The Marker

 The Marker by Diana Savastano   346 pages

Despite this book’s less-than-creative title, I was eager to read it. According to the back copy, it was about a marker from a Civil War soldier’s grave and his attempt to have his body moved to its proper burial site.

I was worried when I first opened it. The spacing between the paragraphs screamed self-published. And spacing between paragraphs also, usually, means poor writing.  I’m happy to report that most of the book is well done.

The book opens in 1863 at Port Gibson, Mississippi. Dr. Bradley Taylor, CSA, is killed and is buried in a makeshift grave. He’s exhumed in 1867 for a proper burial but is mistakenly misidentified. A marker denotes the place of his burial.

The story then shifts to present-day New York City. Reporter Jennifer Beasley is in desperate need of a vacation, but her editor, Sam, talks her into doing one more story before she gets two weeks of rest and relaxation. So Jen and a reporter head to Florida on assignment.

After their arrival in Fort Lauderdale, they have a free afternoon before headed to their interview. In an antique shop, Jen purchases a grave marker that had been taken from a Mississippi national cemetery in 1952. She doesn’t feel right about owning such an object. Before she decides what to do with it, she has an unusual encounter. When she holder the marker, she hears a voice, begging her to take him home.

After her assignment is complete, Jen starts to look into the marker’s history.  What follows is a highly readable story. I can’t give away any more than I already have. I truly enjoyed this book from the beginning until almost the end, about a fourth from the end, the story falls apart and seems rushed.  Therefore The Marker receives 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.