Titus

by Keith Yocum

When a Union soldier is found dead on the outskirts of camp, his neck sliced open from ear to ear, it’s just another grim tally in the brutal war of attrition between the North and the South. But when another, and yet another soldier is found with his throat slit, an uneasy mood falls over the Union regiment. Who is killing these soldiers, and what does the strange mark on the dead men’s foreheads mean? A young Union lieutenant and an eccentric field surgeon are ordered to get to the bottom of the killings. The two officers’ strange task, and the killer’s identity and motive, combine into a gruesome tale of murder in the midst of warfare.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Mystery

288 pages, Paperback

First published August 7, 2013

About the author

Keith Yocum was born in Ridgecrest, California, the civilian town supporting the China Lake Naval Weapons Center in the Mojave Desert. He grew up overseas as an Army brat, including long stints in the Panama Canal Zone and Western Australia. He has an undergraduate degree in philosophy and a graduate degree in journalism. He had an extensive career in publishing, including publications like The Boston Globe and The New England Journal of Medicine. He lives on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and is the author of eleven novels. His espionage thriller "Valley of Spies," was picked by Kirkus Reviews as one of the best indie mysteries, crime stories, thrillers of 2019. He was a semi-finalist in the 2010 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award with his Vietnam War mystery "Daniel."

Reviews

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

An unusual mystery.

It's early in the Civil War, and General Lee has the Union forces running ragged. Between all the marching and other everyday activities of the war, someone is killing Union Soldiers and carving a symbol into their foreheads.

A junior officer and a doctor are tasked with finding the killer, and they have no idea of how to go about it.

Very diverting.

[John Flick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Titus

An excellent murder mystery set in the Civil War. The author has captured not only the mystery but also what life was like for the Union Army. The mystery has a rather strange twist in the end.

[Michael O'Gara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book that may appeal to those who are interested in the civil war period. The book’s historical context seems realistic and the premise is interesting. The book from a technical standpoint is well written. However from my perspective the book has some significant faults in its "story telling".

I found the pace too slow for my taste. I also found it hard to get invested in the characters and as a result I felt like an observer of the story rather than being able to “get lost” in it. The events the characters found themselves in, the dialogue, and the descriptions failed to evoke empathy for any of the characters. In fact, it was unclear to me for some time who the main character of the story was.

The final flaw was the ending of the book which was ruined for me by events mentioned in the Epilogue as they related to the serial killer. It seems to me the twist occurring in the Epilogue should have evolved earlier in the book, been foreshadowed there, or left out entirely. As presented, it seemed a last minute add-on.

I’d give this book 3 stars out of 5.

Note: I was given a courtesy copy of the book so I could give an honest review.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad, though Civil War history (and most American history) is wasted on me. I enjoyed the whole book, though I felt there were some aspects that would benifit from some tightening.