I have a penchant for spies and assassins in the first place and am definitely keen on historical fiction in the second, so Michael Wallace's THE CRESCENT SPY had all the key points of intrigue to catch my attention. To top it all off, there's just something about New Orleans...
THE CRESCENT SPY is my first book by Michael Wallace and won't be my last. I may try others of his novels, but this story is begging for a sequel, so I hope he writes it.
Josephine Breaux writes for a Washington newspaper under an assumed name, nimbly moving between Union and Confederate camps until she is spotted and outed by a rival rag. Little does she know that the Pinkerton Agency has had its eye on her for a spying job in the South. Josephine knows New Orleans because she grew up on riverboats, but details are revealed slowly about her backstory, enticing readers to continue reading.
And Michael Wallace, from what I can tell, has clearly done his research on the Civil War and especially New Orleans. His prose is ripe with details but not in an overwhelming fashion. While there isn't a lot of gore in his battle scenes, there is a lot of booming and gunfire, and it's easy to picture oneself on the steamer fighting upriver under a barrage.
Josephine is a terrific character although she seems to know a bit more than she should for her age and is more enamored or interested in war than I'd think a female of her time would be, but these are minor quibbles. The hint of romance is a nice touch and done well enough, so it doesn't jump off the page and hit you like some romances do. If you like spies, historical fiction and/or New Orleans, give THE CRESCENT SPY a chance.
Writing under a man’s name, Josephine Breaux is the finest reporter at Washington’s Morning Clarion. Using her wit and charm, she never fails to get the scoop on the latest Union and Confederate activities. But when a rival paper reveals her true identity, accusations of treason fly. Despite her claims of loyalty to the Union, she is arrested as a spy and traitor.
To Josephine’s surprise, she’s whisked away to the White House, where she learns that President Lincoln himself wishes to use her cunning and skill for a secret mission in New Orleans that could hasten the end of the war. For Josephine, though, this mission threatens to open old wounds and expose dangerous secrets. In the middle of the most violent conflict the country has ever seen, can one woman overcome the treacherous secrets of her past in order to secure her nation’s future?
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