Appomattox ended the war with a penstroke...
but the struggle for freedom had only begun.
1865. After the Civil War, Durksen Hurst and three black friends return home to a devastated Mississippi, the sole survivors of a Union colored cavalry regiment. But instead of peace, they find unregenerate Confederates who reject emancipation still in charge.
Undeterred, Durk opens a law practice to help disenfranchised freedmen - only to be threatened by powerful planters and nightriders. A black school is burned; a petition march to Jackson is terrorized. And when one of his friends goes missing, Durk is horrified to discover Black Codes being used to force freedmen into brutal servitude. Clever Durk schemes to liberate them but must contend with armed ruffians - and a rigged court system. Will fire and bullets prevail?
In this concluding chapter of Ed Protzel's DarkHorse Trilogy, Something in Madness illuminates Reconstruction, the least understood epoch in American history, exposing the origin of America's ongoing racial divide.
WHAT LED TO THIS UNLIKELY FRIENDSHIP?
Read The Lies That Bind, book 1, and Honor Among Outcasts, book 2.
PRAISE FOR SOMETHING IN MADNESS
"Despite the dark forces at work in Something in Madness, it is ultimately a tale of hope and determination against seemingly insurmountable odds. It is also a timely tale for these troubled times in our divided nation."
-Terry Baker Mulligan, author of Sugar Hill
"...an engrossing story not just for historical fiction readers, but for anyone who would better understand the roots of modern racism... Something in Madness stands out as a powerful saga of ongoing strife."
-D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review
Praise for The Lies That Bind
"...a deftly crafted and consistently compelling read..."
- MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW
"...a gripping tale...of deceit, slavery, and dangerous complicities..."
- READERS' FAVORITE, 5 STARS
Praise for Honor Among Outcasts
"...a pulse-pounding journey of desperate men and women caught up in the merciless forces of hatred and fear that tear worlds apart..."
- MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW
