"Soaring with Vultures"

by Dan Kelly

"Soaring with Vultures" by Dan Kelly

In post-Civil War Missouri, killing was the way of life.

With the echoes of Rebel gunshots only recently silenced in Kentucky and his near-fatal chest wound still healing, Union Colonel William A. Warner moved his wife and children to a new land in hopes of finding peace and prosperity. Instead, he discovered that violence remained rampant in Lafayette County, Missouri, where his dreams of a new life turned into a family nightmare.

"Soaring with Vultures" presents a fictional account of a real 1868 killing that nearly tore the Warner family asunder. It captures an era rent by lynchings, bushwhackers, and political strife--remnants of the Civil War--and shows how the ubiquitous violence ensnared even the most upstanding of families.

It is told through the eyes of Colonel Warner's son, Leslie, whose openness and youthful idealism are repeatedly put to the test. He has a front-row seat for the family drama involving his sister, Sallie, who marries Missourian Sam Nutter, only to find he's a drunk, a thief, and a liar. After she files for divorce, Sam launches a campaign of terror against the Warners that culminates in a fatal shooting and a first-degree murder trial.

Author recommendations

"A contentious divorce, a thirst for revenge, and suspenseful courtroom drama--all tantalizing elements in Dan Kelly's debut novel, set against the backdrop of tumultuous post-Civil War Missouri. Kelly has skillfully blended fact and fiction in a story filled with colorful characters, absorbing history, and riveting action that will keep you turning pages from first to last."

Andrea Warren, author of "The Boy Who Became Buffalo Bill: Growing Up Billy Cody in Bleeding Kansas"

"Kelly captures the turmoil and chaos of post-Civil War Missouri--told through the eyes of a young idealist who discovers that betrayal and violence have come to torture his own family. Fans of historical fiction are going to like this one."

Steve Berry, New York Times bestselling author of "The Lost Order"

310 pages, Paperback

Published August 18, 2017

Reviews

[Copperfield Review · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised by Dan Kelly’s novel Soaring With Vultures. Soaring With Vultures takes place in Missouri after the end of the Civil War, and though the war itself has ended there is still violence to contend with. Soaring With Vultures is told from the point of view of Leslie Warner, who must watch as his family suffers in the aftermath of the war. Leslie’s sister, Sallie, is embroiled in a bitter divorce, and Sam Nutter, the man she divorces, is a less than savory character. Nutter wages his own war against the Warner family, leading to a murder trial.

Soaring With Vultures has the feel of a western with good guys versus bad guys, so fans of westerns will particularly like this novel. Author Dan Kelly manages to make the murder trial suspenseful, not an easy task when so many murder trials abound in books, television, and film. The history shared in Soaring With Vultures is particularly fascinating, especially for readers who haven’t read much about life during this post Civil War period in Missouri. The story is based on true life events, which adds a certain validity for fans of historical fiction who like their fiction to contain as much historical fact as possible. Soaring With Vultures has been carefully researched, and Kelly has paid a lot of attention to detail, also important elements for fans of historical fiction.

Kelly has an easy to read, conversational writing style, and he pulls readers into the story through allowing the characters, and the facts, to speak for themselves. Readers with a taste for post Civil War fiction, westerns, or murder mysteries will enjoy Soaring With Vultures.

[Rita · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read

This is a great story, partly true, about a Missouri family. I gave it a four because it became a little wordy for awhile.