I stumbled across
Until the End (1996) by Harold Coyle in a used bookstore. I think I was 18 years-old at the time (20 years ago now, ouch lol). I liked the book so much, I luckily found the first book in the two-book series,
Look Away (1995), however in a different used bookstore this time (a lucky find I guess). And all before the mainstream adoption of the internet to make things easier!
While I read the books in reverse, reading the #2 book (
Until the End ) first actually enriched the experience when I read the #1 book (
Look Away ) last. So much so, I went back and reread
Until the End again. I believe I read the series twice over with
Until the End 3 times.
It is a special gem of a mini-series if you are into family conflict in the American Civil War, where the rich & politically connected father puts one brother on one side of the war, the other brother on the opposite side, to ensure his continued social rise at the expense of his children, no matter what side won the war. Romance hits both brothers, as does a murder mystery, and the rise of both brothers within the respected armies and the comrades they interact with. You go through this whole series seeing the war and the unfolding circumstances through the father, both his sons, and both romantic interests. It is really a great series and if memory serves right, the last 4 chapters of
Until the End is just nail biting and heart wrenching, as both books' stories & plots come to an end. I really wish Mr. Coyle did a third book or another series set in this same universe, but I understood why he ended it after 2 books and went on to write other books.
To this day, it was one of my favorite finds and still one of my favorite books/book series. I haven't been blessed like this since with a find. While the books are out of print, you can find them on eBay and Amazon used and in rare situations, new. I still have both of my books on our bookshelf at home.
