NEVER CALL RETREAT

The conclusion of this Civil War alternative history series finds the Union struggling after losses in a battle to save Washington, D.C., in 1863. As Lincoln pins his hopes on Grant, the two generals, Lee and Grant, head for a deciding battle on the banks of Maryland's Monocacy Creek. Military plotting and strategy form the core of the novel; real-life figures on both sides are generally portrayed as noble but are rarely fleshed out in this abridgment. Boyd Gaines usually makes the story exciting, but the novel occasionally succumbs to the dry details of military maneuverings. Still, Civil War enthusiasts will be fascinated--and perhaps surprised by the authors' conclusion. J.A.S. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/NOV 05]