A Perfect Tempest

Deborah Wingard, the daughter of an asylum physician, hates the upheaval of the Civil War and fears the impending destruction raging toward her doorstep. A trained nurse, she keeps her mind occupied by helping her father with the inmates of the South Carolina Lunatic Asylum. She is very much aware of the prison camp located right next to the asylum, especially since the handsome commander of the camp, Captain Stephen Angus McPherson, intrigues her. But when she becomes involved in the center of a spy ring to help free a Union officer, Deborah must tread carefully. Along with an unusual mix of people-a mulatto housekeeper, a Chinese gardener, a Cherokee Indian scout, a madam from the red-light district, and a female photographer-Deborah struggles to uncover her true loyalties and finds that war changes all the rules. The tempest of the nation's conflict leaves shattered lives, broken pride, mangled bodies, and the tattered remnants of a once-noble city in its wake. But in the swath of the storm, Deborah discovers the depth of her strength and the joy of enduring love. Craft's delicate, articulate voice captures a unique time in our country's history. She gives us a heroine who shines as a woman of great bravery and substance struggling to do the impossible. Her story offers us romance, drama and heart-stopping suspense as she takes us back to the roots of our democracy. -Carla Damron-author of the Caleb Knowles Mysteries-enjoy Spider Blue, new from Bella Rosa Books Susan Craft paints a memorable portrait of Southern life during the tragic days of America's civil war as she weaves her unforgettable tale about the brave and resourceful Deborah Wingard. Her story provides a fresh, new look at the brave women of the Confederacy who lived those awful, war-torn days and watched their world come apart. -Bert Goolsby, author of Harpers Joy.