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  • Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy

  • Four Women Undercover in the Civil War
  • Written by: Karen Abbott
  • Narrated by: Karen White
  • Length: 15 hrs and 14 mins
  • 4.0 out of 5 stars (3 ratings)

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Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy

Written by: Karen Abbott
Narrated by: Karen White
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Publisher's Summary

Karen Abbott, the New York Times best-selling author of Sin in the Second City and "pioneer of sizzle history" (USA Today), tells the spellbinding true story of four women who risked everything to become spies during the Civil War.

Karen Abbott illuminates one of the most fascinating yet little-known aspects of the Civil War: The stories of four courageous women - a socialite, a farmgirl, an abolitionist, and a widow - who were spies.

After shooting a Union soldier in her front hall with a pocket pistol, Belle Boyd became a courier and spy for the Confederate army, using her charms to seduce men on both sides. Emma Edmonds cut off her hair and assumed the identity of a man to enlist as a Union private, witnessing the bloodiest battles of the Civil War. The beautiful widow, Rose O'Neale Greenhow, engaged in affairs with powerful Northern politicians to gather intelligence for the Confederacy, and used her young daughter to send information to Southern generals. Elizabeth Van Lew, a wealthy Richmond abolitionist, hid behind her proper Southern manners as she orchestrated a far-reaching espionage ring, right under the noses of suspicious rebel detectives.

Using a wealth of primary source material and interviews with the spies' descendants, Abbott seamlessly weaves the adventures of these four heroines throughout the tumultuous years of the war. With a cast of real-life characters including Walt Whitman, Nathaniel Hawthorne, General Stonewall Jackson, detective Allan Pinkerton, Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln, and Emperor Napoleon III, Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy draws you into the war as these daring women lived it.

©2014 Karen Abbott (P)2014 HarperCollins Publishers

What listeners say about Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy

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Excellent history with a great performance

People forget that women were as much as part of the war as men, just in different ways. This tale of 4 women - 3 spies and a 1 disguised soldier - and their accomplishments and change maker roles in the civil war is a damn good listen.

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Interesting stories

I enjoyed hearing about these 4 extraordinary women. The book was well researched and provided many interesting insights into the lives of the subjects who all ultimately paid a high price for their service.
While I enjoyed the book it was sometimes confusing when the story switched from one to another.
I’m glad I didn’t read all of the reviews before I purchased the book because their condemnation of the reader would likely have discouraged me from buying it. She certainly was not the best I’ve heard but is a long way from being the worst either.

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