Ironclad Alibi (Hardcover)

Raines, however, arrives in Richmond and is almost immediately accosted by an old lover. When he rebuffs her (he loves an actress who is performing opposite John Wilkes Booth) she leaves, and later he finds her hanging from the ceiling in his room, naked. When Raines himself can provide an alibi (he was havning dinner with Confederate president Jefferson Davis at the time) the authorities arrest his erstwhile slave, Caesar Augustus, and announce that they will hang him soon.

Much of the rest of the plot consists of Raines running around Richmond frantically waving papers and passes he has from Robert E. Lee and Jefferson Davis, trying to get Caesar Augustus freed or at least reprieved. There is a mystery (how did the hanged woman come to be in Raines room, and why?) but it's only intermittently dealt with. And of course the spying on the Confederate ironclad, though it's the reason for his presence in Richmond, is only briefly an issue.

There are some good points to the book. Elizabeth "Crazy Bet" van Lew gets a good cameo (she was a real historical figure, an abolitionist who lived out the war in Richmond and was the Union's most successful spy) and both Jefferson Davis and Robert E. Lee make brief appearances, along with several other minor characters of the Civil War. The plot, however, is somewhat obscure and not that entertaining. I did enjoy the atmosphere, and when the author gets to the actual battle of Hampton Roads, the action speeds up. I would recommend this book to Civil War buffs more than mystery fans.

The trip home also includes a chance meeting with Arabella Mills, Harry's first love. Now married, her husband is in charge of the Merrimack. But when she turns up dead in Harry's hotel room, it's Harry's former slave and friend Caesar Augustus who is accused of the crime and put on a fast track to execution. Now Harry must get his information back to Lincoln in time to do some good while also finding the evidence to clear his friend, which is going to be hard in a city where he doesn't know who to trust.

This series is wonderful for Civil War buffs, historical fiction fans, and mystery lovers. Richmond, circa 1862 came alive to me as I was reading, and I've learned more about the events of the Civil War from this series then I remembered from school. Harry does seem to have an impressive list of acquaintances (Lincoln, Davis, and Lee for example), but meeting them allows us to get a complete view of the war and events in a way we couldn't otherwise. Because Harry's returned to Virginia for this book, we also get a picture of the emotional battle waged by families on the other side of the issue.

The mystery in this book is strong. I had no clue where what the big picture was until the end, although I did figure a couple plot points out before hand. Seems everyone has something to hide, and it's not what I was thinking, that's for sure.

Because of the progressive nature of this series, it's best to start with the first book, MURDER AT MANASSAS, especially since this book discusses the outcome of that one. If you are at all interested in this dark time in US history, I highly recommend this series.