2019 Winner of the John Esten Cooke Award for Fiction

The Scarlet Pimpernel meets Gone with the Wind in this suspenseful Civil War novel that leaves the lives of two men -- and the destiny of a nation -- in one woman's hands.

One woman holds the fate of the country in her hands. Can she allow her brother die so that others might live?

AS THE CIVIL WAR grinds into its second year, an audacious and mysterious figure known only as the Lion of the South emerges from the shadows to rekindle the Confederacy's spirit of defiance.With no one to turn to and nowhere to run, Julia is caught in a tangled web of secrets and deception. The only way to save her beloved brother from the hangman's noose is to unmask the Lion. But who is he?When she finally discovers the enigmatic hero's true identity, Julia sets off on a desperate journey to stop the vengeful plot she unknowingly helped set in motion. But time is running out. The elusive Lion is walking straight into the Yankees' trap.Despite the danger, Julia is determined to save the two men whose lives hang in the balance -- and redeem herself from the deadly mistake she has made.