Mostly Murders

“A soldier’s heart, that’s what they call it, my dear. When the battles won’t stop.”

Before Leona Gladney was Leona Gladney, she was a Union soldier who fought in the war disguised as man. Now, she is trying to build a new life for herself and fit into good society in Boston with her husband Gil, but when a friend is found dead and Leona herself falls under suspicion, she must risk her reputation in order to clear her name. But the closer Leona comes to the truth, the more her investigation becomes a danger to her life, marriage and family.

The Last Fatal Hour is a deeply atmospheric historical mystery with a very interesting premise: the memories of the American Civil War seen through the eyes of a soldier who was a woman disguised as a man. Leona is a woman with the weight of the world on her shoulders, silently battling with the psychological aftermath of the war, while living with the pressure of knowing how devastatingly her reputation and life could be ruined if the truth about her past were revealed.

It is a character-driven story focused on Leona and the way she is constantly treading the delicate balance between independence and rebellion, trying to stay true to herself while navigating a society that found strong women unnatural and punished those who stood out.

Many thanks to BookSirens for this ARC. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The Last Fatal Hour releases on April 7th, 2026.

Historical fiction – Historical mystery