This book brought back all of the reasons why I don't like to read books set during wars--mostly because of the violence and man's inhumanity to man. That said, I did enjoy this book because of the characters and its evocative prose.
The Civil War is winding down. It's 1863, the Union army is winning and wreaking destruction along the way. Much of Louisiana has already fallen and opened the door for Red Legs, irregulars from the fleeing Confederate army, to step in and fight for what is left.
When slave Hannah Laveau is accused of murdering a neighboring plantation owner, abolitionist Florence Milton goes on the run with her trying to escape constable Pierre Cauchon and a vile Union army commander out to capture them. They end up being apprehended by Red Legs Colonel Charleton Hayes and wonder if they have gone from the frying pan into the fire. Cauchon ends up befriending another enslaved woman, Darla Babineaux, and tries to help her get free from the clutches of a Union army colonel who has taken over the plantation she lives on. The three women must fight for their freedom and try to distinguish friend from foe.
This is an atmospheric novel that captures the horror of war by focusing on characters caught up in the turmoil. The voices of the characters are wonderfully rendered as is their plight. It's good versus evil when even the good do despicable acts to survive. Overall, I enjoyed this book but didn't care for the violence that is war.
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