THE SOUL OF A STRANGER978-1-941072-78-3Now full-fledge spies for the Union, the brothers Martin McCrary and John Harvey are hiding in plain sight in their hometown of Charleston, South Carolina. Martin is a commissioned officer in the militia of the now independent state of South Carolina. As such he is privy to the plans they, and later the Confederate States of America, have towards Fort Sumter. While he works to get information to and from his contacts in the Union, it is his brother, a former slave, who organizes his own make-shift navy among the slave fishermen to aid the Union as they plan to defend the fort. In the end, Fate takes the reins and our heroes can only hang on for the ride.Now full-fledge spies for the Union, the brothers Martin McCrary and John Harvey are hiding in plain sight in their hometown of Charleston, South Carolina. Martin is a commissioned officer in the militia of the now independent state of South Carolina. As such he is privy to the plans they, and later the Confederate States of America, have towards Fort Sumter. While he works to get information to and from his contacts in the Union, it is his brother, a former slave, who organizes his own make-shift navy among the slave fishermen to aid the Union as they plan to defend the fort. In the end, Fate takes the reins and our heroes can only hang on for the ride.The Soul of a Stranger is highly recommended reading for those who want their Civil War stories firmly rooted in social change and struggle, and who like tales that go beyond obvious points of contention to examine the ethical, moral, and psychological challenges of survival during a war that embraces everything…including family connections. – D. Donovan, Midwest Book Review