Rating: 
Summary: Strong women characters and interesting view of Civil War
Review: A fascinating view into the Richmond of the Civil War, with lots of authentic details. I especially like the two well-drawn strong women, a young white widow and a free black herbalist and conjurer. Especially interesting is the dissension over slavery, even in the South, and the dialogue of both high society Richmond and the freed slaves. I'm looking forward to Ann McMillan's next book.
Rating: 
Summary: Filled with period details
Review: Although the cover states that this is a Civil War Mystery, the details contained about the war itself are pretty slim. Instead, we're given a lot of other details, such as medical information for example. The mystery itself doesn't really get explored before the first 150 pages. It loses a star for it, but overall, and enough interesting read that I'm looking forward the second installement of the life of Narcissa Powers.
Rating: 
Summary: Shows promise, but not quite there yet.
Review: As this was recommended along with Barbara Hambly's latest, I decided to give "Dead March" a go. Unfortunately, it can't help but suffer in comparison with "Wet Grave." Several things in the book struck me as being underdeveloped, and I think the main fault was the characterization. Too much information about the characters is given in expository chunks; rather than letting us discover who these people are through their actions and their conversation, we're simply told what their attitudes and personalities are. The story would have been much more effective if they'd been allowed to reveal themselves. The premise itself is fascinating and seldom-seen, but the presentation of the author's ideas would have benefitted from some more subtlety.
Rating:
Summary: Historically very accurate, great imagery
Review: Being a pediatric resident and having been a medical student here at the Medical College of Virginia, it's good to see a book about the place. Ann McMillan has obviously done her research, with great historical accuracy to make the story even more real. She's also spent a great amount of time painting the scenery of the era, with imagery that is very vivid.
Rating:
Summary: This is a wonderful first historical mystery.
Review: DEAD MARCH gives historical mystery readers everything they need to beg for more: Ann McMillan has created likable characters whom we want to know better. Civil War sentiments are explored just enough, and historical scientific facts are combined with interesting protagonists in a highly readable way. Especially when young white widow Narcissa Powers interacts with Judah Daniel, an intriguing freed slave and "conjure" woman, future prospects for sequels come to mind. Although there is the beginning of love interest (choices, yet) for Narcissa, I hope Judah too gets her just share. A conjure woman will manage that, surely. If Anne Perry's ancestors had moved to the states, she would have written like McMillan. If Agatha Christie had any historical interest, she could have also.
Rating:
Summary: Dead March is a fascinating blend of history and mystery
Review: Dead March is a Civil War mystery that is right on target. Ann McMillan combines deadly accurate historical and medical research with excellent plotting and characters with real depth. Main character Narcissa Powers is both a woman of her century and a person today's readers can identify with. Virginians may particularly like the references to Richmond, Chesterfield, Hampden-Sydney College and the Medical College of Virginia in the 1860s, but this is far more than a local book, drawing on national, medical and social issues of the times - not to mention a page-turning mystery plot. If you're looking for a Christmas gift, for a friend or yourself, this is it. I can't wait for the sequel.
Rating:
Summary: Women of the Confederacy, rejoice!
Review: Having written my senior thesis on Confederate Nursing, I was surprised to find a fictional story about womens role in Civil War Nursing. History has given us much on the role of Yankee women nurses, but Southern womens efforts are still to a large part neglected. In jumps Narcissa Powers. A believable Southern belle; too effeminate and simple at times, you wonder why she is the heroine and not Jubah? A most respectable woman. I don't agree with the war being entirely focused on slavery--the one inconsistency in the book I found. But her in depth information on hospital conditions and womens issues is great---I really enjoyed this book. Forget about the murder and mystery! I had fun enough exploring the characters and the medical and cultural body surrounding it. I recommend this story for women enthusiasts of the Civil War. Can't wait for the sequel to come out in paperback!
Rating: 
Summary: Engaging yet weakened by a soft touch to the slave issue.
Review: I enjoyed this book,found it inventive and engaging. However, I feel the author allowed her 1998 sensibilities to get in the way of a clear and powerful portrait of this era. Once again the realities of the antebellam south have been glossed and "genteeled down". The parlor room 'slavery issue' conversations were far more polite than would have been possible if there were truly abolishonist types present. The motivation for the 'resurrection', central to the story, would much more logically have been racism.Removing the darky from the white cemetary for the honor of the family buried there would have made much more sense than the meekly offered excuse given. Surely someone in the capital of the confederacy was a champion for slavery...besides the 'bad' guy. These were complex and contridicted people, I'd love to see more of that in the sequel. But,then what could be left of this story to tell?
Rating:
Summary: Historical detail, yes; Fascinating plot, no
Review: I felt compelled to write a review about this book; most of these reviews rave about the period details. There are, certainly, many of those. But the reviews also made it sound as though a freed slave and white widow automatically become sleuth-buddies; this is not the case in the book, nor would it have been in antebellum Virginia. The plot does begin to thicken by page 200, and if you can stick it out, it is worth it. One review compares this to Cold Mountain. To anyone who loved that book, as I did, this is no Cold Mountain. It is an interesting mystery, but with some drawbacks. A definite buy, however, if you are from the Richmond, VA area.
Rating:
Summary: Not Quite
Review: I liked a number of things about this book. It is well presented in terms of time and place. The history is accurate. Using a young widow as the heroine gives an interesting point of view. On the other hand, the characters, especially the heroine, are underdeveloped. I found I did not greatly care what happened to Narcissa, which is a problem. The supporting characters were more interesting, although they could use some development also. One character changed from a potential villain to a potentional love interest in one or two pages with very little explanation. I am interested enough to want to read the later books in the series and there is potential. However, this book is two or three revisions away from being a really good book.
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