The Spy on the Tennessee Walker

ADVANCE PRAISE

“The Spy on the Tennessee Walker
is an eloquent and impassioned love letter to history and heroism, Southern cooking and storytelling, secret-keeping and clever sleuthing, and—above all—to smart, sassy, and fearless women. ‘Write what you know' goes the old saying. Linda Lee Peterson wrote the book—again!—on smart, sassy, and fearless.”

— New York Times
–bestselling author Jefferson Bass

“The Spy on the Tennessee Walker
is deliciously entertaining! Through old letters, flashbacks, and the modern-day investigations of the San Francisco–based Fiori family, the secrets of Civil War nurse Victoria Alma Cardworthy are finally unraveled, 150 years later. Amateur sleuth Maggie Fiori is a thoroughly contemporary character, but thanks to Linda Lee Peterson's facility with historic fiction, Victoria will capture every reader's heart.”

— Naomi Hirahara, Edgar Award–winning author of the Mas Arai and Ellie Rush mystery series

“A captivating tale of generations-long hidden secrets of spies, forbidden love, and the Civil War. I am a Linda Lee Peterson fan.”

— Robert Dugoni, #1 Amazon and
New York Times
–bestselling author of
My Sister's Grave

“Linda Lee Peterson returns with another stellar story featuring San Francisco reporter-turned-sleuth Maggie Fiori. In
The Spy on the Tennessee Walker
, Peterson moves deftly between the present day and the Civil War as she spins a compelling and moving tale of Maggie's ancestors. Expertly plotted and skillfully executed,
The Spy
is a powerful and irresistible tale that will keep you reading late into the night. Highly recommended.”

— Sheldon Siegel,
New York Times
–bestselling author of the Mike Daley/Rosie Fernandez novels

Also by Linda Lee Peterson

Edited to Death

The Devil's Interval

Copyright © 2015 by Linda Lee Peterson

This book is a work of fiction. With the exception of historical names and locations, the characters, places, and incidents either are the products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

“One Art” from
The Complete Poems 1927-1979
by Elizabeth Bishop. Copyright © 1979, 1983 by Alice Helen Methfessel. Reprinted by permission of Farrar, Straus and Giroux, LLC.

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data is on file with the Library of Congress

The following is for reference only:

Peterson, Linda Lee.

The Spy on the Tennessee Walker / by Linda Lee Peterson.

pages cm

ISBN 978-1-938849-62-6

1. Historical--Fiction. 2. Mystery--Investigation--Fiction. 3. Civil War--Fiction. 4. Oxford (Miss.)--Fiction. I. Title.

Cover design by Howard Grossman.

Layout by Amy Inouye, Future Studio.

For Captain Virginia Cardwell McDuff and Captain Vauneta Cardwell Winthrop, my aunt and my mother, in honor of their distinguished service in the Army Nurse Corps in World War II