Rating: 
Summary: Haunting and Masterful Historical Fiction
Review: A master storyteller and a masterful work of suspense, mystery, love, and heroism. What an enormous pleasure it was to read this book. With the deft strokes of a Wouk or Vidal at their best, Mrazek captures the mood and spirit of Washington during the Civil War and puts the reader squarely in the middle of a wonderful tale. The characters come alive on the page, both those who actually lived, and those I only wish had lived, including the most beautifully etched Lincoln I've seen realized in fiction. A very special novel.
Rating:
Summary: superb fiction
Review: An incredible mixture of heroism, adventure, sacrifice, and love. It vividly brings alive the nation's capital at its darkest time in our nation's history. The portrait of the remarkable general, Joe Hooker, is the best I've ever read. Truly compelling.
Rating: 
Summary: Undeserved praise for historical accuracy
Review: As mystery and conspiracy novels go, this is not a bad one. There are a number of plot threads involving the fictional Lieutenant McKittredge, the wounded hero of the Battle of Ball's Bluff, and historical figures, not the least of which are General Hooker and President Lincoln. Unfortunately, "not bad" is about the only accolade I can give.There is nothing particularly original here. The relationship between McKittredge and his recruiter/mentor from the intelligence service is reminiscent of Holmes and Watson, but not as well done. The character of Hooker can be just about anything an author wants to make it for Hooker left no memoirs and died relatively young. What is known is that he had a reputation for taking care of his troops, which was laudable, but also for complaining, drinking and whoring. All of which made him legendary in the armies of both sides in the Civil War. The author may know a lot about the Civil War; I expect that he does. In fact, the descriptions of wartime Washington are very good indeed. I find it difficult to accept the plot line of having a lot of defective gun carriages changed out just before a battle, however. Maybe it could happen as quickly as the book says, but I doubt it. Granted I've never done it, but... Not so good are the anachronisms. He speaks of drunken looters wearing women's clothing, including brassieres. Quite a feat since bras weren't invented until 1889 and didn't see wide use until the late 1920's. Also there is much made of ceremonies to award medals. In fact the conspiracy plot hinges on one. However, giving medals was very unusual. The most common method to recognize battle prowess was to give a brevet rank higher than the rank actually held by the soldier. Custer had brevet ranks, for example. The phrase before a battle was often "A brevet or a coffin!" No, this is not as historically accurate as so many reviewers say. It is an intriguing story, pretty well told and full of speculation about a number of things. Based on the jacket reviews on this book, I also picked up his earlier and award winning "Stonewall's Gold." Since reading this book, I'm not going to bother with it. (Aren't there any editors out there who actually READ for accuracy any more?!)
Rating:
Summary: A Great Escape
Review: Former Congressman Bob Mrazek has done a superb job with "Unholy Fire" following his wonderful first Civil War novel, "Stonewall's Gold." Here is a terrific page turner filled with the horrific stories of the underbelly of corruption and intrigue during Lincoln's presidency. For once the reader is not bombarded with the righteousness of the Union struggle but instead is given an underground tour of the many unfit "military" minds of the Union army combined with the crisp storytelling style and historical accuracy we have come to appreciate from Mrazek. There is much here to savor for both Civil War buffs and anyone looking for a satisfying read. For those Civil War aficiandos out there ... there are overtones here and there of Abel Jones in the wonderful Owen Parry books to be found in Mrazek's best detective narrative. What surprised me the most here is how Mr. Mrazek was able to change his approach from his first novel. The adventurer in him is still very apparent but in many ways this book is much more of a "grown-up" read. There is something for everyone here! One can only hope that there will be many more books to come from Mr. Mrazek! Thank you Congressman ... we still miss you in Huntington, NY!
Rating:
Summary: A Great Escape
Review: Former Congressman Bob Mrazek has done a superb job with "Unholy Fire" following his wonderful first Civil War novel, "Stonewall's Gold." Here is a terrific page turner filled with the horrific stories of the underbelly of corruption and intrigue during Lincoln's presidency. For once the reader is not bombarded with the righteousness of the Union struggle but instead is given an underground tour of the many unfit "military" minds of the Union army combined with the crisp storytelling style and historical accuracy we have come to appreciate from Mrazek. There is much here to savor for both Civil War buffs and anyone looking for a satisfying read. For those Civil War aficiandos out there ... there are overtones here and there of Abel Jones in the wonderful Owen Parry books to be found in Mrazek's best detective narrative. What surprised me the most here is how Mr. Mrazek was able to change his approach from his first novel. The adventurer in him is still very apparent but in many ways this book is much more of a "grown-up" read. There is something for everyone here! One can only hope that there will be many more books to come from Mr. Mrazek! Thank you Congressman ... we still miss you in Huntington, NY!
Rating:
Summary: A perfect historical thriller
Review: I bought this book after reading a review by Nelson Demille, one of my favorite novelists. I know it's a cliche to say that "I couldn't put this book down." Actually, I did, and that's because I wanted it to last longer. The ending on the barren island off the coast of Maine was stunningly poignant. As Demille wrote, "great writing coupled with great history."
Rating:
Summary: highly recommended
Review: I defer to James M. McPherson's comment on the Unholy Fire book jacket: "Unholy Fire probes the complexities of duty, loyalty, integrity, and knavery in a war whose intensity drove men to extremes of virtue and vice." This is an action-packed novel of the Civil War, in details, scope, and prose.
Rating:
Summary: Historical fiction at it's best, real ACW atmosphere...
Review: I enjoyed the first novel by the author... "Stonewall's Gold"... and I would definitly buy the next one! after an absorbing read of his second one "Unholy Fire".
My reviews do not include revealing the plot (because I do not like them myself when they do...), but what I can tell you is this;
1) this is a very fast paced, romantic but no-nonsense tale at the same time.
2) and absolutly full of the most interesting flesh&blood characters (some real or historical some pure fiction) I have come across in a historical novel.
3)the author loves the period and history but is capable at the same time of producing an excellent read full of thrill and emotionally satisfying... they do not come better than this.
RECOMMENDED FOR ACW FANS BUT LOVERS OF THE XIXth WON'T BE DISSAPOINTED EITHER.
Rating:
Summary: Unholy Fire
Review: I loved Stonewall's Gold, and couldn't wait to read Unholy Fire, but I was sadly disappointed in the quality of this work. Stonewall's Gold was interesting and a fascinating adventure story, but Unholy Fire dragged on and lacked an ability to engage the reader. I felt there was an obsession with the life of prostitution in Washington D.C. during the war. The fact that a 21 year-old war hero genuinely falls in love with a prostitute after she performs oral sex was just too much. I finished reading the book and tossed it. It is not worth reading.
Rating:
Summary: better than grisham
Review: I picked up this book because a friend who is a real civil war buff told me that the author's previous book, Stonewall's Gold was the best civil war thriller he had ever read. This one was also billed as a thriller, but it begins with one of the most vividly recreated battle scenes I've ever read. I saw combat in Korea and can tell you that the author takes you through what combat is really like. The recovery scenes in the hospital also ring very true. The thriller doesn't really get started until you're sixty pages in, and then the book clicks in like a civil war Grisham story. I just loved the character of Val Burdette, the sloppy but brilliant lawyer doing battle against the same parasites that have always fed off our military establishment right to this day. This book is a fantastic read, and I don't know why it isn't a best seller. There is even a fine, understated love story that plays out very painfully in the background. I recommend it wholeheartedly, and look forward to Marzek's next book.
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