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Call Me Charlie:  A Novel of A Quantrill Raider
By Larry Wood

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This book follows the Civil War exploits Quantrill through the eyes of a fictional member of his band, Ben Riddle. This historical novel goes beyond descriptions of skirmishes
and raids and gives us insight into the human drama of the war through the eyes of Riddle. The reader shares the torment of the times as Riddle is forced to reconcile loyalty
to his brother and friends, leaving his mother and younger siblings, the contradictions of Quantrill as a leader and simple acts of right and wrong in an arena of ongoing
military and civilian acts of bloodshed and retribution.

From the author

Call Me Charlie follows Confederate guerrilla leader William Quantrill throughout the Civil War through the eyes of a fictional member of his band.  The activities of the guerrillas, ranging from well-known events like the Lawrence Massacre to lesser known events like the 1862 attack on Lamar, Missouri, are described in vivid detail and depicted in historically accurate fashion except in minor details.  The main character, Ben Riddle, is portrayed as a reluctant member of the band who is torn between his loyalty to his brother and friends and his sense of right and wrong.  Quantrill himself is depicted as neither a bloodthirsty monster nor an avenging hero, but rather as a man of contradictions who defies caricature.  The story ends on a note of reconciliation when, after Quantrill's death in Kentucky, Ben comes back to Missouri and reunites with his sweetheart, a Union girl whose relationship with Ben was torn asunder by the war.

From the book cover

"Near the outset of the Civil War, Ben Riddle's family farm in Missouri is attacked by Kansas Jayhawkers. To counter the Federal raids, Ben follows his older brother into the
fledging guerrilla band led by a mysterious young man named William Quantrill. Ben's romance with a Union girl is split apart by the war as he is gradually baptized into the
Confederate brotherhood. He is appalled by many of the events he sees, but he stays with the guerrillas out of loyalty to his brother and friends. Call Me Charlie: A Novel of
a Quantrill Raider is how one many faces the grueling task of balancing loyalty with a nagging sense of right and wrong."

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About the author

Larry Wood is a freelance writer and retired public school teacher. His stories and articles have appeared in national and regional publications including America's Civil War,
Blue and Gray Magazine, Gateway Heritage, Missouri Historical Review, The Ozarks Mountaineer, Reader's Digest, True West, Western Digest, and Wild West. He has
received numerous awards from the Missouri Writers' Guild and the Ozark Creative Writers for both his fiction and nonfiction. He is the author of three previous books about
the Civil War in Missouri, including two that were named Best Book About Missouri by the Missouri Writers' Guild. Wood is a staff writer for Show Me the Ozarks Magazine
and an instructor for Long Ridge Writers Group. He and his wife live in Joplin, Missouri
 

Review by WindingRiver.com Staff