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    Anything But Civil
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    Anything But Civil
    Unavailable
    Anything But Civil
    Ebook352 pages5 hours

    Anything But Civil

    By Anna Loan-Wilsey

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    In this historical mystery from the “superb” Hattie Davish series, the traveling secretary discovers some Civil War grudges are still deadly twenty-five years on (Library Journal).
     
    Hattie Davish is delighted to be ably assisting her wealthy employer, Sir Arthur Windom-Greene, an English scholar who is fascinated by the American Civil War and who is hard at work putting together a definitive biography of Union general Cornelius Starrett.
     
    Their research takes them to the small town of Galena, Illinois, where they quickly learn that the twenty-five years since the war’s end have done little to heal old wounds. Distrust and betrayal seem to linger in everyone’s minds—none more so than General Starrett’s own pompous son, Henry. Hattie is certain he has something to do with a string of bizarre incidents that have recently plagued the town—and her suspicions are bluntly confirmed when the much-disliked Henry turns up dead.
     
    Between her work for Sir Arthur, preparing for Christmas, and unscheduled visitors from her past, Hattie hardly has time to investigate a murder—but her curiosity prevails, and she soon finds herself lost in a labyrinth of secrets and deceit that leads to more questions than answers . . .
     
    The bestselling author of A Lack of Temperance continues her Victorian-era mystery series that Emily Brightwell calls “a welcome addition to the genre.”
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherOpen Road Integrated Media
    Release dateSep 24, 2013
    ISBN9780758276377
    Unavailable
    Anything But Civil
    Author

    Anna Loan-Wilsey

    As a librarian and information specialist, Anna Loan-Wilsey tracks down information every day that helps to solve mysteries. She earned her B.A. at Wells College and had several poems published in their literary magazine, The Chronicle. Readers can visit her website at www.annaloanwilsey.com.

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    Reviews for Anything But Civil

    3.5/5

    11 ratings3 reviews

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    • 4/5
      I really enjoyed Loan-Wilsey's first Hattie Davish mystery, A Lack of Temperance, but I have to admit that I had a more difficult time getting into Anything But Civil. This is mostly due to the fact that I intensely disliked two of the characters. Henry Starrett was a pompous, spoiled bully who found little reason to rein in his horrible temper. He was so obnoxious that I simply didn't care who killed him because Henry's absence was such a relief. Another character who drew my ire was Rachel Baines, a vain, ill-tempered sort of woman who feels better about herself by constantly putting others down. Henry and Rachel are two sorts of people whom, if I met them in real life, I would walk away-- and stay away-- from. Since they are prominent characters with many scenes, it was tough going at times.But I still think the character of Hattie Davish is a winner. She's smart, hard-working, quick-thinking and brave, and I enjoy watching her piece together clues to solve the crime. Getting acquainted with Hattie's oft-mentioned employer, Sir Arthur Windom-Greene, was a treat as well. He's an interesting blend of scholar, forward thinker, and proper upper class British gentleman. Also tops on my enjoyment scale is the setting of Galena, Illinois. The author made a very good decision to set her book in the hometown of Ulysses S. Grant. What better place to show the lingering aftereffects of the Civil War than in the home of the best-known of the Union generals?Although two obnoxious characters did dim my enjoyment of Hattie Davish's second mystery, I like her so much that I'm looking forward to her next adventure.
    • 1/5
      Secretary Hattie Davish has recently been hired by former employer Sir Arthur Windom-Greene, who is researching Civil War history for a book he plans to write. Sir Arthur has rented a house in Galena, Illinois, in order to interview retired General Cornelius Starrett. Starrett's son, Captain Henry Starrett, is also a Civil War veteran. Captain Starrett's return to Galena triggers a chain of events that end in murder. Hattie has successfully solved a murder before, and she's going to have to do it again when someone close to her is arrested for the murder.I had read and enjoyed the first book in this series so I was eagerly looking forward to this one. It was a disappointment. The dialogue is unnatural, and Hattie and the secondary characters are driven by emotion rather than reason. A good detective story should bring order out of chaos, and chaos has free reign in this book. I won't be looking for any more books in this series.
    • 5/5
      I love historical mysteries so I adored this one. Anything But Civil by Anna Loan-Wilsey taught me more details about the Civil War so that and the spellbinding writing makes it an easy five stars for me. Hattie Davish was hired to aid Sir Arthur Windom who was writing a biography of General Cornelius Starrett. Her employer specialized in writing books about the Civil War. They were trying to get the subject to relate the details of his experience in the Civil War. Despite several attempts, something had always caught interrupted his telling of the meeting Grant and Lee at Appomattox.Hattie has to be self-effacing due to the low standing of women that were not in the upper class. She is able to catch herself from saying what she thinks. She respects Sir Arthur and wants to continue to work with him. She also knows that she has to fit in socially as not an upper class women or a servant. That trait is very useful when Sir Arthur asks her to plan and participate in the Christmas parties. Hattie has her employer’s up most respect as she has previous solved a murder. There are two people that you will love to hate in this book, General Starrett’s son who happens to resemble Santa Clause and Mrs., Baines who is a stickler for the classes not mixing. There is no way of pleasing Mrs. Baines!It is easy to get wrapped up in this story and there were very many twists. Hattie also melodically laid out a list of suspects and works on the answers to her questions. Hattie is very clever and certainly knows the art of survival around people such as Mrs. Baines and other villains.I really enjoyed this historical mystery and hope to read the previous one in this series. I received this book as a win from First Reads. My thoughts and opinions in this review are totally my own.