Compassion is arguably the first casualty in any war, but for Virginian Libby Steadman, whose Confederate husband is missing in action behind Union lines, the plight of a grievously wounded Union captain abandoned by his troops spurs her to care for Jonathan Weybridge the same way she hopes a Yankee wife would tend to Peter should he be caught in similar straits. Hiding Weybridge in her meager home is a fraught situation. She is already distrusted by her Shenandoah Valley neighbors, thanks to Peter's having preemptively freed his family's slaves, Joseph and Sally. Libby is only tolerated because the gristmill they cooperatively run provides sustenance for the rebel army. Their safety, along with that of her orphaned niece, young firebrand Jubilee, becomes even more precarious as rumors abound that Libby is, indeed, aiding and abetting the enemy. Based on the true story of a formidable Virginia woman and the Vermont solider she saved, Bohjalian's latest historical tale, following The Lioness (2022), is elegant, poignant, and richly atmospheric. In Libby, Jubilee, and Sally, Bohjalian, also the author of The Princess of Las Vegas (2024), once again demonstrates his profound respect for women, endowing his female protagonists with depth and nuance in an indelible testament to the transformative powers of resiliency, trust, and loyalty.HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Bohjalian's latest will attract his steadfast fans as well as avid readers of historical fiction, especially those seeking novels starring resourceful women.

Bohjalian (The Princess of Las Vegas) unspools a tense tale about a Confederate soldier's wife who treats a wounded Union captain in 1864 Virginia. Libby Steadman, 24, operates a mill in the Shenandoah Valley with Joseph, who was formerly enslaved by the family of her husband, Peter, a Confederate soldier held captive in a Union prison. When an armed marauder tries to rape Libby, Joseph kills him with a shovel. A parallel narrative follows Union Cpt. Jonathan Weybridge, a college professor from Vermont, who is charging a hillside near Libby's home with his regiment when he's struck by cannon fire. He's taken to a hospital tent, where his leg is partially amputated and his mangled hand is bandaged. Later, he awakes to find he's been left behind. While Joseph's wife is out foraging, she hears Jonathan's yells and reports him to Libby, who's furious the Union Army has left him to die and secretly takes him in. Though Jonathan is severely weak, Libby tries to heal him, and eventually bribes a doctor to treat him with medicine that she and Joseph plan to get from the Union garrison at Harper's Ferry some 20 miles north. Bohjalian skillfully rachets up the tension as rumors spread of a Union officer on the loose and Libby and the captain grow close. Readers will be glued to the page. Agent: Deborah Schneider, Gelfman Schneider Literary. (Mar.)

In 1864 Virginia, Libby Steadman's prayers for her husband (a Confederate soldier) to return home from a Union prison camp have gone unanswered for so long that she has finally given up thinking that he's still alive. However, if she hopes to survive the war, she cannot give up running her mill, along with freedman Joseph and his wife Sally. Then Sally encounters an injured Union officer in an abandoned home, having heard his cries of distress. Libby cannot leave the man to die, even if he is a Northerner, so she and Joseph bring severely wounded Captain Jonathan Weybridge back to the Steadman home, and then Libby, Joseph, Sally, and Libby's niece Jubilee work to save his life. With the covert help of a local doctor who is competent and can be bribed with whiskey, they get Weybridge past the point of death. When it becomes apparent that members of a local guerilla organization have suspicions they're harboring an enemy soldier, the group realizes that it's not just Weybridge who is in danger. VERDICT This page-turner from bestselling Bohjalian (The Princess of Las Vegas) will not disappoint fans of American Civil War narratives. The vividly drawn characters and historical details make for a compelling read.--Lucinda Ward