Call Each River Jordan: A Novel of Historical Suspense

Rating:
Summary: Abel Jones among the "Southron" folks
Review: This excellent book begins with a depiction of some of the most exciting, interesting and well-written Civil War battle scenes I have ever read. For that first chapter alone, the book is worth reading, but it is more than a battle book. Once again, the author has woven a tightly bound mystery into the Civil War era, and placed the intrepid Abel Jones right in the middle of it. This time, he goes into the Confederate lines to help find out why runaway slaves are being massacred. It's quite an exciting story, and the plot is moving forward even when you don't realize it. The writing is uniformly excellent, as usual, and all of the scenes are important, in addition to the depiction of actual historical characters. This is developing into a tremendous series, and I look forward to the next book, when I assume our hero will be overseas.

Rating:
Summary: Stunning portrait of war
Review: This is the best novel so far in a consistently wonderful series. Parry's remarkable, soldier's eye view of the battle of Shiloh is easily the most realistic, stunning picture of Civil War (or any) combat I have encountered. But this book is about much more than just that tragic battle. It's a dark (yet sunlit), riveting journey into the South of 1862, an honest, fair and complex portrait of slavery, and as beautifully-written as any novel I have read by a living American writer. The prose is musical, poetic, yet clear as clean glass, and the characters, from the wonderful Abel Jones to the Pickwickian Barnaby B. Barnaby make this an unusual novel at a time when characterization of the first order seems out of style in contemporary literature. I could ramble on about how much I loved this book--for which I was waiting anxiously--but I'll end by saying that, yes, it is a page-turner mystery--but the real mystery is how anyone could capture a lost world so beautifully and heartbreakingly on the page. Very strongly recommended for all who love good fiction, historical, mystery, or in any other genre!