This book hit the bestseller list quite quickly, and it’s easy to see why. It’s a great historical mystery, and those seem to be all the rage now. This first of two novels featuring Abel Jones, a captain of volunteers in the Union Army, is set during the early part of the Civil War. Jones has been asked by General McClellan to investigate the death of Anthony Fowler, a well-known abolitionist, son of a prominent Philadelphia family. Jones soon discovers that Fowler’s death-- he was found shot close to the Union lines, and the first assumption was he was killed by a sentry in error-- was murder. Fowler had not been killed where he was found, and he had been shot with a pistol. Abel Jones is a very interesting character. Born in Wales to a very poor family, he is sent to live with a reverend who beats him regularly, but he falls in love with the minister’s daughter, Mary MyFanwy. He takes assorted jobs, but when the two are seen innocently kissing, Mary is sent away and Abel is so distraught he joins the British army. He is sent to India where the natives are being put down with horrible violence, especially after the mutiny, and when Abel is ordered to use several prisoners for bayonet instruction he just can’t go on and refuses to fight any more. Sent back to England, he finds Mary and they emigrate to Pennsylvania where they hope rumors of his mutinous behavior won’t follow, and he assumes he won’t have to fight again. Unfortunately, the Civil War erupts and, taking pity on a group of volunteers who clearly know absolutely nothing of military maneuvering, he winds up as a captain of volunteers. Parry’s description of Abel’s company at Bull Run is astonishing authentic. It reminded me of Stephen Crane’s Red Badge of Courage capturing the chaos of battle. His company manages to hold until a fleeing battery of union artillery overrun their line and Abel is trampled by panicked horses pulling a cannon. His leg is broken and does not heel properly, and that’s how he winds up doing administrative duty in Washington and is picked by McClellan for the investigation into Fowler’s murder. McClellan doesn’t realize the tenacious nature of Jones, who is soon poking about in business the general would perhaps leave covered up. Jones goes undercover in the War Department and unearths a mountain of fraud, seemingly unrelated to Fowler’s murder, but inevitably pieces begin to fall into place and Jones is warned off. Parry has done his homework, and the book concludes with a bibliographical and historical essay --always very welcome in a novel that purports to recreate historical events. Parry explains just which episodes were changed chronologically. Obviously, the tête-à-tête with Lincoln at the end never occurred, and seems unlikely even in the context of the story. One does get a very strong sense of what it was like to live in Washington during the early Civil War: not nice. Immigrants were held in considerable disrepute and constantly brutalized. A large majority were inducted into the military, and many died before they mastered English. Prostitution, illness (particularly typhoid) and wartime corruption were endemic, and fortunes were made quickly at the expense of many. A good story and welcome leavening of the American myth. There is a sequel that, contrary to the note at the end of Faded Coat of Blue, is not titled The Vacant Chair. An editor must have preferred Shadows of GloryUpdate: It’s my understanding that this series has been discontinued by the publisher.
What I liked most about the novel is the rich, detailed and often judgmental narration by the main character, Abel Jones. We see Civil War-era Philadelphia and Washington through his eyes and read his thoughts on all manner of aspects of life in that time.This character is surprisingly well-developed for the first book in a series, given a rich back-story in which he has been a soldier in the British army before emigrating from Wales to the United States where he is reluctantly drawn into the Civil War. Though the sequences in which we learn of his history interrupt the murder mystery narrative, I found myself as entertained by them as I was by the main plot of the story.I liked too that we get to spend some time with his family in the course of his investigations. Jones talks often of his wife Myfanwy and I liked that she is given the chance to make some important contributions to the case through her own thoughts and suggestions.Other characters are well-drawn and often very memorable and the author does particularly good job of bringing some real historical figures to life - especially General McClellan. Parry's cast of characters is rich and colorful and does illustrate many different aspects of life during the Civil War.As for the mystery at the heart of the novel, it is perhaps less interesting than the cast of characters that it leads us to meet but while it is not particularly ingenious, I found it engaging and pleasingly character-driven with no outrageous logical jumps. Furthermore, it is a story that is absolutely rooted in the time and which draws out many aspects of the main character so it seems well-suited as an introductory story.I look forward to checking out Shadows of Glory soon and seeing what happens to Captain Jones next.
Do You like book Faded Coat Of Blue (1999)?
I found this book on a donation rack at work, and since I like Civil War stories and Detective stories, thought it might be worth a read. It sat in a dark place for over a year (maybe two) before I broke it out to read when I didnt want to go downstairs where most of my "to read" books are. I am glad I did, and regret I had not read it sooner. I'm not a polished reviewer, but I do know what I like, and I really enjoyed this. However, I wasnt pleased to find that this was the first of a series of six books. That means five more books I need to buy. The wife wont be happy. Oh well. If the next books are as good, it will be worth it.
—Dennis
One of my favorite political commentators and authors is Lt. Col. Ralph Peters. His commentary on world events is always spot-on and I read everything I can from him. He also happens to be the fiction writer, Owen Parry. Having just read the first in Parry's (Peters') Abel Jones mysteries I have to say that his historical fiction is just as good as his current events books. This book---as do all the Abel Jones books---take place during the time around the Civil War. Parry has managed to really capture the nuances of the day. The book just drips with authenticity for this time period. It's obvious that he in an incredible student of the history of this period. What a great book! Very well-written and the story is very engaging. I have the other books in this series sitting on my nightstand. I will be getting to them soon.
—Rick
This is the first book in the Able Jones series; after reading Honor's Kingdom for other purposes, I decided it was only fair to start at the beginning and see what I made of things from the beginning of the series. Most of my criticism still holds true: the reader is prevented from understanding the crime until a rather slow-thinking narrator gets around to figuring it out in a process that is not revealed to the reader, and the author is really, really interested in the history of daily life without caring at all about broader historical accuracy. I do still find Jones an interesting character, and I thought the crime and its motivations were quite interesting in this installment, but I would have liked to see a different set of emphases throughout the book.
—Nicole
