A story told in both and present about the civil war in North Carolina. Very informative and worth reading.

Most of McCrumb's novels set in the Appalachians have been mysteries. This book features some characters readers have met before, Sheriff Arrowwood and Nora Bonesteel, However, like several earlier novels the crux of the action is set in the past, when N. Carolina settlements were small and remote and the law was harsh and difficult to enforce. In this work the Ghost Riders of the title are from the Civil War called into the present time by the presence and actions of a band of re-enactors: men playing at the combat that had wracked the territory over a century earlier. The conflict did not just set state against state, but neighbor against neighbor, for not all in Confederate territory favored succession. The mountain folk, in particular, resented conscription since few owned any slaves or were affected by the tariffs that were seen as oppresive by the more prosperous flatlanders. Neighbors and even families were divided on the issue. McCrumb follow the lives of two historical figures: Zebulon Vance who served as governor of N. Carolina and as a US Senator, and Malinda Blalock who posed as a boy to follow her husband into the Confederate Army and later into the forces that fought on behalf of the Union. While Vance is only to willing to let the war end and move on under the new government, Keith Blalock has scores to settle, reminding us that many of the feuds and hard feelings that carried into the early 20th Century had their origin in the War. The supernatural aspects of the tale are well handled, not so intrusive as to turn the novel into fantasy fiction.

Although technically part of McCrumb's Ballad Series, don't be misled by the title into associating this novel with the song about dead doomed cowboys "tryin' to catch the devil's herd across the endless skies". Her ghost riders are the unsettled shades of US Civil War soldiers wandering the Appalachian hills in the 21st century, possibly stirred up by re-enactors who ought to be leaving the past IN the past, especially in an area where the lines were blurred during the war, and many people now cannot even be sure which side their ancestors fought for. Actual historical figures are major characters, and two of them (erstwhile governor of North Carolina, Zebulon Vance; and Malinda a/k/a "Sam" Blalock, one of the documented female soldiers who enlisted by posing as boys) tell us the 19th century story that makes up most of the narrative. The supernatural element is perfectly managed...just eerie enough to set your neck hairs tingling, not so outrageous that you want to scoff and sputter at the author for spoiling a good tale. And this was a real good 'un. Brief present day appearances are made by recurring characters Spencer Arrowood and Nora Bonesteel. Spencer's search for details of an ancestor purported to be the last casualty of the war in the mountains, doesn't go much of anywhere, and feels sort of pointless here. Possibly McCrumb picked up that thread in a later book, because I know she left little clues in Ghost Riders to another ballad novel in the series, which features Zeb Vance as the attorney who unsuccessfully defended Tom Dooley. ( )

This is a remarkable book. It exposed me to a facet of American Civil War history about which I previously knew nothing. The author writes a very taut and eminently reasonable story about the time of the Civil War in a remote part of western North Carolina. War was not waged but disputes existed and were settled. The drawl of the speakers is at once a language unto itself but also very understandable.
But this book also exposed to me another side of a current controversey: the maintenance of Southern Civil War memorials. Just how can we condemn slavery and honor those who fought to defend it? Except for the rare exception, honor for those who fought is reserved for the victors. When that honor is shared between victor and vanquished, there cannot have been a final end to what it was about in the first place. The author does not address this issue directly but it is there to be recognized. ( )

This novel is based in western North Carolina/eastern Tennessee and is inspired by actual historical characters. The Civil War in the Appalachians split families and towns and the divisions didn't end as the war ended. This novel is a bit mystery, a bit history and quite a good read. ( )