W. Patrick Lang is an able storyteller. With his life experiences in the military intelligence community, he presents a unique approach to telling the Civil War story about the Secret Service of the Confederacy.
Lang shows through words the inner fears, thoughts and activities of a spy in a hostile environment. The author is able to use his past work-life to let the reader know what it actually feels like to be in Claude Devereux’s boots.
The story revolves around one man, Claude Devereux, his family unit and his hidden life. Claude was a Confederate spy working in the War Department for the Union. The story begins at the battle of Gettysburg and the death of his brother. No time was allowed for mourning. He had to continue gleaning information on the activities and strategies of the new general in charge, U. S. Grant. Being in the spotlight of high importance in the Union War Department, Claude needed to be constantly vigilant and secretive in every thing he did.
The character of Claude is complex. Through him I saw a multiple portrait tapestry of the time period. There was Claude’s high position (right under the Secretary of War) in the Union War Department; there was his wife and extended family living in the North; other family members living and fighting in the South; and his inner turmoil that included a mistress and a nasty violent streak. All this could expose him to the enemy. Putting himself in harm’s way accelerated his need to learn everything he could about Grant: the plans of the new campaign, the history of Grant’s life in combat until now and how Grant will proceed as the supreme leader of the Union army.
The story is well written and was a smooth read for me. I enjoyed the intricacies of the characters in addition to a visual picture of the time period. This Civil War book has many factual parts. It is balanced with the fictional parts of how people were reacting and doing things as the war evolved.
It was not until the end of the book that I learned this was the second installment of a trilogy. I will now go back and read the first one, The Butcher’s Cleaver. I’ll finish up with the final book of the trilogy when it comes out.
About the author: W. Patrick Lang is a retired high level military intelligence officer, a life long student of the American Civil War and the Lincoln assassination. He is a widely published author and military consultant. His broad experience of combat and of the espionage world uniquely combine to give him special insight into the realities of such events across time. He lives with his wife in Alexandria, Virginia.
