Righteous Warriors

One Classy Book and one classy writter. This book will not disappoint the reader. it has just the right mix of romance and intrigue to hold the reader captive throughout the entire book! Nicely done.

Righteous Warriors is an original and superbly written novel set in the turbulent times of the American Civil War. Like all Missourians, Irish immigrant Franny Moone and her mother, Deidre Moone must chose sides in that troubled border state and elect for the Union. But there is a complication when Franny secretly marries Hy Wilcox, a local farm boy whose loyalties to the Confederacy compel him to join southern nightriders. Then there is the Union Calvary officer, Captain Josiah Scarborough, who has come to Jefferson City to capture a rogue member of his regiment who has turned to outlawry and joined the nightriders to raid and terrorize Union sympathizers. Very highly recommended reading, Meredith Campbell's Righteous Warriors is a complex story of relationships and loyalties, of political passions impacting on matters of the heart.

Righteous Warriors catches you on the first page and doesn't let you go. It tells Civil War History very authentically. It certainly doesn't glamorize the war. It tells it like it really was by showing neighbor against neighbor and fighting with little food. Franny Moone must decide between the South and the North in the border state of Missouri. The story shows the hardship of the war on both sides. Will Franny win the heart of the man she loves? Will it be easy?

I was impressed with how tightly written a story it is. The wealth of detail was impressive, and really deals with the pathos of the conflicting values and issues of the western theatre in a way I hadn't seen before. The novel is very readable, however a few will find details a bit tedious at times. A few other loose ends and romantic conventions (the protaganist is the son of an Anglo-Irish lord) are distracting to the real story. On the plus side the narrative keeps up a good readable pace and the story has a few nice twists along the way. I also liked the fact (the author) didn't let the details carry the story away since the story could easily have been lost in the details of the historical background.

I'm not a big fan of historical fiction, mostly because so many writer forget the history. In this case Ms Campbell has researched even the small details, and used her experience as a Civil War re-enactor to tell an engaging and accurate tale. The story of love denied and forbidden in the midst of war is a classic, but the plot twists and action will keep you engrossed long past the time you should turn out the lights. If you love a good story, a grand setting, adventure and historical fiction brought to a pinical, than by all means buy the book!