Overview

March 1862. Grant's victories in the War of the Rebellion have forced the Confederates to abandon most of Kentucky. Harper and his men return to Paducah, only to learn that they must sit idle until the army exchanges their paroles. Harper's commanding officer has found menial work for him while the others set to work repairing weapons scavenged from the Donelson battlefield. Except, word of Harper's ability has reached Grant's staff and they recruit him for an espionage mission. Young Katie Malloy has found a balance in her life as a saloon-worker and a nursing aide in the ward assigned to Confederate wounded. But when her friend, Eleanor leaves the saloon to establish a club exclusively for officers, Katie is left behind working for the ruthless Loorena Bosley whose only motive is to increase profits in spite of the dangers to the working girls. Harper recruits Eleanor's assistant, Maggie to help find the Paducah spy ring but his frequent visits create suspicion with Eleanor. Even the now-loyal Magnusson comes to question Harper's motives until a coordinated sabotage throughout the town throws everyone's life into chaos. In the second volume of the Shiloh Trilogy, some find new strength, plans fall apart, and innocents and evildoers meet their fates. Friendships and alliances form and fall apart with fatal consequences. The strong become weak and the weak become strong where allies and enemies aren't as easily knowable as on the battlefield. Gabhann spins a deeply moving, complex character study of espionage, personal relationships, and survival of common people caught in the midst of the War Between the States in the style of C.S. Foerster and Leon Uris.

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9781734397475

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Reviews

"Lt. James Harper returns in this new edition of the second book in Gabhann's trilogy of historical novels set during the American Civil War. Paducah, Kentucky, 1862. When an entire Union company is wiped out while camped 15 minutes outside of town, Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's intelligence officers suspect there is a spy at work in the small city occupied by soldiers in blue. Only a week back from a short stint in Confederate prison, Lt. Harper of the 1st Iowa Volunteer Mounted Infantry takes it upon himself to figure out that the spy is Franklin Bosley, Paducah's wealthy restaurateur and brothel owner. He soon meets Maggie Warren, a war widow and prostitute in Bosley's employ, to whom he develops a quick and potentially dangerous attachment. Meanwhile, Katie Malloy volunteers in a hospital when not doing sex work, and hopes to one day get away from Bosley, to whom she owes a great deal of money. Katie's mother visits her daughter in recurring dreams and tells her a soldier will come along and save her from her plight. Nineteen-year-old Corp. Gustav Magnusson, who previously thought Harper to be a reckless careerist, has come to trust his commanding officer following their time as Confederate prisoners. As Harper investigates the spy ring at Grant's request, he and Magnusson become involved in a web of intrigue of both personal and military importance. Gabhann's prose is suitably textured for his task, combing the grit and blood of war fiction with the stilted manners of the time period. Harper feels self-conscious about the state of his uniform at a party with officers and prostitutes: ""Under the scrutiny of the major and his escort, Harper resisted the instinct to brush at his uniform. Nothing he could do now would remove the blood stains and the powder burns."" . . . Fans of espionage novels may enjoy its sudden diversion into the world of spy craft, but those looking for epic battles will be disappointed. A gritty if not completely realistic installment in a Civil War trilogy. Kirkus Reviews --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I received this book from the author as an ARC in return for a review. Book Two picks up the story of James Harper as he still stubbornly strives to clear his name and maintain his service to the Union. But since Harper must turn spy to accomplish that task, readers of Harper's Rescue spend a good deal of their time beyond the battlefields, immersed in the deep intrigue that was critical to both sides during the war. But even away from the main battles, there is plenty of action and the pace moves ever forward. Sean K. Gabhann reveals the ugly world many women faced as they lost their men to the war and goes on the reveal the emotional conflict Harper struggles through as one of those women finds her way into his heart. Readers will watch as Harper, Katie, Magnusson, and the many other colorful characters, endeavor to find their way in a world that refuses to be normal. All discover that redemption often comes at a high cost. The ending is satisfying yet leaves the reader ready to continue the adventure in Book Three. Indy Quillen, author of the Fox Walker Series of Novels."

Lt. James Harper returns in this new edition of the second book in Gabhann's trilogy of historical novels set during the American Civil War. Paducah, Kentucky, 1862. When an entire Union company is wiped out while camped 15 minutes outside of town, Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's intelligence officers suspect there is a spy at work in the small city occupied by soldiers in blue. Only a week back from a short stint in Confederate prison, Lt. Harper of the 1st Iowa Volunteer Mounted Infantry takes it upon himself to figure out that the spy is Franklin Bosley, Paducah's wealthy restaurateur and brothel owner. He soon meets Maggie Warren, a war widow and prostitute in Bosley's employ, to whom he develops a quick and potentially dangerous attachment. Meanwhile, Katie Malloy volunteers in a hospital when not doing sex work, and hopes to one day get away from Bosley, to whom she owes a great deal of money. Katie's mother visits her daughter in recurring dreams and tells her a soldier will come along and save her from her plight. Nineteen-year-old Corp. Gustav Magnusson, who previously thought Harper to be a reckless careerist, has come to trust his commanding officer following their time as Confederate prisoners. As Harper investigates the spy ring at Grant's request, he and Magnusson become involved in a web of intrigue of both personal and military importance. Gabhann's prose is suitably textured for his task, combing the grit and blood of war fiction with the stilted manners of the time period. Harper feels self-conscious about the state of his uniform at a party with officers and prostitutes: Under the scrutiny of the major and his escort, Harper resisted the instinct to brush at his uniform. Nothing he could do now would remove the blood stains and the powder burns. . . . Fans of espionage novels may enjoy its sudden diversion into the world of spy craft, but those looking for epic battles will be disappointed. A gritty if not completely realistic installment in a Civil War trilogy. Kirkus Reviews --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I received this book from the author as an ARC in return for a review. Book Two picks up the story of James Harper as he still stubbornly strives to clear his name and maintain his service to the Union. But since Harper must turn spy to accomplish that task, readers of Harper's Rescue spend a good deal of their time beyond the battlefields, immersed in the deep intrigue that was critical to both sides during the war. But even away from the main battles, there is plenty of action and the pace moves ever forward. Sean K. Gabhann reveals the ugly world many women faced as they lost their men to the war and goes on the reveal the emotional conflict Harper struggles through as one of those women finds her way into his heart. Readers will watch as Harper, Katie, Magnusson, and the many other colorful characters, endeavor to find their way in a world that refuses to be normal. All discover that redemption often comes at a high cost. The ending is satisfying yet leaves the reader ready to continue the adventure in Book Three. Indy Quillen, author of the Fox Walker Series of Novels.

Author Information

"Sean Kevin Gabhann was born in Philadelphia in 1949, growing up in nearby Pennsauken, New Jersey. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and spent the next several years in the Navy, including seven and a half years serving in the Western Pacific. He saw combat with Coastal Forces, Vietnam in 1971-73 and was afloat with Seventh Fleet during the final evacuation in April 1975. He completed graduate studies in Applied Sciences at the University of California San Diego followed by a twenty-five year civil service career in the defense acquisition community. Several anecdotes from his career have made their way his books. He first became interested in American Civil War history during the centennial celebration and he owns an extensive library of primary and secondary material related to Civil War. Shortly before retiring, Gabhann became aware of the works of Bernard Cornwell. These excellent stories triggered a long-postponed desire first inspired by the Hornblower novels of C.S. Forrester to write adventure novels about the lives of common people during the Civil War. He especially wants to write about campaigns in the West because of a fascination with the careers of U.S Grant and W.T. Sherman. Sean reports, ""My approach to writing historical fiction is to begin with a framework of the historical timeline and local geography derivehd from primary and secondary sources and then fit the plot within the framework. Then I edit for character development, followed by historical setting. Finally I edit for the reading experience: reorganizing chapters and scenes to enhance the flow before turning the manuscript over to the reading circle and to the beta readers. Accordingly, each manuscript undergoes at least five edits or revisions."" Sean enjoys living in San Diego, California."

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