Overview

Full Product Details

9781734397444

Table of Contents

Reviews

Lt. James Harper and his men are thrown into one of the bloodiest battles in the American Civil War in this, the final volume in Gabhann's trilogy of historical novels. Lt. Harper has finally rejoined his First Iowa Volunteers, along with Corp. Gustav Magnusson and nurse (and erstwhile prostitute) Katie Malloy. His new assignment--assistant quartermaster--is once again unbecoming to the highly experienced former deputy federal marshal, prison escapee, and spy for Gen. Ulysses S. Grant. It's campaign season, and the Union Army has pushed deep into Tennessee. After a surprise promotion to captain--which seems to displease most of the men in his battalion--Harper is placed in an administrative position that he hopes, as ever, to parlay into a battle command. Luckily for him, the proximity of the enemy means he doesn't have to wait long. Magnusson is in a wheelchair after injuries he sustained helping Katie flee her brothel, which prevents him from riding with his skirmishers. He's beginning to wonder whether rescuing Katie was worth all the trouble. Katie is glad to be free but still terrified of reprisal from her old colleagues. As Harper and Magnusson chafe against their new roles, the inevitable conflict with the nearby Rebel soldiers--who have already drawn Union blood--looms on the horizon, threatening to shatter whatever temporary safety they have found. Gabhann writes with his typical blend of blood, grit, and wry humor: Silence filled the tent punctuated by the rumble of the distant canons. It was times like these that war seemed surreal to Harper--how the movements and assaults of thousands of men could be understood and planned by three men hunched over a map. The author writes well about battle, and the novel plays to that strength. Furthermore, the final story lines for Harper and his companions provide the necessary emotional context for the conflict, as well as supplying satisfying conclusions to their character arcs. While the pacing occasionally bogs down, . . . this is the strongest novel in the trilogy. An appropriate and high-stakes conclusion to a Civil War saga. Kirkus Reviews

Author Information

Sean Kevin Gabhann was born in Philadelphia, 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 derived 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. For more information about Harper, Magnusson, Malloy or other topics covered in Sean's books go to Harper's War Stories website: http: //harperswarstories.com/ and sign up on Sean's blog.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available