"Something in Madness" by U. City's Ed Protzel Just Released

U. City author Ed Protzel's new historical novel, Something in Madness, takes readers to 1865 Mississippi, when newly freed Blacks struggled to begin their lives in a South still run by unregenerate Confederates. The novel was just released by TouchPoint Press in print and eBook editions.

In the story: Abolitionist Durksen Hurst and two black friends return home to a devastated Mississippi, the sole survivors of a Union colored cavalry regiment. But instead of peace, they find unregenerate Confederates who reject emancipation still in charge. Undeterred, Durk opens a law practice to help disenfranchised freedmen — only to be threatened by powerful planters and night riders. A black school is burned; a petition march to Jackson is terrorized. And when one of his friends goes missing, Durk is horrified to discover Black Codes being used to force freedmen into brutal servitude. Clever Durk schemes to liberate them, but must contend with armed ruffians — and a rigged court system. Will fire and bullets prevail?

Protzel says he utilized actual events and attitudes, allowing readers to submerge themselves in the era. The book was written as a stand-alone, as well as the gripping conclusion to his DarkHorse Trilogy.

Something in Madness can be ordered at Amazon and Barnes & Noble, Subterranean Books, Left Bank Books, and other outlets. For more information, visit edprotzel.com.