On Secret Service

Rating:
Summary: Interesting book about a little known part of the Civil War.
Review: John Jakes "broke through" with his "Bicentennial Series" aka "The Kent Family Chronicles" and cemented his place with his three volume Civil War series and returns to that conflict with this book. Instead of concentrating on the soldiers, he follows the exploits of the spys and the behind the scene manuvering that went on during the War. The battles of the War are, as another reviewer said, mere footnotes in this narrative. (Not surprising as Jakes once stated that during his Civil War trilogy he had a note above his desk saying "Not Gettsyburg again!") This book explores Jakes belief (correct in my opinion) that the other facets of the War are just as interesting as the battles. Several of the interesting footnote people of the era are here,Alan Pinkerton Lafeyette Baker, Rose Greenhow, and John Mosby, the famous "Grey Ghost" of the Confederacy. Modern espionage had its birth during the Civil War and Jakes depicts that birth vividly. It does drag a bit here and there, which is why "only" four stars, but well worth reading

Rating:
Summary: Not Bad-Just Disappointing!
Review: John Jakes has long been one of my favorite historical writers, and whenever it's announced that he has a new novel coming out I make note of it & make it a point to shop for it. However, in this case, I found On Secret Service to be not as well written as his other series(in particular the North & South series & the Kent Family Chronicles). This novel is a bit too long, and while historically accurate & interesting, the storyline starts out fine but then drags in the middle, and I really felt bad for main character Lon(Alonzo)Price-Mr. Jakes put him through way too much pain & torture-the fact that he even survived is nothing short of a miracle! I won't go into any specific details but I also thought the character Hanna Seigel should have been given alot more development, her love affair with soldier Frederick Dasher was all too brief-why couldn't they have had more time together before tragedy struck? Anyway, for fine historical novels John Jakes is still the best, I only wish this book didn't read as though he only half-heartedly wrote it.

Rating:
Summary: Sensational look at Civil War spying!!
Review: John Jakes tells a wonderful story of love and adventure, sentered around the Civil War. Spying is the name of the game, for both the North and South. A Northern detective falls in love with a Washington DC lady, who has been secretly spying for the South. At the same time, a Northern actress dresses up as a soldier and gets herself captured by the South. The soldier assigned to take her to prison falls in love with her. The plot twists and turns. Meanwhile, John Wilkes Booth plans to do harm to Abraham Lincoln. All in all this is a wonderful book!

Rating:
Summary: Sensational look at Civil War spying!!
Review: John Jakes tells a wonderful story of love and adventure, sentered around the Civil War. Spying is the name of the game, for both the North and South. A Northern detective falls in love with a Washington DC lady, who has been secretly spying for the South. At the same time, a Northern actress dresses up as a soldier and gets herself captured by the South. The soldier assigned to take her to prison falls in love with her. The plot twists and turns. Meanwhile, John Wilkes Booth plans to do harm to Abraham Lincoln. All in all this is a wonderful book!

Rating:
Summary: John Jakes does not disappoint
Review: John Jakes turns his historical novelization talents towards the Secret Service, and the beginnings of spying turned inward in our nation's history. Jakes introduces us to four people, all involved in the burgening War Between the States. Lon Price is the son of an Underground Railroad conductor. He works for Allan Pinkerton's protection service,and follows his boss when General George McClellen forms what will later become the Secret Service. While on duty, helping escort a newly elected Abraham Lincoln by train to the nation's capital, he crosses paths with Margaret Miller, a southern sympathizer. The meeting has a lasting effect on both parties, but Margaret continues to have loyalties to the south and its cause. Her brother is rising in the ranks of the intelligence arm of the rebels, and her husband is dependant on southern cotten for his money. Hanna Siegel is hampered by being a woman. She had to follow her father when he came to America, seeking fortune. She is ill at ease in the world of a young woman, and seeks to find her place in the theatre. Her father has no objections, he barely notices her existance. She even tries to masquerading as a soldier, until caught up in a real skirmish and quickly exposed. She is saved by a rebel, Major Fred Dasher, from being thrown in among the other captured soldiers. They know nothing about each other, but still hope to meet again. Centered in and around Washington,D.C., On Secret Service blends the known facts of history with the lives of these unforgettable individuals. The characters are well drawn and the story is driven equally by their actions and history. It paints a true picture of the turmoil, violence, mixed emotions towards slavery and race, and the waste of war. It is believable,well written and very fast paced. It presents an exciting time and area of the history of the United States.

Rating:
Summary: A FORGOTTEN ASPECT OF THE CIVIL WAR
Review: Most people forget that the Secret Service began during the Civil War era. Also, I don't think many people are aware that there was a spying aspect to the war because it was never in the forefront of events. I've been a Jakes fan since the KENT FAMILY CHRONICLES. (Still his best work, though I loved HOMELAND.) President Lincoln still dies in the end but I wish Jakes had provided his fictional characters with happier endings to balance the tragedy. I look forward to JJ's next work because this was not his best effort.

Rating:
Summary: A FORGOTTEN ASPECT OF THE CIVIL WAR
Review: Most people forget that the Secret Service began during the Civil War era. Also, I don't think many people are aware that there was a spying aspect to the war because it was never in the forefront of events. I've been a Jakes fan since the KENT FAMILY CHRONICLES. (Still his best work, though I loved HOMELAND.) President Lincoln still dies in the end but I wish Jakes had provided his fictional characters with happier endings to balance the tragedy. I look forward to JJ's next work because this was not his best effort.

Rating:
Summary: An Entertaining Read
Review: Mr. Jakes has succeeded in writing a very engaging, yet different sort of novel about the Civil War. If you are looking for a "war narrative" like Killer Angels, you need to look elsewhere. This is one of the first (if not only) Civil War era stories I have read where major battles like Gettysburg and Shiloh appear almost as footnotes. And yet many a familiar military leader (Mosby, Stuart, McClellan, etc) make appearances.

The cast assembled by Mr. Jakes is a very good blend of fictional and historical figures. I will admit that I had never given a lot of thought to espionage during the Civil War and found this story very compelling. You will come away uncomfortable with the methods employed by both sides to advance their respective causes.

If I have a complaint with the story it is that at times the coincidences become a little too much. Without giving anything away, Jakes' main characters have a knack brodering on the incredible to keep running into each other. But if you can suspend at least that much disbelief, you will have found a story well worth reading.

Rating:
Summary: An Entertaining Read
Review: Mr. Jakes has succeeded in writing a very engaging, yet different sort of novel about the Civil War. If you are looking for a "war narrative" like Killer Angels, you need to look elsewhere. This is one of the first (if not only) Civil War era stories I have read where major battles like Gettysburg and Shiloh appear almost as footnotes. And yet many a familiar military leader (Mosby, Stuart, McClellan, etc) make appearances.

The cast assembled by Mr. Jakes is a very good blend of fictional and historical figures. I will admit that I had never given a lot of thought to espionage during the Civil War and found this story very compelling. You will come away uncomfortable with the methods employed by both sides to advance their respective causes.

If I have a complaint with the story it is that at times the coincidences become a little too much. Without giving anything away, Jakes' main characters have a knack brodering on the incredible to keep running into each other. But if you can suspend at least that much disbelief, you will have found a story well worth reading.

Rating:
Summary: But The End Is Still The Same
Review: ON SECRET SERVICE is the first book I've read by John Jakes. I must say that I'm impressed. The thorough knowledge and understanding of the Civil War period displayed by Jakes in this book is impressive. The literary portraits he draws of relatively little-known, but real, historical figures such as Alan Pinkerton, Lafayette Baker and Elizabeth Van Lew, combine with his well-constructed fictional characters to pull the reader into the story. His sense of the public moods of the times and his use of arcane historical detail, such as the use of balloons for surveillance, lends the story added interest and greater credibility.

With all of these strengths, however, the book also has a certain melancholy inevitability about it. In spite of all the effort and all the suffering of the hero, Lon, President Lincoln still ends up dead at the hands of John Wilkes Booth. Nothing can change that. Moreover, the romance between Lon and Margaret follows a rather predictable course. Finally, when all is said and done, everyone ends up deeply scarred by their experiences in the War. As fitting as this probably is, it is nice to feel that the survivors are headed for happier lives once the War is over, but one of the final images is of Margaret crying as she and Lon leave Washington to go west.

ON SECRET SERVICE is an excellent book in many ways. The quality of the writing is first rate, the characterization is good, and the historical detail is fascinating. There is plenty of action and it holds your interest all the way. But, in the end, Lincoln still dies. This isn't the author's fault, but the inevitability of it, and the mundane romantic storyline, hold my rating to four stars. Good, but not quite great. I do recommend it, though, especially for Civil War buffs.