Narrated by Nan McNamara, who uncannily captured the vocal nuances of the players, Lincoln's Lady Spymaster tells the heretofore unknown story of Elizabeth Van Lew. A belle in Richmond whose family had been transplanted from the North, Elizabeth sacrificed her fortune and reputation to help slaves, the U.S. government, and the northern army during the Civil War. Little known stories of others who performed bravely during the war to aid the North are included in the book as well as background information on assassin John Wilkes Booth.

Undercover, Elizabeth and her spy ring sought out information which they passed to Union authorities to help win the war. In addition she hid numerous Union soldiers to help them escape back to the North. While we've heard of Southern spies such as Rose O'Neal Greenhow, tales of spies for the Union are few and far between, an indication of their success.

Elizabeth entertained Southern government officials, helped relay information, and even masterminded a grave robbery to return a Union officer to his family. When the Union Army took Richmond, she took down the large Confederate flag in her foyer and posted an even larger United States flag in her front garden. History buffs and women's advocates alike will enjoy this forgotten saga of Elizabeth Van Lew.

Overall the book wasn't bad. However, I am very disappointed that it didn't focus more on female perspectives in the Civil War.

Written history about female historical figures is usually lacking and I unfortunately think it really shows in this book. The book title leads readers to believe that it is about Elizabeth Van Lew, a lady spymaster. However, she gets very little page time in a book that is supposedly named after her. While the book was educational about the Civil War in a very general sense, it feels misleading to be titled the way that it was. Why name a civil war book about a lady spymaster and then focus more on males that are already well known? It was a bit disappointing.

Was hoping that this book would stay a bit more on topic delve deeper into the female spies however it tends to drift back into areas and the males that are well covered by other historical books. Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Audio for an advanced copy for an honest review.