The First Shot

1861 is about to change Caleb Thorn's life forever.A bully-boy and philanderer, Thorn kills Lieutenant Janson in a duel of honor. He has scant interest in his country's civil turmoil until it dramatically intrudes into his life. He witnesses the chaos at the Battle of Bull Run in which his mother and fiancée become victims.But this doesn't prepare him for what would come next.He enrolls in the Army only to find himself at the mercy of Lieutenant-Colonel Janson, father of the son he killed. And Janson has plans to use Thorn right in the heart of the conflict. Even if it would kill him.First in an action-led Civil War series featuring Thorn's Raiders. LJ Coburn is the pseudonymn for the writing team of Laurence James and John Harvey, brought together to create the Civil War series CALEB THORN. Written by Laurence James and John Harvey, the adventures of Caleb Thorn take place during the American Civil War ... a conflict that becomes decidedly personal after Thorn's beloved mother is killed by Rebel artillery fire. When Thorn subsequently falls foul of his commanding officer -- whose son he killed in a duel -- Thorn is given a stark choice ... spend the rest of his days languishing in a stockade, or take a bunch of condemned men on a whole series of missions, any one of which could result in their death ....