The Jackal's Mistress - by Chris Bohjalian (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

INSTANT NATIONAL BESTSELLER - #1 BOSTON GLOBE BESTSELLER - USA TODAY BESTSELLER - In this Civil War love story, inspired by a real-life friendship across enemy lines, the wife of a missing Confederate soldier discovers a wounded Yankee officer and must decide what she's willing to risk for the life of a stranger, from the New York Times bestselling author of such acclaimed historical fiction as Hour of the Witch and The Sandcastle Girls.

Virginia, 1864--Libby Steadman's husband has been away for so long that she can barely conjure his voice in her dreams. While she longs for him in the night, fearing him dead in a Union prison camp, her days are spent running a gristmill with her teenage niece, a hired hand, and his wife, all the grain they can produce requisitioned by the Confederate Army. It's an uneasy life in the Shenandoah Valley, the territory frequently changing hands, control swinging back and forth like a pendulum between North and South, and Libby awakens every morning expecting to see her land a battlefield.

And then she finds a gravely injured Union officer left for dead in a neighbor's house, the bones of his hand and leg shattered. Captain Jonathan Weybridge of the Vermont Brigade is her enemy--but he's also a human being, and Libby must make a terrible decision: Does she leave him to die alone? Or does she risk treason and try to nurse him back to health? And if she succeeds, does she try to secretly bring him across Union lines, where she might negotiate a trade for news of her own husband?

A vivid and sweeping story of two people navigating the boundaries of love and humanity in a landscape of brutal violence, The Jackal's Mistress is a heart-stopping new novel, based on a largely unknown piece of American history, from one of our greatest storytellers.

Review Quotes

"Top-notch.... Based on a true story, The Jackal's Mistress brings all the propulsive plot and sensitive character development one has come to expect from Bohjalian; here, he spins a tale of unlikely romance between a wounded Union soldier from Vermont and a gritty Virginia woman."
--Kate Tuttle, The Boston Globe

"Inspired by true events....A moving tale about the difficult choices people must make in dangerous circumstances."
--The Washington Post

"It's hard not to get pulled in from the first sentence....The Jackal's Mistress gallops along, sweeping us up in its heart-pounding final pages."
--Minnesota Star Tribune

"The true story of a wounded Union officer saved by a Confederate woman... adding imaginative twists to the original story line... when Capt. Jonathan Weybridge is severely wounded in battle and left to die... Libby feels honor bound to do for him what she hopes a Union woman would do for her husband. Thus 'the Jackal...' becomes a secret member of their household and a perilous friendship blossoms."
--Alida Becker, The New York Times Book Review

"Propulsive and tense with each plot turn....A flawless novel, emotional and poignant while showing humanity in all its good and evil during war."
--The Historical Novel Society

"A real-life Civil War friendship inspired this powerful novel, told in gorgeous prose by Bohjalian....The Jackal's Mistress is a sure-bet for fans of Cold Mountain and The Red Badge of Courage."
--CJ Lotz Diego, Garden and Gun

"The Jackal's Mistress is a story that needs to be told. Immediately, readers will be immersed in the narrative and, as with all of Bohjalian's books, invested in the characters. The book is thrilling and suspenseful, with detailed descriptions that appeal to the senses. This reader highly recommends Bohjalian's 25th novel, another masterpiece in his prolific career."
--Pauline Getzoyan, Armenian Weekly

"Like much of Bohjalian's historical fiction, The Jackal's Mistress gallops ahead with cinematic pacing and intensity....Among Bohjalian's many strengths as a storyteller is his ability to create strong female characters, who are the backbone of The Jackal's Mistress....Exhaustively researched and eminently readable, The Jackal's Mistress illuminates a tale that was previously known to only a handful of Civil War historians--told by one of Vermont's best storytellers."
--Ken Picard, Seven Days

"Bohjalian....is a true American original who has mastered every genre he has tackled....The Jackal's Mistress...is destined to be a classic worthy of Charles Dickens, Edgar Allan Poe, William Faulkner and Ernest Hemingway, and is easily one of the most powerful novels I have read in a long time....An unforgettable read that cements Bohjalian's placement on the literary Mount Rushmore of American writers."
--Ray Palen, Bookreporter

"This page-turner from bestselling Bohjalian...will not disappoint fans of American Civil War narratives. The vividly drawn characters and historical details make for a compelling read."
--Library Journal, Starred Review

"Elegant, poignant, and richly atmospheric....Bohjalian once again demonstrates his profound respect for women, endowing his female protagonists with depth and nuance."
-- Booklist, Starred Review

"A masterful yarn...A compelling story about two people who long for their spouses in a time of war."
--Kirkus, Starred Review

"Bohjalian skillfully rachets up the tension....Readers will be glued to the page."
--Publishers Weekly

About the Author

CHRIS BOHJALIAN is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of twenty-five books, including The Princess of Las Vegas, The Lioness, Hour of the Witch, Midwives, and The Flight Attendant, which has been made into a Max limited series starring Kaley Cuoco. His other books include The Red Lotus; The Guest Room; Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands; The Sandcastle Girls; Skeletons at the Feast; and The Double Bind. His novels Secrets of Eden, Midwives, and Past the Bleachers were made into movies, and his work has been translated into more than thirty- five languages. He is also a playwright (The Club, Wingspan, and Midwives). He lives in Vermont and can be found at chrisbohjalian.com or on Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, Litsy, and Goodreads.