Anyone who has read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer or been fascinated by the Civil War will be enthralled by Tom's adventures in this novel. A graduate of West Point, Tom develops a friendship with Hiram Ulysses Grant. He is commissioned a major in the U.S. Army and commands a regiment under Colonel Cameron of the 79th New York at Manassas. Severely wounded, he spends time recuperating in Galena, Illinois. Together Tom and Rebecca discover a plot to kill General Grant. Tom is led into the nerve-racking world of undercover operations against the Confederacy. He finds the spy business another grand adventure.
Industry Reviews
“Tom Sawyer’s Civil War Chronicles is an interesting, entertaining continuing story of Tom as a man during a turbulent period in American history. Samuel Clemens portrayed Tom as an imaginative young boy who had glorious adventures, fortunate to be alive at the end. John Jones created Tom as a lawyer, graduate of West Point, colonel, and spy. I believe that John’s Tom would leave a smile on Samuel Clemens’s face, just as it did on mine.”
—Larry J. Kerr, retired president of Quality Control Sales & Services, Inc.
“John Jones has captured the imaginations of his readers in much the same way Mark Twain did 125 years ago, when portraying the life of beloved character Tom Sawyer. John’s well-researched work of historical fiction is fast-paced and represents his love of the era of the Civil War.”
—Kathleen Shickles, lifelong reader and friend of the author
“Reading this book brought back special memories from my days as a Boy Scout, hiking several Civil War sites in Tennessee and learning the history of the battles. Jones’s creative use of childhood book-friends, Tom Sawyer and Becky Thatcher, enables readers to visualize life during the Civil War era with some delightful surprises toward the end of the book. I am confident that Samuel Clemens is smiling down on this book.”
—Skip Armistead, retired pastor
"I had so much fun spending time with Tom and Becky in this story that honored Mark Twain's voice. The deep research helped immerse me into the Civil War and the machinations of spycraft. I found myself turning pages, dying to find out what happens next as Tom went back and forth between the front, home, and enemy territory. I was moved and delighted that the expressions of faith were so effortlessly central to this story and its integrity without becoming preachy."
—Brenda Truax, therapist and pastor