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From Publishers Weekly
The latest installment in this well-regarded Civil War series, featuring war nurse Narcissa Powers and former slave and herbal healer Judah Daniels, marks a big jump in McMillan's storytelling ability over her previous entry, Civil Blood (2001). In June 1862, as the Seven Days Battle rages mere miles outside the besieged Confederate capital of Richmond, Va., Narcissa attends to the wounded filling the cots of the Chimborazo pavilion hospital where she volunteers. A "shiver and burn" contagion spreads among the populace, while Jefferson Davis himself observes about the Chickahominy, "It's not much of a river, but with all the rain we've been having, it makes quite a swamp." This backdrop sets the scene for a brilliant series of puzzles, from much-needed morphine missing from the hospital to a "dead" patient who up and disappears. The crucial suspense angle draws on historical fact-an apparent slave placed by a local abolitionist in Davis's household operating as a spy. Union sympathizers are desperate to get a stolen set of plans showing Richmond's defensive weaknesses to the other side. Within a masterful framing device centered on the stolen plans, the author offers homespun, home-front details (such as a quilt being used as a signal among the spies) while developing her heroine's continuing saga. The depth of commentary on allegiances and "homeland security" nicely captures the confusion of people caught up in war.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Charleston Post & Courier
McMillan's characters come to life... She makes readers care about these people and leaves them wanting more.
With her latest Civil War mystery, Ann McMillan has again woven together elegant historical detail with a complex cast of characters. It is June of 1862, and Union forces have Richmond surrounded. Unbeknownst to the city, a crucial letter detailing the weak points of Confederate defenses has fallen into enemy hands. But amid the confusion and danger of the siege, there are two women with more immediate concerns. Nurse Narcissa Powers is attempting to locate the body of a missing Confederate soldier, while Judah Daniel, a free black herbalist, searches for the mother of an abandoned infant. As the fate of the stolen letter falls prey to military and moral conflicts, the quests of these two women bring them into a high-stakes operation that could change the course of the war.
A suspenseful and intriguing exploration of conflicted loyalties in a society shattered by war, Chickahominy Fever will captivate McMillan's many fans.
Genre: Historical
The latest installment in this well-regarded Civil War series, featuring war nurse Narcissa Powers and former slave and herbal healer Judah Daniels, marks a big jump in McMillan's storytelling ability over her previous entry, Civil Blood (2001). In June 1862, as the Seven Days Battle rages mere miles outside the besieged Confederate capital of Richmond, Va., Narcissa attends to the wounded filling the cots of the Chimborazo pavilion hospital where she volunteers. A "shiver and burn" contagion spreads among the populace, while Jefferson Davis himself observes about the Chickahominy, "It's not much of a river, but with all the rain we've been having, it makes quite a swamp." This backdrop sets the scene for a brilliant series of puzzles, from much-needed morphine missing from the hospital to a "dead" patient who up and disappears. The crucial suspense angle draws on historical fact-an apparent slave placed by a local abolitionist in Davis's household operating as a spy. Union sympathizers are desperate to get a stolen set of plans showing Richmond's defensive weaknesses to the other side. Within a masterful framing device centered on the stolen plans, the author offers homespun, home-front details (such as a quilt being used as a signal among the spies) while developing her heroine's continuing saga. The depth of commentary on allegiances and "homeland security" nicely captures the confusion of people caught up in war.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Charleston Post & Courier
McMillan's characters come to life... She makes readers care about these people and leaves them wanting more.
With her latest Civil War mystery, Ann McMillan has again woven together elegant historical detail with a complex cast of characters. It is June of 1862, and Union forces have Richmond surrounded. Unbeknownst to the city, a crucial letter detailing the weak points of Confederate defenses has fallen into enemy hands. But amid the confusion and danger of the siege, there are two women with more immediate concerns. Nurse Narcissa Powers is attempting to locate the body of a missing Confederate soldier, while Judah Daniel, a free black herbalist, searches for the mother of an abandoned infant. As the fate of the stolen letter falls prey to military and moral conflicts, the quests of these two women bring them into a high-stakes operation that could change the course of the war.
A suspenseful and intriguing exploration of conflicted loyalties in a society shattered by war, Chickahominy Fever will captivate McMillan's many fans.
Genre: Historical
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