Review: "The Spy of Richmond" by Jocelyn Green

This is the fourth book in Jocelyn Green’s Heroines Behind the Lines Civil War series. Although I have only read the first so far, this story is complete and is enjoyable without previously reading the others. It is historical fiction based on the spy rings that flourished in Richmond during the Civil War.

Sophia Kent is a southern belle who is appalled by the injustice that she sees being endured by both the slaves in the South and the Union soldiers at Libby Prison. Thwarted by her father in her attempt to release her personal slaves, she treats them with kindness and compassion. Horrified by the lack of good food and the filth and cruelty suffered by the Union prisoners, she devises a way to get food to them. Still, she wants to do more and it becomes apparent that the only way for this to end is the Civil War must conclude with a northern victory. She is enlisted by Elizabeth Van Lew along with others in a dangerous ring of espionage that keeps her one step away from the hangman’s noose.

I enjoyed the thought provoking, moral dilemmas that the author presented. The characters must make difficult choices that put their lives and their loved ones in danger. It tests their faith as they learn to lean on God. She weaves a believable story with credible characters and historical facts to make a delightful book to curl up with. Don’t pass up this or the rest of the series.