Books like Jarrettsville

Fabulous novel! I couldn't put it down. There is history, war, romance, and even a mystery in a way. The setting is the the very end of the American Civil War when North and South are still dealing with their hatred of each other and a country is torn apart by different ideas and beliefs. Tho the war is officially over, in a small town called Jarrettsville, emotions are still running high. I loved the history in this book. Very rarely do books go into much detail about the aftermath of a war. The politics, the assassination of Lincoln, the controversies of slavery and how the freedmen are treated are all summed up in this book. The author does not gloss over it either, but really lets readers see how it must have been. Back to Jarrettsville.. The beginning of the book starts a couple years after the war has ended when Martha walks up to Nicholas and shoots him dead. She shoots him more than once. Then she cries about it. If that doesn't get ones attention, I don't know what will.. Anyway, from the get go, you know whodunit. No mystery there. But whytheydunit remains to be seen and Ms. Nixon takes us back four years before to provide the answer. Here it becomes a tragic love story complete with family conflicts, deaths, differing opinions, nosy townfolk, and even racial tensions. Do not be put off by the sudden time change. It is expertly done. Once it goes back four years, it pretty much stays there till the very end when it goes back to the time of the murder and then into the trial. The murder and trial scenes are told from different viewpoints of people involved or nearby, but the majority of the book is told from either Martha or Nicholas' point of view. Towards the end, you know whodunit and whytheydunit, but you must keep reading to find out what becomes of Martha. Does she go to jail? Does she hang? Does her brother take the rap for her? As I said above, I couldn't put it down. There was even, in my opinion, a moral in the story of Martha and Nicholas. Communicate! If he had only told her his concerns and cleared the air about certain issues, so much sadness could have been avoided. Highly recommended to historical fiction or Civil War buffs or readers that just appreciate a good book.