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    The Crescent Spy
    The Crescent Spy
    The Crescent Spy
    Audiobook10 hours

    The Crescent Spy

    Written by Michael Wallace

    Narrated by Rosemary Benson

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Writing under a man’s name, Josephine Breaux is the finest reporter at Washington’s Morning Clarion. Using her wit and charm, she never fails to get the scoop on the latest Union and Confederate activities. But when a rival paper reveals her true identity, accusations of treason fly. Despite her claims of loyalty to the Union, she is arrested as a spy and traitor.

    To Josephine’s surprise, she’s whisked away to the White House, where she learns that President Lincoln himself wishes to use her cunning and skill for a secret mission in New Orleans that could hasten the end of the war. For Josephine, though, this mission threatens to open old wounds and expose dangerous secrets. In the middle of the most violent conflict the country has ever seen, can one woman overcome the treacherous secrets of her past in order to secure her nation’s future?

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrilliance Audio
    Release dateNov 10, 2015
    ISBN9781501266980
    The Crescent Spy
    Author

    Michael Wallace

    MICHAEL WALLACE is a senior consultant with Cardinal Solutions Group, an IT strategy, Agile coaching, and disaster recovery consultancy.

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    Reviews for The Crescent Spy

    4/5

    17 ratings5 reviews

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    • 4/5
      This has been a year full of books on women spies during the Civil War. I think this might have been my fourth or fifth book I’ve read since January. It does seem that books run in cycles. The Crescent Spy takes a different approach in that the heroine is a newspaper reporter. Highly unusual for a female during this time period. Josephine Breaux was happily working at a Washington newspaper coming in with scoops from both sides of the War. She is, however writing as Joseph Breaux – until she is outed by a rival paper. This creates a series of problems – she loses her job, she is picked up by some officers and she thinks she is being hauled off to jail. But she is really being tested and that test lands her at the White House talking to President Lincoln. From there her life changes completely as she finds herself part of Pinkerton’s league of spies. She is sent to New Orleans as she knows the area – her job is to provide information about anything she can about fortifications, preparations, etc.Josephine gets settled in New Orleans and very quickly gets hired and sent on her first assignment out to a fort. From there she settles into her dual life while also dealing with some family issues. She is a rather worldly, very wise young woman at 21 and she says her maturity and knowledge comes from extensive reading. It’s a lot to accept but she does have a complicated back story I’m not going to get into in a review here. She just comes off as a much older character.You can tell from reading that Mr. Wallace did his research into the battle for New Orleans – there is a fair bit of detail at least in regards to the big river fight. Not much in the way of blood and gore, but much in the way of booms, bombs and ship movement. These passages have the reader right in the midst of the battle and it’s not a comfortable place to be.Overall I did enjoy the book. The story was an interesting way to present the battle for New Orleans. It seems like the ending left an opening for another book which would be interesting. Josephine was just hinting at a romance and she was learning more about her past. A second book would further these stories rather than leaving all of those questions hanging in the air as they are now.
    • 4/5
      Josephine Breaux makes her living as a newspaper reporter; however during the Civil War she must write under a male pseudonym. As a female, she is able to get information from both the Union and the Confederacy. When her cover is blown, Josephine is arrested at a traitor and spy. To her surprise, Pinkerton Agent, Franklin Gray takes her instead to Washington where she meets President Lincoln himself. Lincoln wants Josephine on a mission in New Orleans collecting information for the Union. Josephine arrives in New Orleans during the height of the fighting. Josephine’s past helps her get through the battles, but some other people from her past want to bring her down.I love reading about women in the Civil War. The Crescent Spy offered an exciting account of another brave woman who gave her all during the war. Josephine’s character is very intriguing with her past as interesting as her present. Josephine is intelligent, fast-thinking, brave and compassionate. I loved seeing her perspective on the battles and her news stories. Josephine acts truly selflessly in all of her actions throughout the war. I was very impressed with Josephine’s decisions and thought process in her determination in the Union taking New Orleans. There was very realistic battle scenes and historical information, also. I loved that the romance took a back-burner to the plot, but was still a great part of the story.This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
    • 4/5
      If you’re reporting news, you don’t generally want to become the news. However, other than unearthing that ‘Joseph’ is actually Josephine Breaux, the article in their competitor’s paper is wrong. She is not a spy even though she speaks with generals on both sides of the war. She all but loses her job with the Morning Clarion, a paper in Washington, DC. The Pinkerton agents place her under arrest as a spy and traitor, but their ultimate purpose is to use Josephine in a mission.She meets President Abraham Lincoln who convinces her how valuable she will be for the Union side. She has a unique ability to get people to open up to her as she’s able to speak in many dialects and accents. Lincoln felt the key to controlling the war was to win the south through New Orleans. Josephine knows New Orleans like the back of her hand. She’d grown up there. She manages to work for the New Orleans Daily Crescent, a paper whose editor has heard of the accusations against her, yet welcomes her at almost any salary. Her first assignment … Fort Jackson. She’s able then to provide feedback about their fortification and troop preparations.This historical fiction novel is set during the Civil War just after the battle of Bull Run. Michael Wallace skillfully unveils the historical version of the streets and conditions of New Orleans without pulling the reader away from the story line. This is not based on an actual character yet the story itself is believable based on historical happenings. Josephine Breaux was presented as strong willed and even a bit arrogant. Yet, she was a likable character. There is also a bit of a love story. Rating: 4 out of 5.
    • 5/5
      The Crescent Spy by Michael Wallace is a great historical novel. It is set during the Civil War and takes place mostly in New Orleans, Louisiana. Josephine Breaux is twenty years old and a reporter for the Morning Clarion in Washington, D.C. She gets information from both sides (using her feminine charms) which help her write great articles for the paper. Her stories were published under the name of Joseph Breaux. Until the day she was exposed and her editor fires her. Outside the newspapers office she is picked up by Pinkerton Agents. They believe she is a spy and are going to drop her off in Virginia unless she can convince them she is not a spy (and loyal to the Union).Josephine convinces Franklin Gray of her loyalty and he takes her to meet Allan Pinkerton and President Lincoln. They want her to go to New Orleans and get them information. She will be popular in New Orleans since the agents have made it look like she is a Southern sympathizer and a spy for their cause. Josephine gets a job at the New Orleans Daily Crescent. This gives Josephine a good cover for going about the city and getting a look at the military boats, installations (forts), and troops. But then an old friend of her mother’s spots her. Will this ruin everything that Josephine could do for the Union cause? You will have to read The Crescent Spy to see what happens to Josephine in New Orleans and how her work helps the Union cause.I truly enjoyed reading The Crescent Spy. The Crescent Spy is a well-written and engaging novel, and I wanted to keep reading to see what would happen next. There is a lot of history in the book (about fort, troops, and battles), but it is a necessary part of the story. I liked that Josephine was a brave, confidant woman. She was determined to use her talents for good. I give The Crescent Spy 4.5 out of 5 stars. There are just a couple of areas that are little sluggish, but overall a wonderful novel to read. I look forward to reading more novels by Michael Wallace.I received a complimentary copy of The Crescent Spy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
    • 4/5
      This has been a year full of books on women spies during the Civil War. I think this might have been my fourth or fifth book I’ve read since January. It does seem that books run in cycles. The Crescent Spy takes a different approach in that the heroine is a newspaper reporter. Highly unusual for a female during this time period. Josephine Breaux was happily working at a Washington newspaper coming in with scoops from both sides of the War. She is, however writing as Joseph Breaux – until she is outed by a rival paper. This creates a series of problems – she loses her job, she is picked up by some officers and she thinks she is being hauled off to jail. But she is really being tested and that test lands her at the White House talking to President Lincoln. From there her life changes completely as she finds herself part of Pinkerton’s league of spies. She is sent to New Orleans as she knows the area – her job is to provide information about anything she can about fortifications, preparations, etc.Josephine gets settled in New Orleans and very quickly gets hired and sent on her first assignment out to a fort. From there she settles into her dual life while also dealing with some family issues. She is a rather worldly, very wise young woman at 21 and she says her maturity and knowledge comes from extensive reading. It’s a lot to accept but she does have a complicated back story I’m not going to get into in a review here. She just comes off as a much older character.You can tell from reading that Mr. Wallace did his research into the battle for New Orleans – there is a fair bit of detail at least in regards to the big river fight. Not much in the way of blood and gore, but much in the way of booms, bombs and ship movement. These passages have the reader right in the midst of the battle and it’s not a comfortable place to be.Overall I did enjoy the book. The story was an interesting way to present the battle for New Orleans. It seems like the ending left an opening for another book which would be interesting. Josephine was just hinting at a romance and she was learning more about her past. A second book would further these stories rather than leaving all of those questions hanging in the air as they are now.