This book does not adequately explain the reasons why some Confederates chose to flee to Mexico at the end of the Civil War rather than just going home. Nor does it fully explain Napoleon III/Maximilian's reasons for attempting to take over Mexico. As a result, the reader is left with an incomplete vision of why the major characters in the book took the actions they did.

The book was didactic in that it explained well the actions taken by the various players. I thought the final chapter of the book, which chronicled General Shelby's last act on the historical stage as the US Marshal for western Missouri, was superbly written.

In an effort to grasp the big picture, the author included a few too many off-subject tales that appeared to lead to some dead ends for the reader. The portions of the story dealing with General Shelby's role in the history of Missouri and surrounding areas were interesting and deserved further attention.

In short, the book attempted to tell the story of a group of Confederates in Mexico after the War, and did so incompletely. In that regard, I believe the author failed somewhat in his effort.