A review by ktoumajian
Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy: Four Women Undercover in the Civil War by Karen Abbott

4.0

3+/4- This was long but definitely worth it...I give the beginning 3 stars...a bit fractured with such meticulous details that it was hard to follow at times but once the war really gets going I was very much caught up in the exploits of these 4 very different women who use their femininity and position in society to make real contributions to the war effort on both sides. My favorite was Unionist Elizabeth Van Lew, unmarried but from a stout and well-respected Richmond family who created an immense spy ring right under the noses of the Confederate government, even convincing Mrs. Jefferson Davis to employ one of her own servants who secretly spied and collected information on Confederate meetings and military plans. Fascinating. Equally fascinating, the story of "Frank" Thompson (born Emma) who enlists to escape her brutal father and an early marriage. The two Confederates, D.C. widow and insider Rose Greenbow who manages her own spy ring until exiled to the south by Union detectives, and very young Virginian Belle Boyd, both use their feminine wiles & quick wit to get information, and both are sent to Europe to assuage England and France to recognize and support the Confederacy. This book opens up another world within the War of espionage and women daring greatly of which I was not aware.