The Ironclad Alibi: A Harrison Raines Civil War Mystery

Harrison Raines, late of the Federal City, has returned to Richmond. While pretending to have come home, he's really on assignment for Abraham Lincoln, finding out all he can about "The Monster," the recently captured USS Merrimack. He is horrified to learn that it is being made into an ironclad ship which will decimate the rest of the Union naval fleet.The trip home also includes a chance meeting with Arabella Mills, Harry's first love. Now married, her husband is in charge of the Merrimack. But when she turns up dead in Harry's hotel room, it's Harry's former slave and friend Caesar Augustus who is accused of the crime and put on a fast track to execution. Now Harry must get his information back to Lincoln in time to do some good while also finding the evidence to clear his friend, which is going to be hard in a city where he doesn't know who to trust.This series is wonderful for Civil War buffs, historical fiction fans, and mystery lovers. Richmond, circa 1862 came alive to me as I was reading, and I've learned more about the events of the Civil War from this series then I remembered from school. Harry does seem to have an impressive list of acquaintances (Lincoln, Davis, and Lee for example), but meeting them allows us to get a complete view of the war and events in a way we couldn't otherwise. Because Harry's returned to Virginia for this book, we also get a picture of the emotional battle waged by families on the other side of the issue.The mystery in this book is strong. I had no clue where what the big picture was until the end, although I did figure a couple plot points out before hand. Seems everyone has something to hide, and it's not what I was thinking, that's for sure.Because of the progressive nature of this series, it's best to start with the first book, MURDER AT MANASSAS, especially since this book discusses the outcome of that one. If you are at all interested in this dark time in US history, I highly recommend this series.