It is 1864 in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley. Twenty-four-year-old Libby Steadman's husband, Peter, is a Confederate soldier who was captured and sent to a Union prison. Once his letters stopped coming, Libby accepted the strong possibility that Peter had died. Before the war began, Peter freed all his family's slaves, and while all those newly freed left, an older couple, Joseph and Sally, chose to remain on the property and work for wages. Once the war began, Peter's 12-year-old niece Jubilee came to live with Libby. During a nearby battle, Union Captain Jonathan Weybridge loses a leg and is left by his troops when he nears death. When Weybridge is discovered, Libby refuses to let him die and brings him to her home, putting everyone in great danger. Weymouth, a college professor from Vermont, proves to be more than the "jackal" Jubilee has started calling him. With Mosby’s Rangers, a group of Confederate renegades, first threatening Libby and then searching for the Union Captain, the lines between who is truly the enemy become blurred.
The book explains the term "mistress bullet," which was the bullet soldiers saved for themselves to use when all hope was lost, providing a dignified death.
Chris Bohjalian wrote The Jackal's Mistress after being inspired by the true story of a Virginia woman who saved a Union officer. Although Libby and Jonathan are fictional, the novel captures the bravery and humanity involved. All the characters in this book are exceptionally well crafted. I strongly recommend reading this captivating story, especially if you are interested in books about the Civil War.
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Historical Fiction.
Publication Date: March 11, 2025.
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