dealings with the limitations of gender and race imposed in her milieu are measured, credible and promising for further richly characterized tales in this series.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most helpful customer reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not Quite,
By
This review is from: Civil War Mystery 01 Dead March (Mass Market Paperback)
I liked a number of things about this book. It is well presented in terms of time and place. The history is accurate. Using a young widow as the heroine gives an interesting point of view. On the other hand, the characters, especially the heroine, are underdeveloped. I found I did not greatly care what happened to Narcissa, which is a problem. The supporting characters were more interesting, although they could use some development also. One character changed from a potential villain to a potentional love interest in one or two pages with very little explanation. I am interested enough to want to read the later books in the series and there is potential. However, this book is two or three revisions away from being a really good book.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very Good BOOK,
By A Customer
This review is from: Civil War Mystery 01 Dead March (Mass Market Paperback)
Im 10 years old and i read this book. i thought it was really good. very creepy too. Ü hee hee
2.0 out of 5 stars
Shows promise, but not quite there yet.,
By A Customer
This review is from: Civil War Mystery 01 Dead March (Mass Market Paperback)
As this was recommended along with Barbara Hambly's latest, I decided to give "Dead March" a go. Unfortunately, it can't help but suffer in comparison with "Wet Grave." Several things in the book struck me as being underdeveloped, and I think the main fault was the characterization. Too much information about the characters is given in expository chunks; rather than letting us discover who these people are through their actions and their conversation, we're simply told what their attitudes and personalities are. The story would have been much more effective if they'd been allowed to reveal themselves. The premise itself is fascinating and seldom-seen, but the presentation of the author's ideas would have benefitted from some more subtlety.
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