Lies That Bind

Lies That Bind
Joanne Walpole
Whisky Creek Press
ISBN: 1-59374-608-3
Fiction, Historical Romance
Reviewed by Dr. Tami Brady

Merrie Calhoun had been a gentle devoted sister and daughter but the Civil War had taken much from the girl: her father, her brother Sam, and her innocence. She was only a woman but she wanted to do her part, to be a hero and do the honourable thing that her brother Sam had always talked about. So Merrie disappeared under a rough persona of Cal, a young man who specialized in secret dispatches and whatever else that needed to be done confidentially and discretely.

It was on one of these missions that Cal happened upon her brother Tom. Tom still wanted to believe that his sister could someday live an ordinary life. Her other remaining brother Kit, knew better. He knew that Merrie was long dead and Cal was no kin to him.

Lies That Bind is a completely woven tale of intricate family ties, one woman’s attempts to redefine her identity in the wake of war torn chaos, and a little love story. I particularly liked the differing actions and well thought out interactions between the various siblings. Sam who thinks war is heroic, Tom who wants to keep the family together, Kit who tries to look hard hearted, and Merrie who doesn’t realize her own abilities. I think this book could actually be divided into two equally good books, a historical fiction and a historical romance.