Written in 1950, this book begins with the end of the Civil War and the rise of the Ku Klux Klan. I got the impression that, initially, the KKK was a force for good in that it wanted to rid the south of carpetbaggers. But like all things, especially clandestine nightshirts, it twisted into the evil that power often creates. But I loved the characters--Hoyt, the upper class lawyer who reeked of elegance and rum; Lucy, who was far too ambitious for a lady of that time; Jane, the antithesis of the Southern Belle who wears denim pants and organizes the bushwhackers who fight against the KKK and protect the plantation that she and Julian are restoring; Julian, the medical doctor who saves the lives of bushwhackers and night-riders alike and anyone else who can make his way to the "hospital" Julian created in the old slave quarters; Louis, the Jewish doctor who works in the hospital; and Noah, the black doctor who worked there as well until he attacked by the KKK; Amos and Lafe, who are crack shot bushwhackers and who protect Julian and Jane's plantation against the KKK. I recommend this book to anyone interested in the post-Civil War era.
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