The Quicksilver Pool

I do not like gothic romances but I absolutely love this book. It is of a time when women wore gowns and dresses and men wore suits, ties and uniforms. Where families had servants and maids and gardeners -- and slaves. A girl from the south whose father was killed after saving the life of a rebel now nurses back to life the Union soldier who killed her father. And falls in love with him. His family lives up north and takes her there to be a mother to his young son whose mother was murdered in a pool of water. The woman, Lora, slowly befriends the boy, Jemmy, and slowly takes on the life of a northern woman. Soon other characters enter into the story. Her husband's mother, Amanda Tyler, rules her roost with an iron fist and Lora's husband, Wade Tyler, is his mother's dutiful son. Lora tries her best to fit in this dark household but finds herself surrounded by strange neighbors. As Lora meets them and visits with them she feels there are many hidden secrets -- not the le!ast of which concerns the mysterious death of Wade's first wife, Jemmy's mother. Who killed her, and why? The tale is taut with many twists and turns and in the end you will have found the climax well worth the long journey.

This is an exciting novel set during the Civil War. As with all of Phyllis A. Whitney's novels, the imagery is wonderful, as is the story line. I highly recommend this book. Then, pass it along to friends for them to enjoy as well!!