"The Dead Survivors," by KJ Erickson
(St. Martin's Minotaur Press, 2002; ISBN
0-312-26699-5, 341 pages, $24.95).

This is a well-written, page-turning investigative police mystery with memorable characters and a story that is bound to intrigue everyone interested in the Civil War. Without giving away the key to the mystery, let's just say that two river cities, Minneapolis and Richmond, are where most of the action takes place. The police investigator, Marshall Bahr, is based in Minnesota, and the story spreads from an apparent suicide scene to a series of events literally held together by something related to the 28th Virginia Regiment at Gettysburg in 1863. The fictional "healing" at the end of this mystery novel might be of interest to several Governors and Historical Societies! Hmmm, have Ventura and Warner read this one yet? A very new twist on a very old tale.

Elizabeth T. Greer is a novelist, and owns
The Blue Lady Bookshop in Rocky Mount