Reviewed by Alice D. for Readers' Favorite

David Longstreet, a young and idealistic school teacher from New Hampshire, is drawn into the battles of the Civil War when Volunteer Regiments of his state are called to war. He is attracted to neighbor Sarah but must leave his life behind as he endures through the horrific battles of Manassas, Fredericksburg, and Malvern Hill. He encounters men who become close friends such as Big John who hated David until he learned that David would teach him to read and write, or Confederate soldier Matthew who bonded with David on the battlefields where they were enemies initially. Captured, David lives through the horrors of the famed Confederate prison known as Andersonville and through the treachery of genuinely bad men like Sweeney. Will this gentle, intelligent man survive the slaughter of battle after battle?

Author Donald Risho has done extensive research on the American Civil War and incorporates his story of David Longstreet, his many friends and a few enemies, into the framework of these sad years in American history. David's friendship with Matthew, the Confederate soldier from Georgia, is entirely believable as it is a well-known fact that Union and Confederate soldiers often swam together, shared foods and friendship while having to go to war against each other. "A Voice in the Wind" is well-edited, well-written, and has many believable characters who mingle well with famous actual people from that era. Civil War buffs abound and all of them will love reading this new addition to stories of their favorite war. Mr. Risho concludes "A Voice in the Wind" with these poignant words from page 339: "With all due respect to those gallant soldiers who engaged in that futile cause, and to the legions of men that gave the supreme sacrifice, it was time to set aside the ill-fated tragedy of war and go on to the next phase of an immortal epic." Well put.