Pliney Fiske

Pliney Fiske is a timid young pension agent who finds himself sprawled and bleeding in a barnyard in Concord, New Hampshire, the muzzle of a gun in his face and the Civil War veteran behind it quivering with rage. Fiske is no detective, but he has stumbled into a mystery. At its center is a boy maimed in the war and tormented by his dreams since. Pushing Fiske toward the truth is the boy's guardian, a spirited war widow. Arrayed against him is a group of soldiers, celebrated, battle-scarred, and intent on preserving a dark secret.