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Harrison Raines is a United States agent working for Alan Pinkerton. As Pinkerton is currently assisting Abraham Lincoln with the American Civil War, Raines is a Northern spy by default. He is currently traveling with Jacques Tantou, a French Canadian Métis, who is trying to escape the Canadian police. Luckily, Tantou is also a talented scout and provides Raines with necessary assistance. Raines has recently been out in the Western territories working on a secret mission. Now he is ready to return home by way of New Orleans. One of his friends, Louise Devereux, claims to have lived there as a child. Raines has not been able to determine whether or not she is a Southern spy and wants to determine where her loyalties lie. Meanwhile, General Ulysses Grant gets a request from Mrs Abbot to cross over into Southern territory. He and his army are just outside of Shiloh and Mrs Abbot would like an escort to Southern lines. She claims her sister, the wife of a Southern officer, is at great personal risk. As Grant does not believe there will be a battle for several days, he agrees to assist her. Unfortunately, that morning at dawn, the battle begins. Once the battle is completed, Grant wonders about the fate of Mrs Abbot and her quest. Her escort knows that she made it to the border; however, no one knows if she made it to her sister's. That is, no one knows until two bodies are found. The bodies are those of Mrs Abbot and her sister Mrs Townsend. At this point, Raines arrives at Shiloh and Grant asks him to investigate the murder. THE SHILOH SISTERS is a solid addition to this series. The characters are well developed and continue to grow throughout the series. Raines is a conflicted man. While he does not support slavery, his home is in the South. In earlier books, he attempted to remain neutral; however, that is impossible in a country divided by war. His own personal struggle with justice and right is a conflict many felt during the war. By choosing the Northern side, he must deal with the fact that his family supports the South. In his case, the war did tear a family apart. Kilian does blend historical battles and figures into fictional mysteries. He takes the general horror of war and uses it as a backdrop for personal feuds and murders. Kilian also uses the fictional elements to explore the conflicts that the country felt due to the war. In addition to the conflict of loyalty mentioned above, he also looks at the paranoia that spread throughout the country and the dangers of trusting the wrong person. Overall, this blend of fiction and fact is very successful and creates entertaining novels. THE SHILOH SISTERS is the fifth book in the Harrison Raines Civil War series.
Reviewed by Sarah Dudley, January 2005
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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