Review: "Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy: Four Woman Undercover in the Civil War" by Karen A

Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy: Four Women Undercover in the Civil War by Karen Abbott 04/29/15

This is a magnificent, non-fiction account of the lives of four women during the Civil War. All were spies and helped their beloved cause in their own unique way. Two were spies for the north and two for the south. As the title implies, they all employed whatever means they needed to support the war effort, even going so far as to becoming women who are shunned because of their lifestyle to impersonating a male soldier.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Although it is non-fiction, it reads like a novel. It follows all four women’s actions during the war and into later life in chronological order. The story is easy to follow and each woman’s character is beautifully filled in with the pertinent details. Although you may not agree with their methods, you understand their motives. It is filled with well-known details and some not so well known, all woven together to create a page turning Civil War history.

This book can be enjoyed by everyone, young and old. These four women were gutsy and bold and made amazing contributions to the war effort and thru this book, they get the recognition they deserve.