The Second Mrs. Hockaday

By: Susan Rivers

Narrated by: James Patrick Cronin, Julie McKay

When Major Gryffth Hockaday is called to the front lines of the Civil War, his new bride is left to care for her husband's 300-acre farm and infant son. Placidia, a mere teenager herself living far from her family and completely unprepared to run a farm or raise a child, must endure the darkest days of the war on her own. By the time Major Hockaday returns two years later, Placidia is bound for jail, accused of having borne a child in his absence and murdering it. What really transpired in the two years he was away?

Inspired by a true incident, this saga unfolds with gripping intensity, conjuring the era with uncanny immediacy. Amid the desperation of wartime, Placidia sees the social order of her Southern homeland unravel. As she comes to understand how her own history is linked to one runaway slave, her perspective on race and family are upended. A love story, a story of racial divide, and a story of the South as it fell in the war, The Second Mrs. Hockaday reveals how this generation - and the next - began to see their world anew.

©2017 Susan Rivers (P)2017 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

Non-Chrono. Mystery/Drama Told to Through Letters

Beautiful performance of various letters, diary entries, inquiries, etc. through the mid to late 1800's.

Compelling mystery told out of order, will keep you guessing and shocked at many different turns.

I came in blind, and I get frustrated at the out-of-order sequence of events. Every chapter characters brings up some - 'Horrible thing I Dare not Mention' which gets irritating. I also imagine this is a much better read vs listen, since you can't flip back and re-read events after the twists.

Great story, but not for an impatient person like me. I imagine plenty of people absolutely love this novel story..

so, so story.

well read, but nothing compelling about the story. very thin plot and never connected to the characters.

Compelling story with one complaint.

I read a review of this book & was happy to find it on Audible. I am sometimes wary of books in diary or letter form, but this one was very well done & kept up the suspense & mystery to the very end. My husband & I listened to it on a long car trip & it kept our interest all the way. We were disappointed & distracted toward the end as the narrator, who read in a pretty believable southern accent, repeatedly read "calvary" instead of "cavalry" for soldiers on horses. I don't know whether it was the author's mistake or the reader's, but was surprised that somebody didn't correct it. I was also curious about other accounts of the story, after reading that it was based on fact. The story was definitely worth a listen, in spite of the "calvary" problem!

Devoured in 2 days

It gives you appreciation for the complexity of life, of the times, of love as a mother, wife, and daughter.

Civil War Love Story

This story about a young wife named Placidia, left behind on her husbands farm after being married only 3 days while he goes back to fight in the Civil War is very believable. Seventeen year old Placidia is left to care for baby Charles ,son of her new husbands first wife who died ...she encounters so many difficult situations with resourcefulness and courage.