THE AMBUSH OF MY NAME  by Jeffrey Marks
A Ulysses S. Grant Mystery, No. 1
The Overmountain Press - June 1, 2001
ISBN: 1570721858 – Paperback & Hardcover
Historical Mystery/ Post Civil War

Reviewed by Brenda Weeaks, MyShelf.com
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The Ambush of My Name is Jeffery Marks’ first full-length historical mystery.  He has lived in Georgetown, Ohio, Ulysses S. Grant’s hometown, since his youth, giving him plenty of opportunity to learn everything there is about the Civil War hero. So it would make sense that the hero/protagonist of Mr. Mark’s new mystery series would be Grant. 

It’s 1865, the civil war is over and President Lincoln has been assassinated. The General and his wife, Julia, are back in Georgetown. Instead of cheers and praise they are met with angry, prejudice, backwater attitudes. And, as the saying goes, if that isn’t enough, they are greeted with a dead body in their hotel room, one of Grant’s old flames arrives, and he learns his dad is taking advantage of his fame and popularity. When the General, along with a reporter and a Pinkerton agent investigate the obvious murder, more lives become endangered. 

The mystery reads as a cozy. As the storyline moves, the mystery stays at center stage with the author effectively blending in the introduction of the new characters and their lives. I discovered how creative the plot really was when I realized I was wrong in my choice of whodunit and couldn’t figure it out until the murderer was revealed at the end. And speaking of the ending, it is just as creative as the plot itself. There are some practical details about Georgetown, it’s people, and Grant and his wife, along with a little extra to please the history buffs in all of us. 

In reading The Ambush of My Name, I came away satisfied that historical mystery fans have another victorious series to add to their long list.

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