The Crescent Spy

By: Michael Wallace

Narrated by: Rosemary Benson

Writing under a man's name, Josephine Breaux is the finest reporter at Washington's Morning Clarion. Using her wit and charm, she never fails to get the scoop on the latest Union and Confederate activities. But when a rival paper reveals her true identity, accusations of treason fly. Despite her claims of loyalty to the Union, she is arrested as a spy and traitor.

To Josephine's surprise, she's whisked away to the White House, where she learns that President Lincoln himself wishes to use her cunning and skill for a secret mission in New Orleans that could hasten the end of the war. For Josephine, though, this mission threatens to open old wounds and expose dangerous secrets. In the middle of the most violent conflict the country has ever seen, can one woman overcome the treacherous secrets of her past in order to secure her nation's future?

©2015 Michael Wallace (P)2015 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

Decent historical fiction story

This is a story of a young woman journalist who is sent by Lincoln to be a spy in New Orleans. We follow her adventures there which conclude with the fall of New Orleans to the Union navy. This story has a slight YA feel to it as it is very straightforward with few twists as one might expect in this kind of story. The book also gives the readers a decent historical overview of the lesser known Civil War theater of the Mississippi River. The characters are generally likable but not very complex. Overall it’s a good read that kept my attention throughout.

A Pleasure to Listen To

If you could sum up The Crescent Spy in three words, what would they be?

A Great Listen

Have you listened to any of Rosemary Benson’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Rosemary Benson makes the stories she performs come alive. Her character portrayals are so good that I forget that someone is narrating the story when I listen to her. Her collaborations with Michael Wallace's books have been a pleasure to listen to.

civil war spy novel

different theme not predictable. Story attempted to keep to historical facts. heroine is good character

Great book

Really enjoyed this book! The narration was excellent. Michael Wallace's writing placed me in the middle of the Civil War.

Excellent US Civil War novel

The protagonist in The Crescent Spy is young journalist Josephine Breaux. Most of the novel, all except the first few chapters, is located in New Orleans where Breaux was a journalist with a local newspaper while also serving as a spy for the US government. The novel ends soon after the fall of New Orleans to Union forces.

Author Michael Wallace does a great job of character development with Breaux. It is a superb historical fiction novel. The narration is very well done.