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THE SHILOH SISTERS
by Michael Kilian
Berkley, January 2004
384 pages
$23.95
ISBN: 0425194035


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

Right after the Battle of Shiloh during the Civil War, General Ulysses S Grant is kept cooling his heels by his new commanding officer. While he is stuck in his camp, the wife of a Union Congressman shows up and pleads that she be permitted to cross into Rebel territory to visit her twin sister, who is in danger. Because the lines are crossed daily by varying persons, Grant, though uneasy about it, gives his permission and sends a small escort with the woman for part of her way.

Meanwhile, Harrison Raines, an unusual, nearsighted Union spy, is on the trail of Louise Devereux, a femme fatale, beautiful actress, and self-proclaimed French blueblood who has won his heart. The woman might be a Confederate spy, might have tried to set Harry up for murder, and might have stolen Union funds -­ or she might be working for the Union. Harrison can't be certain, and she isn't telling.

When Harrison and his Metis sidekick, Jack Tantou, (the pair to now be referred to as Harry and Tantou) run into Grant after the Congressmen husband demands to know what happened to his wife, Grant turns to Harry and assigns him the task of going across enemy lines to find out the answer.

Soon the embalmed bodies of the two sisters are found shot through the heart in the same coffin and Harry takes a few moments out of his never-ending search for his luscious Louise Devereux, to solve the riddle of the murders.

The aim of this book is to regal us with the adventures of Harry Raines, who is bumbling yet perfect in his decisions at all times, who can't shoot but is the master of escape anyway. The unfortunately-named Harry and Tantou fellowship seems to worry about Harry's paramour Louise -­ who's not the love of his life, that's another woman, but the woman who burns in his blood ­ more than the war that is killing men around them.

Why the book is called THE SHILOH SISTERS is beyond me. The women's murder is essentially something that the entire story is built around and yet has no real relevance. We never get to know or care about the women, the murderer, or the outcome of the investigation, which peters out with the sound of one gunshot among so many in that time in history.

Author Michael Kilian does a masterful job in creating the time and spirit of the Civil War. Most of the interest I found in this book had nothing to do with the chessboard battles and skirmishes of the two facing armies and certainly my attention wasn't captured by the so-called murder mystery and its resolution. What did work for me was the day-to-day realistic touches of the way the people lived and survived during this terrible time in the history of the US. The fact that people crossed the lines between South and North in the lulls between battles amazed me. I found the descriptions of how the battlefield hospitals worked, or not worked, intriguing.

This is the fifth in the Harrison Raines series and it's perfect for his fans, and it's not necessary to have read the others to catch up for this book. THE SHILOH SISTERS is a book for Civil War buffs who are interested in hearing the choreography of the individual battles, and for readers who like an adventure with an intrepid hero and his trusty sidekick. But if you like a good murder mystery, this book isn't for you.

Reviewed by Sharon Katz, March 2004

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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


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