Wednesday, July 20, 2011

"Clementine" by Cherie Priest

201 pages

Maria Isabella Boyd was so successful as a Confederate spy that she's too famous for further espionage work, and now her employment options are slim. Since her husband died, she's been especially desperate for employment, so she finally goes to work--reluctantly--for the Pinkerton National Detective Agency in Chicago. To her further disappointment, her first big assignment comes from the Union Army. A Union-sponsored transport airship called the Clementine is being relentlessly pursued across the Rockies and the Yankees want Maria to stop the chaser. The dirigible is carrying a top secret load of military materials that must be delivered to Louisville, Kentucky, without interference from whoever is chasing the ship. The evidence suggests that the pursuer is a runaway slave named Croggon Hainey who's wanted by authorities in the North as well as the South. Maria will stop at nothing to catch Hainey and his crew, but she certainly never expected to collaborate with him after finding him! That's exactly what happens after she discovers the real reason that Hainey is chasing the Clementine.

I loved this book from beginning to end. The action is pretty much nonstop and well-paced. The book is too short for much character development, but I liked the main characters and started rooting for them right away. I enjoyed the way that the early chapters alternate between Maria and Hainey's stories and then they come together in the late middle. The blend of real history (Pinkerton Detective Agency did--and still does--exist, and Belle Boyd was an actual Confederate spy) and made-up technology is super-fun. I found the ending as satisfying as the rest of the story. A great quick read for steampunk fans!

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