Shadows of Glory [Mass Market Paperback]

Owen Parry (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 4, 2001

In a snow-swept Northern town, Union officer Major Abel Jones struggles to solve the riddle of Federal agents tortured to death, an act of stunning brutality cloaked in fear and lies. Confronted with murder and madness, sedition and seances, selfless patriotism and haunting passions, Abel is duty-bound to succeed, even though the ghosts of his own past-when his uniform was scarlet and not blue-are waiting for him. From the dr ma of Civil War Washington and a divided home front, to the hardship and triumph of Grant's capture of Fort Donelson, Shadows of Glory magnificently conjures up an American past -- and brings it to ravishing life with matchless authenticity and storytelling power.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Second in Parry's praised Civil War series (after Faded Coat of Blue), this uncommonly engaging historical drama, the second to feature Abel JonesAUnion officer, reluctant detective, and loyal confidential agent for President LincolnA stirs the imagination with its vivid color, gripping suspense and wartime historical accuracy. In the winter of 1862, Major Jones, an immigrant Welshman now in the Union Army, is sent to northern New York to investigate rumors of an Irish insurrection among those who oppose the war. Two federal undercover agents have already been brutally murdered, and Jones knows this will be a delicate and dangerous mission. He boldly sets out for the prosperous town of Penn Yan, N.Y., with no disguise or cover story, proclaiming to all that he is there to investigate the murders and the rumors of rebellion. His presence is at once feared and welcomed, and he naturally becomes the target of the Irish troublemakers, members of a group called Whiteboys. The Irish insurrection, however, is only the front for a larger operation, and Jones soon finds himself in even deeper personal and professional danger. Aided by beautiful Nellie Kildare, who is either a madwoman or a mystic, and thwarted by the manipulative man who passes as her father, Jones and his thieving and conniving friend, Jimmy Molloy, uncover a plot that threatens to cripple the North. Jones is an endearing literary character who should gracefully weather further sequels. He is a war hero who hates war almost as much as he hates horses, admits he does not understand women and thinks the ancient Greeks were a bad sort. Bright but not brilliant, flawed but not troubled, Jones is an ordinary man with an extraordinary sense of duty. Parry has created a thoroughly likable and believable character and engages him here in a riveting adventure. (Sept.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

In 1862, many Northerners still maintained the validity of preserving the Union. However, they were not all enthusiastic in this endeavor. In the small town of Penn Yan, NY, a Federal agent, sent to investigate a possible Irish insurrection against the U.S. government, is found murdered. As in Parry's first novel, Faded Coat of Blue, prim Welshman Abel Jones is once again called upon employ his deductive powers to determine why the agent was found hanging with the "pitch cap" (hot tar poured over a victim's head) set upon him. Slowly, Abel begins to unravel the real mystery behind the Irish troubles with the help of newfound friends and a beautiful, mysterious girl. Parry's supporting characters are rich, human, and very likable, almost more so than the hero himself, whose Puritan personality takes some getting used to. But as the story progresses, Abel's human side begins to become more evident. This is a highly readable mystery; Parry's talent in character development will leave the reader asking for more. Highly recommended for all public libraries. [For another Civil War mystery, see Anne Perry's Slaves of Obsession, LJ 8/00.DEd.]DLoretta M. Davis, Broward Cty. Libs., Pembroke Pines, F.
-DLoretta M. Davis, Broward Cty. Libs., Pembroke Pines, FL
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: HarperTorch (September 4, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380820870
• ISBN-13: 978-0380820870
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #448,341 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars compelling story, exquisite writing, September 12, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Shadows of Glory (Hardcover)

SHADOWS OF GLORY marks the return of Abel Jones, the sterling and completely engaging character first met in Parry's FADED COAT OF BLUE. And what a welcome return it is. Living up to its billing as "a novel of historical suspense", SHADOWS delves into a shrouded but powerful threat to the Union during the Civil War, gathering force far from the front lines. Sent to a remote area of New York State to investigate the threat, Major Jones encounters a community of vividly drawn characters, one of which is nature itself in all its wondrous beauty and force. The social issues and interests of the period, as well as the intriguing diversity of people that populated the region, are deftly and gracefully presented through the characters themselves; historical fact blends seamlessly with the fiction. Even though Abel is far from the battlefields, the brutal urgency of the war is evoked through a series of heart-rending letters dispatched to him by a friend who is serving as a surgeon with General Grant's forces.

It should be noted that with this excellent book, Owen Parry does present the reader with something of a dilemma: It is a genuine page-turner but the urge to gallop through the story is countered by the exquisite writing which invites you to slow to a trot and revel in the language. And that is a most rare and appreciated dilemma for any reader.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Spirited End to a Long Summer, September 23, 2000

By 

Daniel J. Cragg (Springfield, Virginia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Shadows of Glory (Hardcover)

Just as I was beginning to wilt in this summer's heat, along comes Owen parry with "Shadows of Glory," the second in his projected series of novels detailing the adventures of Abel Jones during the American Civil War. "Shadows" picks up where "Faded Coat of Blue," the first book in the series ends. Protagonist Abel Jones, the Welsh immigrant, is now promoted to major in the Union Army and a "confidential" agent of the U. S. government, is dispatched to the Finger Lakes region of New York State. There's something ominous brewing up there. Federal agents have been murdered and there are strange doings in the neighborhood of Penn Yan and Lake Keuka. Are the Rebels at work up there? Well, Jones is just the man to find out what.

Upstate New York? The Civil War? How can anyone tie the two together? Well, Parry does and he does it with the same mastery of place, time, character and language that made "Faded Coat of Blue" such a refreshing plowing of that hallowed literary ground that was the Civil War.

Now I come from those parts where the story takes place and Mr. Parry has walked the hills and lakeshores up there, wandered through those haunted woods and immersed himself in the mid-nineteenth century history of Upstate New York. Almost forgotten now is the Spiritualist movement that enthralled Americans back in the 1850s and '60s. The Spiritualists thought they could communicate with the dead through "mediums," mostly rather ordinary women through whom the dead were believed to communicate with the living when the medium was in a state of unconsciousness or "trance." Many prominent people, among them the clergy, believed in Spiritualism. The movement plays a big part in this story and Parry to his credit treats it not with ridicule but with the respect any historical event deserves. But there is one incident in this book that made the hair stand up on the back of my neck. Maybe there was something to it after all?

Historical figures who were very much a part of the 1860s scene in Upstate New York -- Susan B. Anthony and Fredrick Douglass -- make appearances. Abel Jones looks at these greats through the eyes of a contemporary, a refreshing view to say the least!

But what's going on up there? Why is Secretary of State Seward concerned? Is it the Irish immigrants, the dreaded Fenians? Are Confederate agents at work? What role is the "learned professor," Master of Spiritualism, Mesmerism, Egyptology, Kildare (or is it Kilraine?) playing? What is he doing up in Rochester, meeting with a high-born Englishman? And what of the irascible Catholic Priest, Fr. McCorkle? What does he know that he's not telling?

And what of Nellie Kildaire, the Professor's daughter? Does she really talk to the dead? Is she insane? And what is this hold she seems to have on Major Jones, the stalwart Christian soldier?

Overshadowning everything is nature, the woods, mysterious and deep, the isolation of the farms in the countryside and one of the worst winters anybody can remember.

Parry keeps us in touch with the war in the South through letters written to him by Mick Tyrone, the Irish-born surgeon now serving with Grant in Cairo, Illinois. This is a delicious literary tool because I suspect these letters are harbingers of stories yet to come before our resourceful Mr. Parry is done.

Owen Parry has done it again. If this book does not establish him as one of the best contemporary writers of historical fiction in America, he's certainly one of the most original. Come on, book No. 3!

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Civil War + suspense +great writing!, November 5, 2000

By 

Philip W. May (Williamsburg, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Shadows of Glory (Hardcover)

I'm a sucker for novels about the Civil War. Generally buy them and read them however bad they might be. Then I bought Owen Parry's FADED COAT OF BLUE. Fantastic. Found out that SHADOWS OF GLORY was just out and had to have it. Got it. Even better. You see this is not just interesting historical genre fiction. This is good literature. Mr. Parry (which I believe is a pseudonym and I wish I knew who the writer really was) places sentences with really incredibly-crafted imagery into every page. With most books we're lucky to get a good line per chapter. With this book there are several per page. Paraphrasing one I can remember when protagonist Major Abel Jones enters the house of a minister in Pen Yan, NY in the dead of winter. He describes it as "... a lean shiver of a house." Brrr. You can feel the chill to your bones. So buy this book if you like good historical fiction, but savor all the tasty, well-baked phrases. Read slowly because you'll be sorry when it's over.