Rating: 
Summary: Not "Gone With The Wind" But A Good Historical-Romance
Review: Set during the Civil War, this is an interesting look at the early origins of the Secret Service via main character Lon, first a Pinkerton man and then US Secret Service. He is a committed abolitionist and works in and around Washington DC throughout the Civil War. We meet all of the major political and military players in DC at the time, including Lincoln, and that is very detailed and fascinating stuff. Naturally, Lon's romantic interest is allied with the South and even operates as a spy for it. I was interested in this story throughout. There were other good supporting characters including Hanna, an actress, and a black man, Zach, who helps Lon after escaping from the South. Although the North is committed to abolishing slavery, it is clear from Zach's life in the North that although free, he is nevertheless considered infinitely inferior. This I found great stuff and could have stood a lot more of it in the book. The only problem with this novel is that I was not strongly gripped by it and could always put it down easily. In fact, I read it before going to sleep every night for about 45 minutes or so. Five star books do not do this. They keep you up until close to dawn. I'm willing to give Jakes another try and have already bought "The Seekers" to do so. This novel was my first try of his work and I am a bit surprised to discover that he is a huge bestselling author.
Rating:
Summary: Not "Gone With The Wind" But A Good Historical-Romance
Review: Set during the Civil War, this is an interesting look at the early origins of the Secret Service via main character Lon, first a Pinkerton man and then US Secret Service. He is a committed abolitionist and works in and around Washington DC throughout the Civil War. We meet all of the major political and military players in DC at the time, including Lincoln, and that is very detailed and fascinating stuff. Naturally, Lon's romantic interest is allied with the South and even operates as a spy for it. I was interested in this story throughout. There were other good supporting characters including Hanna, an actress, and a black man, Zach, who helps Lon after escaping from the South. Although the North is committed to abolishing slavery, it is clear from Zach's life in the North that although free, he is nevertheless considered infinitely inferior. This I found great stuff and could have stood a lot more of it in the book. The only problem with this novel is that I was not strongly gripped by it and could always put it down easily. In fact, I read it before going to sleep every night for about 45 minutes or so. Five star books do not do this. They keep you up until close to dawn. I'm willing to give Jakes another try and have already bought "The Seekers" to do so. This novel was my first try of his work and I am a bit surprised to discover that he is a huge bestselling author.
Rating: 
Summary: The perfect blend of fact and fiction
Review: This book is a must for anyone who loves reading about the Civil War! Jakes cleverly weaves a tale that uses historical fact to create a plausible and compelling backdrop for a story that traces the early roots of the Secret Service. When the reader finds it difficult to separate fact from fiction, then you know the author is doing a great job. The book is a page turner. Never dull, always interesting, and even though you know the inevitable conclusion you find yourself racing to see what Jake's perspective on this tragic event will be.
Rating:
Summary: Stirring and informative
Review: This is the first John Jakes novel I have read but now I feel another one coming on. I loved reading about real life characters like Lincoln, Stanton, Davis, Jackson, Booth and others. From the way the author describes Lincoln's wife I'm surprised he didn't pull the trigger himself. Lon Price is the main character. A young idealist who is dead against the slave trade. He starts working for Pinkerton and works his way up to the lofty echelons of Washington's Secret Service. We see how the story changes him from a relatively innocent optimist into a battle hardened realist. There are many other great characters and storylines in this enjoyable book. We certainly get a true picture of how ugly that era was. The book actually takes a good couple of hundred pages to really get rolling due to character development. The reward is worth it though. I was sad when it ended.
Rating:
Summary: Nice Historical Fiction
Review: This was my first book by John Jakes. I thought it was one of the best historical fiction books I have ever read. Some characters in this book, such as Hanna Siegel, need more development to justify taking up so many pages, but other than that, I thought it was very well written.I have a 50-100-page rule when I read a book. If I am not slightly interested in a character when I reach these pages, I just stop reading and move to the next book. On Secret Service pushed the limits because it spends much of the beginning skipping from character to character, and you are not sure when each will pop up again. However, in the end, this book kept my attention very well. My total reading time was 7 hours, which I completed almost continuously.
Rating: 
Summary: 3 1/2 stars - Solid but hoped for more........
Review: With On Secret Service, an educational and often entertaining novel, Jakes has again spun a story of fiction, set against a backdrop of real-life characters and actual events. Somehow though, the story was not as compelling as the North and South trilogy or the Bicentennial series that first drew me to Jakes. It could have been the ratio of fact to fiction, which at times made this seem like non-fiction. Also since the book covered the period from pre-war to post-war, there were often gaps of time where the reader is left wondering what was happening to the various characters. This is not Jakes' best effort, but there is certainly more good than bad. Reading On Secret Service will be worth the time, especially for civil war buffs.
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