A Good Soldier
US Grant Mystery, No. 2
By Jeffrey Marks  

     Jeffery Marks’s second Grant mystery continues in the state of Ohio. This time it’s in Bethel, Ohio, where Grant’s family moved after Grant’s father wore out his welcome in Georgetown and thought it best to move on. Bethel is a small town and rarely is a secret kept by anyone.

      Growing up, Grant had special pals in Bethel. He refers to them as his possums. During the war, while Grant was rising in the government ranks, his friends were fighting battles and ending the war as prisoners in Andersonville, a POW camp known for its cruelty. Grant is back in Bethel for the funeral of one of those friends.

      When he arrives, Grant finds his possums, those still alive, living a nice life after the war. It has him curious, but not enough to question, at least, not until his son leaves the dearly departed’s opulent house with three gold coins.

      Grant’s wife and father join him in searching for the truth about his friends and their newly-acquired homes. Although Grant’s wife makes a good sleuthing partner, his father is even better, outspoken and without fear. True, he can be irritating at times, but Grant is so politically correct that it takes a man like Jesse Root Grant to catch a suspect off guard or face danger straight on. I hope he is a returning character.

     A Good Solider reads like a cozy. Civil War history and Andersonville are strong topics, but the author handles them with the grace and tact of Grant himself. The mystery is strong on history – some rearranged for the storyline, but it shouldn’t overwhelm the reader.

     Marks’s writing style is pleasant. The story moves at a steady pace, the dialogue is smooth and the characters are likeable. Mystery readers looking for civil war mysteries on the light side will enjoy Jeffery Marks’s US Grant series. It’s one for the keeper shelf.