What do you think?
Rate this book
Brison-Sparks Thrillers #1
Beneath Hallowed Ground: A Modern Novel
2023 FLORIDA BOOK AWARDS Bronze Medal Winner
FBI Agent Jason Sparks investigates a historian's murder, uncovering a conspiracy surrounding $150 million in Confederate gold lost since 1863. When his daughter is kidnapped for leverage, Sparks must decode cryptic Civil War letters to find the treasure. In parallel, Union spy Jackson Prescott infiltrates the original Confederate plot on Lincoln's orders. Both men's fates converge at Gettysburg's Devil's Den, where the past and present collide in a deadly confrontation that will determine whether history's buried secrets stay buried—or destroy everything they've sworn to protect.
FBI Agent Jason Sparks investigates a historian's murder, uncovering a conspiracy surrounding $150 million in Confederate gold lost since 1863. When his daughter is kidnapped for leverage, Sparks must decode cryptic Civil War letters to find the treasure. In parallel, Union spy Jackson Prescott infiltrates the original Confederate plot on Lincoln's orders. Both men's fates converge at Gettysburg's Devil's Den, where the past and present collide in a deadly confrontation that will determine whether history's buried secrets stay buried—or destroy everything they've sworn to protect.
- GenresHistorical Fiction
470 pages, Paperback
First published May 15, 2013
17 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
May 16, 2013
It takes a lot of talent to write a good novel. It takes more talent to write a second one. To combine two stories separated by 150 years yet linked together as a suspenseful mystery takes even more. Steven P.Locklin has managed to do this in Beneath Hallowed Ground. The story takes place during the Civil War and today. Each of the main characters are believable and trying to do their duty for their country while searching for hidden gold. The action is well paced and easy to follow. Some readers may find the jumping between story lines confusing, but Locklin made it seem easy to me. I found myself reading more than I wanted to at times because I wanted to find out what was happening in the past story after it moved to the present story. I will definitely read Locklin again. I give this 4.5 stars out of 5 possible.
July 2, 2013
I was given an ARC of Beneath Hallowed Ground by Steven P Locklin as a member of The Early Readers Group at LibraryThing.com for which I agreed to do an unbiased review. I requested this book because I became interested in reading Civil War historical novels after reading a few of Owen Parry's series on the subject. I also chose this genre because I live in Pennsylvania where some of the book's action takes place, and I have been to Gettysburg and toured the battlefield. There is such a sense of history there, and it truly does feel like Hallowed Ground.
Locklin has written his book from both the present and the past overlapping two mysteries. The present begins on July 21 with Jason Sparks, a Special Liaison with the Treasury Department responding to a call from local police to help identify a dead body at the scene of the crime. Sparks' name was found on the murdered man's body, so it is assumed he will recognize the victim. Thus begins Sparks becoming involved in unearthing a huge gold shipment hidden somewhere by Confederate sympathizers during the Civil War. There is very little information to help Sparks find the gold, and he has to use all his investigative resources which do not help him all that much.
The second part of the story begins on September 23, 1862, when Jackson Prescott is summoned to meet with President Abraham Lincoln. He is charged with tracking down a large gold shipment. He is to find out when and where it is to be shipped. The gold is to be used to either finance the war effort for the South or to pay people in England to help with the Southern war effort. Prescott is also charged with getting the names of those from the North who are backing the Confederacy. He is given the name of one man who is leading the plan to transfer the gold. He has been chosen for this mission because of his familial connection to the South. His father is a Southern businessman who outwardly supports slavery. Prescott cuts off all connections to his family because of this and chooses to fight on the Union side.
This lays the groundwork for the rest of the book which moves back and forth from the present to the past in alternate chapters. Both Sparks from the present and Prescott from the past get help from other interesting characters along the way, and, for me, there were some very tense moments at both points in time. For example, the description of the battle at Antietam was difficult to read while at the same time being a compelling description of the realities of war and how it affects those who have to both fight for their own survival and witness sights no one should ever have to see. I think Locklin did a masterful job of portraying just how terrible it is to go through such an experience.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading historical novels about the Civil War, but I would not restrict my recommendation only to that group. This is also a well researched mystery which I believe would also appeal to anyone who likes a bit of detective work as well as a most creative format. This book is really two stories told as one. I cannot wait to see what Locklin does next.
Locklin has written his book from both the present and the past overlapping two mysteries. The present begins on July 21 with Jason Sparks, a Special Liaison with the Treasury Department responding to a call from local police to help identify a dead body at the scene of the crime. Sparks' name was found on the murdered man's body, so it is assumed he will recognize the victim. Thus begins Sparks becoming involved in unearthing a huge gold shipment hidden somewhere by Confederate sympathizers during the Civil War. There is very little information to help Sparks find the gold, and he has to use all his investigative resources which do not help him all that much.
The second part of the story begins on September 23, 1862, when Jackson Prescott is summoned to meet with President Abraham Lincoln. He is charged with tracking down a large gold shipment. He is to find out when and where it is to be shipped. The gold is to be used to either finance the war effort for the South or to pay people in England to help with the Southern war effort. Prescott is also charged with getting the names of those from the North who are backing the Confederacy. He is given the name of one man who is leading the plan to transfer the gold. He has been chosen for this mission because of his familial connection to the South. His father is a Southern businessman who outwardly supports slavery. Prescott cuts off all connections to his family because of this and chooses to fight on the Union side.
This lays the groundwork for the rest of the book which moves back and forth from the present to the past in alternate chapters. Both Sparks from the present and Prescott from the past get help from other interesting characters along the way, and, for me, there were some very tense moments at both points in time. For example, the description of the battle at Antietam was difficult to read while at the same time being a compelling description of the realities of war and how it affects those who have to both fight for their own survival and witness sights no one should ever have to see. I think Locklin did a masterful job of portraying just how terrible it is to go through such an experience.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading historical novels about the Civil War, but I would not restrict my recommendation only to that group. This is also a well researched mystery which I believe would also appeal to anyone who likes a bit of detective work as well as a most creative format. This book is really two stories told as one. I cannot wait to see what Locklin does next.
May 16, 2013
Beneath Hallowed Ground was an interesting read. The first chapter was a great hook (who doesn't love dead bodies in the rain after all), although I think it slowed down from there. I will say that it took me a little while to get used to the way the story jumped back and forth between time periods and characters every chapter, but once I was used to it I realized that I was kind of enjoying the parallel story lines. Because it meant that both characters were able to help unfold this great mystery at the same time and I was never given any information that I wasn't meant to know yet.
Definitely a book recommended for Civil War fans who don't mind an author who takes a little bit of artistic license with history. Although I am no Civil War expert, I felt as though there was a lot of research that went into the construction of this book. The battles were well explained and the dates were accurate and many of the characters that make appearances are people that would have been players during the Civil War. Based on the way this book was formatted (the back and forth story line) and the sheer number of action scenes, I believe that if this were picked up by a producer it would make a very smooth transition onto the silver screen. That being said, I think this is one of the rare exceptions that would make a better movie than a book because a lot of the information is given to us multiple times, and there were times that I just didn't care about the information I was being given, or felt like it wasn't a necessary thing to know in order for the story to progress.
Definitely a book recommended for Civil War fans who don't mind an author who takes a little bit of artistic license with history. Although I am no Civil War expert, I felt as though there was a lot of research that went into the construction of this book. The battles were well explained and the dates were accurate and many of the characters that make appearances are people that would have been players during the Civil War. Based on the way this book was formatted (the back and forth story line) and the sheer number of action scenes, I believe that if this were picked up by a producer it would make a very smooth transition onto the silver screen. That being said, I think this is one of the rare exceptions that would make a better movie than a book because a lot of the information is given to us multiple times, and there were times that I just didn't care about the information I was being given, or felt like it wasn't a necessary thing to know in order for the story to progress.
April 23, 2015
I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/11985372
Let me declare up front that I received a free e-book copy of this novel through LibraryThing's early reviewer giveaway, but I have been a bit slack in reading and reviewing it.
The novel has a very interesting structure with two parallel narratives set 150 years apart. One is set at the time of the U.S. Civil War and involves an attempt by a Union spy to infiltrate a secret Confederate attempt to obtain and smuggle out of the country enough gold to turn international opinion in their favour. The second parallel story is set in the present day and follows an FBI agent attempting to locate where the gold was hidden at the end of the war and whose daughter has been kidnapped by another group also after the gold.
The characters are all believable and even though we know that the two stories will eventually overlap (geographically, wherever the gold is hidden), the journeys of both groups of characters is thoroughly enjoyable.
In addition, the inclusion of what seem to be accurate historical references about the Civil War in general, and the Battle Of Gettysburg in particular, added for me at least another dimension to the story.
A solid 4 1/2 stars out of 5. Recommended.
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/11985372
Let me declare up front that I received a free e-book copy of this novel through LibraryThing's early reviewer giveaway, but I have been a bit slack in reading and reviewing it.
The novel has a very interesting structure with two parallel narratives set 150 years apart. One is set at the time of the U.S. Civil War and involves an attempt by a Union spy to infiltrate a secret Confederate attempt to obtain and smuggle out of the country enough gold to turn international opinion in their favour. The second parallel story is set in the present day and follows an FBI agent attempting to locate where the gold was hidden at the end of the war and whose daughter has been kidnapped by another group also after the gold.
The characters are all believable and even though we know that the two stories will eventually overlap (geographically, wherever the gold is hidden), the journeys of both groups of characters is thoroughly enjoyable.
In addition, the inclusion of what seem to be accurate historical references about the Civil War in general, and the Battle Of Gettysburg in particular, added for me at least another dimension to the story.
A solid 4 1/2 stars out of 5. Recommended.
June 17, 2013
Steven Pens "Beneath Hallowed Ground", a historical murder mystery, in a plot that is fast paced and very well written. I was a bit confused in the beginning with the jumping back and forth between the Civil War Era and modern day, but once I got the hang of it I had a hard time putting it down and actually found the way the author did it was quite creative. His characters were well defined, memorable and I liked how the characters were woven into the storyline. I totally enjoyed the book and highly recommend it for all Civil War and historical murder mystery fans.
This review is based on a complimentary copy from the author which was provided for an honest review.
This review is based on a complimentary copy from the author which was provided for an honest review.
May 21, 2013
I don't usually like adult books. The few I have enjoyed have had plots that flowed like a movie script. That's what reading this book felt like, and I'm not just saying it because the author is my husband. Trust me, I am an evil judge of what I read. For the longest time he didn't want me to read this story for fear I would slaughter it! I loved it. His characters are alive as I read!
June 13, 2013
I really wanted to enjoy this book. The dual plot line had SO much possibility, but the story line seemed to drag. I enjoyed it at first, About halfway through the book, things got so slow. What a shame! But the book did inspire me to do research on this topic, so I guess I did get something from the book.
June 20, 2013
Beneath Hallowed Ground takes place during the Civil War and during the present day. The two stories, both centered around a lost Civil War gold shipment, are told in alternating chapters. At times the story seemed slow and I did prefer the present day storyline.
June 5, 2013
Absorbing Civil War story that alternates between present times and those long ago years of that terribly sad time in our history! A shipment of gold is being sent to Europe by Southern sympathizers to win support for the Confederate cause. And so the story begins!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews