Miriam Grace Monfredo's Seneca Falls, New York, produces some extraordinary women, chief among them Glynis Tryon (1999's Must the Maiden Die, et al), the librarian turned early feminist detective, and Tryon's nieces Bronwen and Kathryn Llyr. Sisters of Cain, the seventh in Monfredo's series, takes place in 1862. The more conservative Kathryn is determined to nurse the wounded of the Civil War and hence travels to Washington to join Dorothea Dix's squad of Union battlefield nurses. Bronwen, the fiery redhead lately canned by the Pinkerton Detective Agency, has joined forces with Rhys Bevan, the chief of detectives at the U.S. Treasury Department. The Pinkertons, as it happens, comprise the Union's spy network from Washington southward. By the time of the action, they have been entirely compromised by secessionist sympathizers within the U.S. government, pressing the Pinkertons (who are professional detectives but amateurs at spying) into deep cover, the deep South, and deep trouble.

"Since your contact was one of those named on that page, you may also be known. The upshot of it," Rhys added, "is that I can't send you back there. Which, at least temporarily, gives me no agents in Baltimore."

She knew him too well to take this as a callous remark. No matter how it sounded, it wasn't a lack of agents in Baltimore that had so disturbed him, but their violent deaths.

The Union's most immediate concerns are launching its ironclad, the Monitor, to meet and nullify the South's just commissioned Merrimac, and taking the war to the South with General George McClellan's Virginia Peninsula Campaign. And it is in and around both of these events, and amongst Monfredo's well-drawn characters both real (McClellan, Dix, Bevan, Lincoln, et al) and imagined, that Bronwen and Kathryn must prevail.

Fast-moving, tightly written, and more than enough historical accuracy, feminism, spy craft, romance, and mystery for almost any reader, Sisters of Cain will no doubt find its way to a wide variety of bedsides. And if the detective-fancying-Civil-War-buff fans in those beds enjoy this, they should also try John Jakes's On Secret Service. --Michael Hudson


From Publishers Weekly
The author's chronicling of the mid-19th century moves deeper into the Civil War period in this seventh Seneca Falls mystery (following Must the Maiden Die), which provides a marriage of history and mystery with a sharp and sharp-witted feminist viewpoint. Adventuresome Bronwen Llyr continues to flaunt convention as she moves from detective to spy, joining up with Treasury Chief Rhys Bevan's fledgling Special Intelligence Force in Washington, D.C. Her more conservative sister, Kathryn Llyr, also comes to Washington, hoping to win a job as a nurse under Dorothea Dix. Both sisters end up coping with great danger and interacting with historical and fictional characters as they play major and minor roles in the Virginia Peninsula Campaign of 1862. Monfredo's historical accuracy provides a solid foundation for the exploits of both sisters. Bronwen makes forays into Confederate territory and conducts a battle of wits and wills with spies, counterspies and traitors. And Kathryn, though rejected by Dix, finds scope for her talents dealing with the ravages wrought by disease and also gets caught in the eddies of her sister. Monfredo's skillful characterizations of historical figures (Lincoln, General McClellan, Dix, etc.) blend easily with her fictional creations. And her insights into the race to develop ironclad ships (Merrimack and Monitor), to woo British and European allies and to develop essential information-gathering units nicely flesh out this intriguing novel, which should appeal to Civil War buffs and mystery fans equally. (Sept.) Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
Monfredo's (Must the Maiden Die) latest takes place in the spring of 1862, during the Civil War. The setting is Baltimore, Washington, DC, and northern Virginia. President Lincoln, anxious for a decisive Union victory and adamant that Union intelligence infiltrate the South, sends Treasury agent Bronwen Llyr into enemy territory to assess Confederate strength and to thwart a suspected attack on the Monitor, the Union's ironclad ship. Bronwen and her sister Kathryn, who is in Washington to nurse Union soldiers, find themselves plunged into the dangerous world of spies and counterspies. Monfredo successfully blends history and fiction, feminism, nationalism, medicine, romance, and espionage in a most entertaining and satisfying story. Without a doubt, public libraries will want to purchase this book, as it should appeal to Civil War enthusiasts, mystery buffs, and historical fiction fans alike.DJean Langlais, St. Charles P.L., IL Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

In Washington City in 1862, President Lincoln rallies the Union troops for the largest single campaign of the Civil War. And two sisters from Seneca Falls take their places among the players of history, sparked by the fires of conviction...

As part of the new special intelligence force of the Treasury, Bronwyn Llyr finds herself undercover and behind the lines. Her sister Kathryn volunteers as a nurse for the Union Army. In the heart of enemy territory and in the thick of battle, the two sisters must solve a baffling mystery, and thwart a Rebel conspiracy that threatens both their lives-and the entire outcome of the war...

Praise for Monfredo's previous historical mysteries:

"Seneca Falls is our perfect mirror for viewing the American women and men of the 1860s."-Chicago Tribune

"[Monfredo] is at her best pulling plot twists out of actual events. Her research is evident on every page."-Publishers Weekly"Written beautifully, richly satisfying both to the head and to the heart."-Anne Perry

* Seventh in the acclaimed series

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

The author's chronicling of the mid-19th century moves deeper into the Civil War period in this seventh Seneca Falls mystery (following Must the Maiden Die), which provides a marriage of history and mystery with a sharp and sharp-witted feminist viewpoint. Adventuresome Bronwen Llyr continues to flaunt convention as she moves from detective to spy, joining up with Treasury Chief Rhys Bevan's fledgling Special Intelligence Force in Washington, D.C. Her more conservative sister, Kathryn Llyr, also comes to Washington, hoping to win a job as a nurse under Dorothea Dix. Both sisters end up coping with great danger and interacting with historical and fictional characters as they play major and minor roles in the Virginia Peninsula Campaign of 1862. Monfredo's historical accuracy provides a solid foundation for the exploits of both sisters. Bronwen makes forays into Confederate territory and conducts a battle of wits and wills with spies, counterspies and traitors. And Kathryn, though rejected by Dix, finds scope for her talents dealing with the ravages wrought by disease and also gets caught in the eddies of her sister. Monfredo's skillful characterizations of historical figures (Lincoln, General McClellan, Dix, etc.) blend easily with her fictional creations. And her insights into the race to develop ironclad ships (Merrimack and Monitor), to woo British and European allies and to develop essential information-gathering units nicely flesh out this intriguing novel, which should appeal to Civil War buffs and mystery fans equally. (Sept.) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.|

VOYA

As a former Pinkerton Detective Agency operative, Bronwen Llyr finds herself in demand when the U.S. Treasury must create new special intelligence forces. Until 1862, Pinkerton agents had been the only Union government spies, but someone has betrayed the North and leaked the identities of many agents to the Confederates. Now with the Virginia Peninsula campaign about to begin, the North needs spies out in the field, and Bronwen ends up behind Confederate lines. While Bronwen searches for the person who betrayed the Union agents, her sister, Kathryn, arrives in Washington, D.C., hoping to become a volunteer nurse for the Union army. Both sisters quickly find their lives in danger as they struggle to help the cause they believe in. Monfredo manages to please two different audiences with her latest mystery—teachers who need well-crafted historical fiction for classroom assignments and teens who love rip-roaring historical novels that are just plain good reads. Intriguing period facts, such as the early role of the Monitor and Merrimack in the Civil War, and cameo appearances by real figures from the past, including Dorothea Dix and Abraham Lincoln, are deftly woven into the story that provides a good picture of how spies were used by both the Confederate and Union governments. With its two strong independent female protagonists, this novel is a natural choice for older young adult readers. Teens who gobbled up the Dear America series when younger and now gravitate to Ann Rinaldi's novels will discover that all of Monfredo's historical mysteries are equally satisfying. VOYA CODES: 5Q 3P S A/YA (Hard to imagine it being any better written; Will appeal with pushing; Senior High,defined as grades 10 to 12; Adult and Young Adult). 2000, Berkley, 368p, $21.95. Ages 16 to Adult. Reviewer: John Charles SOURCE: VOYA, August 2001 (Vol. 24, No. 3)

Library Journal

Monfredo's (Must the Maiden Die) latest takes place in the spring of 1862, during the Civil War. The setting is Baltimore, Washington, DC, and northern Virginia. President Lincoln, anxious for a decisive Union victory and adamant that Union intelligence infiltrate the South, sends Treasury agent Bronwen Llyr into enemy territory to assess Confederate strength and to thwart a suspected attack on the Monitor, the Union's ironclad ship. Bronwen and her sister Kathryn, who is in Washington to nurse Union soldiers, find themselves plunged into the dangerous world of spies and counterspies. Monfredo successfully blends history and fiction, feminism, nationalism, medicine, romance, and espionage in a most entertaining and satisfying story. Without a doubt, public libraries will want to purchase this book, as it should appeal to Civil War enthusiasts, mystery buffs, and historical fiction fans alike.--Jean Langlais, St. Charles P.L., IL Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.\

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