On Secret Service

Rating:
Summary: Not "Gone With The Wind" But A Good Historical-Romance
Review: Set during the Civil War, this is an interesting look at the early origins of the Secret Service via main character Lon, first a Pinkerton man and then US Secret Service. He is a committed abolitionist and works in and around Washington DC throughout the Civil War. We meet all of the major political and military players in DC at the time, including Lincoln, and that is very detailed and fascinating stuff. Naturally, Lon's romantic interest is allied with the South and even operates as a spy for it. I was interested in this story throughout. There were other good supporting characters including Hanna, an actress, and a black man, Zach, who helps Lon after escaping from the South. Although the North is committed to abolishing slavery, it is clear from Zach's life in the North that although free, he is nevertheless considered infinitely inferior. This I found great stuff and could have stood a lot more of it in the book. The only problem with this novel is that I was not strongly gripped by it and could always put it down easily. In fact, I read it before going to sleep every night for about 45 minutes or so. Five star books do not do this. They keep you up until close to dawn. I'm willing to give Jakes another try and have already bought "The Seekers" to do so. This novel was my first try of his work and I am a bit surprised to discover that he is a huge bestselling author.

Rating:
Summary: 3 1/2 stars - Solid but hoped for more........
Review: With On Secret Service, an educational and often entertaining novel, Jakes has again spun a story of fiction, set against a backdrop of real-life characters and actual events. Somehow though, the story was not as compelling as the North and South trilogy or the Bicentennial series that first drew me to Jakes. It could have been the ratio of fact to fiction, which at times made this seem like non-fiction. Also since the book covered the period from pre-war to post-war, there were often gaps of time where the reader is left wondering what was happening to the various characters. This is not Jakes' best effort, but there is certainly more good than bad. Reading On Secret Service will be worth the time, especially for civil war buffs.