Murder Most Confederate
Murder Most Confederate is the second volume of the Murder Most series. It is a compilation of sixteen short stories by various authors, all murder mysteries set within the Confederate Army or southern states during the Civil War.
‘Mystery’ may be too deep a word to describe many of these stories. In most, the solution can be easily deduced in a matter of pages, leaving the reader with a taste of disappointment. Most of the plots are weak, and the characters tend to be mere whispers of people.
The one outstanding gem in Murder Most Confederate is Ed Gorman’s ‘The Face‘. This is a disturbing yet uplifting tale of the effect one young man’s face had on his battalion. This story in particular holds a quiet spiritual quality that truly describes the horror of the American Civil War.
Kristine Scheid’s contribution ‘Valuables’, a story of two very different but loving brothers, is her first published work. This is a nicely snug and polished tale, and I look forward to reading more from this promising new author.
Other than the above-mentioned contributions, I was let down by Greenberg’s endeavor.
