The Guns of Valverde

As an avid student of the U. S. Civil War in the Southwest, and a frequent visitor to the battlefields and other skirmish sites in the "Territory of New Mexico," I found P G Nagle's work on Guns of Valverde just as riveting as her previous work entitled Glorieta Pass. Ms. Nagle has carefully researched her subject matter as shown by her attention to historical facts and then masterfully woven them into a story bringing this period of time to life. The fact that I'm so familiar with the factual information helped me enjoy both this latest of her works and the previous one tremendously. I was able to absorb more of the fictional account without having to stop to confirm or contest the factual elements. But whether or not the average reader is knowledgeable about the Civil War in New Mexico is unimportant since Ms. Nagle continues to impress me as a superb storyteller.Ever since The Killer Angels by Shaara and Ulysses by Skimmin were written I have attempted to read more of these historical novels, finding the majority of them to be extremely well written, factual to my satisfaction, and entertaining. Guns of Valverde, like Glorieta Pass, definitely fit into this category. I look forward to Ms. Nagle's sequel entitled Galveston which, I understand, is a work in progress.