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Earl Aagaard’s opinions about everything that interests him. Og also enjoys gardening, travel, reading, woodbutchery, and lots of other stuff.

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MURDER (AND OTHER) MYSTERIES SET IN THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR

Gail and I have just finished reading (out loud) the second “Abel Jones mystery”, SHADOWS OF GLORY, written by Owen Parry (a bit of a mystery, himself, as I don’t find any biographical information about him the first time around.)

FADED COAT OF BLUE is the first novel, in which we are introduced to Abel Jones, a Welshman with a commission in the Union Army, who used to fight in India for the Brits, and received a “million-dollar wound” at Manassas when his green troops ran away, leaving him on the field. The first couple of chapters may seem a bit of a slog, but Parry’s skill at drawing characters and making one care about them will soon take over. The mystery here is the apparent murder of a young officer of good family who was a firebrand abolitionist. The plot is a bit far-fetched, but the events are carefully researched and historically accurate, and our introduction to Jones’ old comrade from India, Jimmy Molloy, is unforgettable - it’s a very good read.

The second (and even better) book turns on concerns about an Irish conspiracy in upstate New York, again including the redoubtable Molloy, with the addition of a crusading priest, a mesmerist and his beautiful daughter, a larger-than-life sheriff, and even Herbert Douglass!

We’re going to check out the next two for our trip to California - reading makes the hours pass more quickly in the car!

Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 05/21 at 09:15 PM

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