Harrison Raines Civil War Mystery

A Southern gambler hunts a killer in the thick of the first great battle of the Civil War It's July 1861, and both the Union and Confederate armies expect to win the war within 24 hours. For Harrison Raines, a southern dandy ensconced in DC society, it's time to choose a side. Though Raines loves Virginia, he hates slavery with a passion. And joining either army would mean leaving Washington and deserting the beautiful Caitlin Howard, a British actress whose heart, sadly, lies with the eccentric thespian John Wilkes Booth. For Caitlin's sake, Raines attempts to remain neutral in a time when neutrality means death.   On the morning of the battle, Raines escorts Caitlin to watch the carnage firsthand. When the First Battle of Bull Run turns into a rout, he sees 1 major fighting to rally his troops-a major who is later found dead far behind Union lines, branded a deserter. To clear the dead man's reputation, Raines must solve a murder as bullets continue to fly.   Murder at Manassas is the 1st book in the Harrison Raines Civil War Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

Harrison Raines is caught in no-man's-land - and suspected of murder. The messenger finds Harrison Raines in 1 of the finest gambling halls in Washington. As usual, Raines is losing. Union intelligence demands his presence immediately - it's a matter that could affect the outcome of the Civil War - but Raines delays. He's holding 4 8s, and as a southern dandy who renounced his family to serve the Union government as a secret agent, Raines can't resist a bet. But as soon as he finishes this hand of poker, Raines will be gambling with more than cards - he'll be wagering his life. Abraham Lincoln is a close friend of Colonel Baker, and he orders Raines to guard the colonel on the battlefield. But in the chaos of Ball's Bluff, Baker refuses to take cover from enemy fire. When Baker cut down by a Confederate riding a white horse, Raines is a prime suspect for the murder, and must clear his name or risk being a fugitive from both sides of the Civil War. A Killing at Ball's Bluff is the 2nd book in the Harrison Raines Civil War Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

Raines goes behind enemy lines to investigate a Confederate ship in this "colorful and exciting" mystery "that entertains from start to finish" (Publishers Weekly). It's been years since Harrison Raines set foot in Richmond. Although a proud Virginian, he fled the South before the Civil War, unable to bear the evil of slavery. In 1862, battles rage on all sides of the Confederate capital, but Raines is not here as a soldier-he comes as a spy. Union intelligence, led by the formidable Allen Pinkerton, has sent him to steal the plans for a rumored Confederate superweapon: a seagoing ship clad entirely in iron that could break the Union blockade and turn the war around. Raines may be in home territory, but he is not at ease. In Richmond, they hang spies. While investigating the ship known as "the Monster," Raines's closest friend-a freed slave named Caesar Augustus-is arrested for murder. Saving Augustus from the gallows will take quick wit, daring, and influence at the highest levels of the Confederacy. The Ironclad Alibi is the 3rd book in the Harrison Raines Civil War Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

Harrison Raines struggles to keep the Civil War from overtaking the West. It's 1862 and the Civil War hangs in the balance. Although the Union has beaten back the Southern armies in the East, the Confederacy is intent on opening new fronts to the west - and perhaps securing British support to widen this ugly conflict into a world war. To contain the rebellion, Abraham Lincoln's secret service sends exiled Virginian Harrison Raines to Texas to gather intelligence about a planned Confederate invasion of New Mexico. Raines has never been west of the Mississippi, and he will find Texan hospitality rather rougher than he expected. When the hero of the Battle of Glorieta Pass is killed, Raines's only friend in Texas is accused of the crime. To save his friend's neck, Raines must find the real killer - or risk never making it back to Virginia alive. A Grave at Glorieta is the 4th book in the Harrison Raines Civil War Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

Harrison Raines hunts for a savage double murderer on the killing fields of Shiloh. General Grant's army is camped along the Tennessee River, ready to deal a crushing blow to the South. If they are able to capture Corinth, the Confederacy's railways will disintegrate, bringing its army to its knees. But first, Grant must pass through the crucible of Shiloh - the most fearsome fight of the Civil War. On the eve of the battle, a senator's wife appears, begging for permission to cross over to Confederate lines. As Grant's army marches south, he finds the woman's body inside a coffin alongside her twin sister - a death that offends him just as much as any soldier's. Finding a murderer amid an army of killers takes a subtle touch, and no Union agent is more shrewd than Harrison Raines. As the field of Shiloh is soaked with blood, Raines will find the guilty party, as long as the bullets continue to pass him by. The Shiloh Sisters is the 5th book in the Harrison Raines Civil War Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

A Civil War spy is pulled out of retirement to find a killer It's 1862, and for Harrison Raines, the Civil War is finished. Since the First Battle of Bull Run, he has served the Union Army as a spy, crisscrossing the war-torn country and witnessing more death, misery, and carnage than any man should. Although a Virginian, he loathes slavery, and is proud to have served Abraham Lincoln. But Raines has had enough killing, and wishes only to retire to a tranquil patch of land. He acquires a plot in the hills of western Virginia and settles down to the life of the gentleman farmer-but Raines's days will not remain quiet for long.   When a local parson known to have Union sympathies is killed, Raines fears his new neighbors may come after him next. To secure a peaceful retirement, he will have to stare down death 1 last time.   The Antietam Assassins is the 6th book in the Harrison Raines Civil War Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.