Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

And now for something completely different, a review from someone who purchased and read the book before the brown shirted thugs started to take over the Amazon reviews. The book's strength is its portrait of the Washington, D.C. of 1860. Miller is able to convey a strong sense of place by working details of the city into the plot rather than just giving a narrative travelogue. Technology, architecture, sanitation, and commerce all come up in fairly natural ways. He is a bit less successful with this in his portraits of Charleston and a South Carolina plantation. The biggest weakness is the dialog. Many characters' words feel "researched" rather than lied. This is always the toughest task in historical fiction - giving us a feel for the strangeness of our language in a different time while making it feel alive. Miller has a way to go to be one of the best at this. The plot is enjoyable, and the pacing and rhythm are well done. Miller avoids the dreadful "quick cut" technique that seems to sell so many bad books these days. A very enjoyable read.