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Unholy Fire
John “Kit” McKittredge is a young Federal officer from Maine who is terribly wounded in one of the first battles of the Civil War. Still unfit for active duty after nine months in hospital, he is recruited by an unorthodox colonel named Valentine Burdette to work in the Provost Marshal General’s office in Washington.
The beleaguered Capital, now swollen to seven times its pre-war population, is filled with saloons, brothels, spies, thieves and murderers. It is also rife with official corruption and political intrigue.
While investigating what appears to be a routine case of military procurement fraud, Kit becomes embroiled in the murder of a beautiful young woman who has had the misfortune to attend the birthday party of Union General Joseph Hooker, the notorious and charming libertine.
The investigation leads Kit through a series of harrowing adventures—both on the battlefield and in the Capital’s darkest dens of depravity—until he and Val Burdette must confront a vast criminal conspiracy that threatens both their own lives as well as the fate of the Republic.
This riveting thriller by the award-winning author of the critically-acclaimed Stonewall’s Gold hauntingly brings to life one of the most dramatic periods of the Civil War.
The beleaguered Capital, now swollen to seven times its pre-war population, is filled with saloons, brothels, spies, thieves and murderers. It is also rife with official corruption and political intrigue.
While investigating what appears to be a routine case of military procurement fraud, Kit becomes embroiled in the murder of a beautiful young woman who has had the misfortune to attend the birthday party of Union General Joseph Hooker, the notorious and charming libertine.
The investigation leads Kit through a series of harrowing adventures—both on the battlefield and in the Capital’s darkest dens of depravity—until he and Val Burdette must confront a vast criminal conspiracy that threatens both their own lives as well as the fate of the Republic.
This riveting thriller by the award-winning author of the critically-acclaimed Stonewall’s Gold hauntingly brings to life one of the most dramatic periods of the Civil War.
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
10 people are currently reading
64 people want to read
About the author
Robert J. Mrazek
30 books70 followersRobert Jan Mrazek was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives, representing the 3rd Congressonal District on Long Island for most of the 1980s.
He was born in Newport, Rhode Island, but grew up in Huntington, New York. He graduated from Cornell University in 1967. In 1967, he entered the United States Navy.
Mrazek was elected as a Democrat to the 98th United States Congress, defeating one term Republican incumbent John LeBoutillier. Mrazek served in the House from 1983 until 1993.
While in Congress, he coauthored the law that saved the Manassas battlefield from being bulldozed for a shopping center. He also authored the Tongass Timber Reform Act, the Amerasian Homecoming Act, which brought nineteen thousand children fathered by Americans during the Vietnam War to the US, and the National Film Preservation Act of 1988, which set up the federal registry in the Library of Congress to protect films of cultural importance.
Since retiring from Congress, Mrazek has written ten books. He also wrote and co-directed a feature film called The Congressman, that was released in 2016.
Mrazek is the author of seven novels, including Stonewall's Gold, Unholy Fire, The Deadly Embrace, Valhalla, The Bone Hunters, Dead Man's Bridge, and And the Sparrow Fell.
In 2000, Stonewall's Gold won the Michael Shaara Prize as the best Civil War novel of the year. In 2007, Deadly Embrace won the W.Y. Boyd Prize for Excellence in Military Fiction from the American Library Association.
Mrazek has also written two critically acclaimed non-fiction works, including A Dawn Like Thunder, which was named Best Book (American History) by the Washington Post, and To Kingdom Come, the story of a disastrous mission by the US 8th Air Force over Germany in 1943.
He was born in Newport, Rhode Island, but grew up in Huntington, New York. He graduated from Cornell University in 1967. In 1967, he entered the United States Navy.
Mrazek was elected as a Democrat to the 98th United States Congress, defeating one term Republican incumbent John LeBoutillier. Mrazek served in the House from 1983 until 1993.
While in Congress, he coauthored the law that saved the Manassas battlefield from being bulldozed for a shopping center. He also authored the Tongass Timber Reform Act, the Amerasian Homecoming Act, which brought nineteen thousand children fathered by Americans during the Vietnam War to the US, and the National Film Preservation Act of 1988, which set up the federal registry in the Library of Congress to protect films of cultural importance.
Since retiring from Congress, Mrazek has written ten books. He also wrote and co-directed a feature film called The Congressman, that was released in 2016.
Mrazek is the author of seven novels, including Stonewall's Gold, Unholy Fire, The Deadly Embrace, Valhalla, The Bone Hunters, Dead Man's Bridge, and And the Sparrow Fell.
In 2000, Stonewall's Gold won the Michael Shaara Prize as the best Civil War novel of the year. In 2007, Deadly Embrace won the W.Y. Boyd Prize for Excellence in Military Fiction from the American Library Association.
Mrazek has also written two critically acclaimed non-fiction works, including A Dawn Like Thunder, which was named Best Book (American History) by the Washington Post, and To Kingdom Come, the story of a disastrous mission by the US 8th Air Force over Germany in 1943.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
May 6, 2014
This book kept me reading even though it was nightmarishly graphic and often unrealistic. Overall I think the historical aspects have been portrayed accurately. Joseph Hooker, especially, is portrayed realistically. Personally, I don't think Lincoln made "mistakes" in appointing generals. I think he simply didn't have good options early on. Kit's superhuman feats are too much. Maybe the most unbelievable thing for me was that Kit at twenty-one and during war time could have still been a virgin. I also would like to have seen more of Amelie's story. I think it might have made the book richer. I liked this book although it wouldn't make a favorites list.
September 26, 2017
The first half of this book is long and boring. Nothing really happens until the middle of the book. It gets better, but fraud in military procurement? Could you have picked a more boring plot? Then the epilogue seems like it should be part of an entirely different book. I recommend skipping it.
March 14, 2021
Excellent description of DC during the civil war. Loved the character Val the mastodon!
September 13, 2012
I am not usually a mystery book reader, but I was recommended this book and I love history I thought I would give it a read. Right off the bat I have to say that I really liked the style that this book was written in. It doesn't start out like a detective story, and it never really feels too much like a hard boiled mystery. The mystery plays a part in creating the atmosphere of a historical fiction set during the Civil War. Our narrator, Kit, has played his part in the early battles but has ended up in the Provost Marshall's service investigating deserters, faulty equipment and other more mundane aspects of running a war. He gets dragged into a murder investigation under his boss, Valentine Burdett.
Mrazek has a very obvious grounding in classic mystery/detective stories. About halfway through the book, the mammoth Burdett makes some amazing deductions about a character's occupation based on the musculature of the hand, half hidden medical implements, and general carriage. It reminded me a lot of Sherlock Holmes, although our friend Kit is no Doctor Watson. If you are a fan of Holmes, these characters read more like Mycroft and a younger, more jaded Doctor Watson.
What I liked most about this book, is that it had more depth to it than a flat out mystery. Action, adventure, murder, and romance. What more could you want? Admittedly, I am occasionally a sucker for a good romance, and this one certainly satisfied that slightly sappy, romantic side of my brain.
The only downside of the story is that the epilogue is pretty abrupt and a new interesting character is added only to give our narrator someone to talk to. I would have liked to know more about her, maybe her own story or a sequel. Spunky females shouldn't be added 5 pages before the book ends, but I can't fault Mrazek for creating compelling characters. All in all a very enjoyable read for history buffs and mystery fans alike.
Mrazek has a very obvious grounding in classic mystery/detective stories. About halfway through the book, the mammoth Burdett makes some amazing deductions about a character's occupation based on the musculature of the hand, half hidden medical implements, and general carriage. It reminded me a lot of Sherlock Holmes, although our friend Kit is no Doctor Watson. If you are a fan of Holmes, these characters read more like Mycroft and a younger, more jaded Doctor Watson.
What I liked most about this book, is that it had more depth to it than a flat out mystery. Action, adventure, murder, and romance. What more could you want? Admittedly, I am occasionally a sucker for a good romance, and this one certainly satisfied that slightly sappy, romantic side of my brain.
The only downside of the story is that the epilogue is pretty abrupt and a new interesting character is added only to give our narrator someone to talk to. I would have liked to know more about her, maybe her own story or a sequel. Spunky females shouldn't be added 5 pages before the book ends, but I can't fault Mrazek for creating compelling characters. All in all a very enjoyable read for history buffs and mystery fans alike.
October 4, 2015
(Audible; Patrick G. Lawlor, narrator) This is excellent historical fiction about the narrator's experiences in the Union Army during the Civil War, a war I generally avoid reading about unless Abraham Lincoln figures large. The background fabric is Lincoln's inability to find a decent general to lead the Army of the Potomac. The narrator, Kit, badly injured in a battle, becomes an opium addict, and this addiction--feeding it and treating it--is one of the plots. He becomes an investigator in the precursor to the present-day federal GAO, tracking down men and companies that are defrauding the U.S. army. This second plot--the fraud--is also written as a mystery. This terrific book certainly deserves a wide readership, and I intend to read/listen to Mrazek's other books.
January 11, 2016
I loved it! It was fast paced, lots of actions, there was some crime solving. The characters! Val, Hathaway, Hooker, Amelie I loved them all, they were all interesting! I thought I wouldn't enjoy this since it's a civil war book, but I enjoyed it. The parts when Kit had to go through physical ordeals, I liked the description it felt like I was there and seeing it happen. I loved the epilogue!
February 27, 2008
If you don't mind frequent trips to the dictionary, this is a great read!
October 8, 2009
THe audio version of this book was excellent. I kept listening non-stop. What a great way to learn history. The story of corruption during the Civil War was fascinating. Sadly, little has changed.
May 27, 2010
Another great Civil War story, examines Yankee soldiering, dangers presented from friendly troops as it applies to Yankee racism, war profiteering, prostitution. Well worth your time.
April 12, 2011
Civil war fiction is probably my favorite genre. I have met this author; he's married to a friend of mine. Also wrote "Stonewall's Gold."
July 23, 2011
Interesting look at the Civil War meshed with a detectitve story
April 23, 2015
Meh.
Just - meh.
Just - meh.
December 31, 2016
This novel should be regarded with the highest praise and honors from a elementary school writing competion. The characters and situations are "novel-y" and unbelievable. Skip it.
March 9, 2016
I did not enjoy this book very much. It had a good plot but I just dont like mystery books. I would not rate this book very high.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews