Gripping . . . vivid . . . a fine historical novel . . . [a] marvelous evocation of atmosphere and place. --Washington PostIn a snow-swept Northern town, Union officer Major Abel Jones struggles to solve the riddle of Federal agents tortured to deathFrom the drama of Civil War Washington and a divided home front, to the hardship and triumph of Grant's capture, this novel conjures up an American past and brings it to life with authenticity and storytelling power