A review by samhouston
Soul Catcher by Michael C. White
4.0
Just prior to the Civil War, slaves were a big part of the Southern economy in many ways, some of which have not been often considered in Civil War fiction. In addition to providing the labor that made it possible for the United States to dominate the world cotton market, escaped slaves provided a living for the slave catchers and "blackbirders" who personally profited from their desperate flights northward. Slave catchers, called "soul catchers" by blacks of the era made their money by tracking down runaways and returning them to their legal owners. Blackbirders, on the other hand, preyed upon any black person they could catch wandering around the border or northern states. Whether those blacks were free men or slaves already owned by someone in the area meant nothing to a blackbirder who could round up a dozen or so blacks and make a small fortune by transporting them to one of the large slave auctions some distance away from their capture.
"Soul Catcher" tells the story of one of these men, slave catcher Augustus Cain, a man who has made his living catching runaway slaves since his return as a wounded (with a permanent limp) veteran of the Mexican War. Ironically, just as Cain is thinking he will give up the dubious occupation of slave-catching so that he can make his way to California to start over, he is backed into a corner by a man who holds the bill of sale to Cain's prized horse. Cain, wanting desperately to save his horse, finally agrees to find the man's "stolen" property, a young woman who has stolen herself from her master and headed north.
But, as Cain will find out for himself, Rosetta is no ordinary runner. She is determined that she will never live as a slave again, and she is willing to kill anyone who dares think about returning her to Virginia from Boston. Cain has seen that level of determination before and is not surprised by it. But as the chase, capture, and return trip carries Cain hundreds of miles, and as the weeks add up, he will be surprise himself and Rosetta more than once. This is the adventure of a lifetime for Cain; for Rosetta it is something much more important.
"Soul Catcher" is, at times, a totally absorbing book, one whose characters will stick with the reader long after its final pages are turned. Admittedly, it's climax is a bit predictable, but that hardly lessens the impact of this very fine piece of Civil War fiction.
"Soul Catcher" tells the story of one of these men, slave catcher Augustus Cain, a man who has made his living catching runaway slaves since his return as a wounded (with a permanent limp) veteran of the Mexican War. Ironically, just as Cain is thinking he will give up the dubious occupation of slave-catching so that he can make his way to California to start over, he is backed into a corner by a man who holds the bill of sale to Cain's prized horse. Cain, wanting desperately to save his horse, finally agrees to find the man's "stolen" property, a young woman who has stolen herself from her master and headed north.
But, as Cain will find out for himself, Rosetta is no ordinary runner. She is determined that she will never live as a slave again, and she is willing to kill anyone who dares think about returning her to Virginia from Boston. Cain has seen that level of determination before and is not surprised by it. But as the chase, capture, and return trip carries Cain hundreds of miles, and as the weeks add up, he will be surprise himself and Rosetta more than once. This is the adventure of a lifetime for Cain; for Rosetta it is something much more important.
"Soul Catcher" is, at times, a totally absorbing book, one whose characters will stick with the reader long after its final pages are turned. Admittedly, it's climax is a bit predictable, but that hardly lessens the impact of this very fine piece of Civil War fiction.