The Ironclad Alibi (Harrison Raines Civil War Mysteries, Book 3) [Hardcover]

Michael Kilian (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 8, 2002

Union secret agent Harrison Raines is sent into the heart of the Confederacy to obtain information about "The Monster"-the hulking remains of the ironclad ship Merrimack, which is being restored. But before he can complete his mission, he must solve the murder of his first love, and clear his best friend of the crime.

Praise for the series:

"Both Civil War and mystery fans will appreciate Kilian's grasp of the genres of historical fiction and mystery." (Booklist)

"Kilian blends fiction and history, using real people to establish a believable context and create an absorbing period piece." (San Antonio Express-News)

"Kilian offers clues for anyone wishing to guess the identity of the murderer, but also indulges in a case of misdirection that might nag at a genuine mystery buff for months. Picaresque adventure." (Publishers Weekly)

"An engaging character." (The Denver Post)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Who done it? The Monitor or the Merrimac (aka Virginia)? Kilian's third Civil War noir (after 2001's A Killing at Ball's Bluff) is a combination espionage and private-eye mystery, which succeeds delightfully on both counts with its vivid historical background, well-realized characters and engrossing plot. The author's portrait of wartime Richmond is especially good. Series hero Harrison Raines, a son of the Old South with radical ideas such as abolition, has fled to the North to fight for the Union. Now he returns to Richmond to learn what he can about "the Monster" that has all Washington in jitters. An ironclad ship! Said to be invincible. With it, the South could smash the Union blockade, possibly even sail up the Potomac and attack Washington itself. While snooping, Harry meets a lady friend of whom he was once very fond. When she's later found naked, hanged in his room, Harry's friend Caesar Augustus, formerly his slave and now his associate in the spy business, is arrested for the murder. Only through the intervention of Robert E. Lee is Harry given one week to discover the real murderer. For a time, it seems as if Harry (and the author) have forgotten all about the Monster; but, no, the trail of the killer leads Harry right into the very heart of the beast as it sets out to destroy the Union fleet. A colorful and exciting climax caps a book that entertains from start to finish. Highly recommended for mystery and Civil War buffs alike.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Review

A colorful and exciting climax caps a book that entertains from start to finish. Highly recommended... -- Publishers Weekly, December 24, 2001

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Berkley Hardcover; 1st edition (January 8, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425183254
• ISBN-13: 978-0425183250
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #161,970 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars More espionage than mystery, December 19, 2003

By 

David W. Nicholas (Van Nuys, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Ironclad Alibi (Harrison Raines Civil War Mysteries, Book 3) (Paperback)

Our hero Harrison Raines (from Murder at Manassass and A Killing at Ball's Bluff) returns in a third installment, The Ironclad Alibi. Raines is a captain in the U.S. Secret Service whose father and brother serve in the Confederate army. In this installment, he's sent into the Confederate capitol to learn what he can about the "Monster." This turns out to be C.S.S. Virginia, the ironclad that almost broke the blockade around Virginia when it was first introduced in 1862.

Raines, however, arrives in Richmond and is almost immediately accosted by an old lover. When he rebuffs her (he loves an actress who is performing opposite John Wilkes Booth) she leaves, and later he finds her hanging from the ceiling in his room, naked. When Raines himself can provide an alibi (he was havning dinner with Confederate president Jefferson Davis at the time) the authorities arrest his erstwhile slave, Caesar Augustus, and announce that they will hang him soon.

Much of the rest of the plot consists of Raines running around Richmond frantically waving papers and passes he has from Robert E. Lee and Jefferson Davis, trying to get Caesar Augustus freed or at least reprieved. There is a mystery (how did the hanged woman come to be in Raines room, and why?) but it's only intermittently dealt with. And of course the spying on the Confederate ironclad, though it's the reason for his presence in Richmond, is only briefly an issue.

There are some good points to the book. Elizabeth "Crazy Bet" van Lew gets a good cameo (she was a real historical figure, an abolitionist who lived out the war in Richmond and was the Union's most successful spy) and both Jefferson Davis and Robert E. Lee make brief appearances, along with several other minor characters of the Civil War. The plot, however, is somewhat obscure and not that entertaining. I did enjoy the atmosphere, and when the author gets to the actual battle of Hampton Roads, the action speeds up. I would recommend this book to Civil War buffs more than mystery fans.

5.0 out of 5 stars The Prodigal Returns, November 5, 2003

By 

Mark Baker (Santa Clarita, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Ironclad Alibi (Harrison Raines Civil War Mysteries, Book 3) (Hardcover)

Harrison Raines, late of the Federal City, has returned to Richmond. While pretending to have come home, he's really on assignment for Abraham Lincoln, finding out all he can about "The Monster," the recently captured USS Merrimack. He is horrified to learn that it is being made into an ironclad ship which will decimate the rest of the Union naval fleet.

The trip home also includes a chance meeting with Arabella Mills, Harry's first love. Now married, her husband is in charge of the Merrimack. But when she turns up dead in Harry's hotel room, it's Harry's former slave and friend Caesar Augustus who is accused of the crime and put on a fast track to execution. Now Harry must get his information back to Lincoln in time to do some good while also finding the evidence to clear his friend, which is going to be hard in a city where he doesn't know who to trust.

This series is wonderful for Civil War buffs, historical fiction fans, and mystery lovers. Richmond, circa 1862 came alive to me as I was reading, and I've learned more about the events of the Civil War from this series then I remembered from school. Harry does seem to have an impressive list of acquaintances (Lincoln, Davis, and Lee for example), but meeting them allows us to get a complete view of the war and events in a way we couldn't otherwise. Because Harry's returned to Virginia for this book, we also get a picture of the emotional battle waged by families on the other side of the issue.

The mystery in this book is strong. I had no clue where what the big picture was until the end, although I did figure a couple plot points out before hand. Seems everyone has something to hide, and it's not what I was thinking, that's for sure.

Because of the progressive nature of this series, it's best to start with the first book, MURDER AT MANASSAS, especially since this book discusses the outcome of that one. If you are at all interested in this dark time in US history, I highly recommend this series.