In Freedom’s Shadow

John Scobell risked everything to escape slavery at the outset of the Civil War and thought he'd made his way to freedom – until the moment he was recruited and sent back to the Confederacy as an undercover Union spy.

Can he avoid capture and certain death at the hands of brutal Rebel spy hunters? Will he find the one item that can break the Confederate codes and earn Scobell his emancipation?

Or will he remain forever in freedom's shadow?

In Freedom's Shadow is based on the heroic true story of John Scobell, an African American slave who escaped bondage at the outset of the Civil War only to return to the Confederacy as a Union spy. Putting a historic yet fresh twist on the espionage thriller, In Freedom's Shadow won a 2024 International Firebird Book Award for African American Fiction and a Spring 2024 PenCraft Award as a Best Book for Historical Fiction.

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Praise for In Freedom's Shadow:

"A well written historical novel, which skillfully blends adventures during the early portion of the Civil War with a sound knowledge of the old city of Richmond, the capital of the Confederacy. It...has all the elements of a spy adventure. Scobell is the hero of the novel as he seeks a secret cypher system used by the Confederacy. [T]he body of the book grows with aspects of tradecraft and suspense as the story unfolds. This is a good historical novel and well worth reading."

- Kenneth Daigler, CIA Operations Officer (Retired)/Author

"In Freedom's Shadow grabs you from the very first sentence and never lets you go; Hilliard's breathtaking prose places you right in the moment in this heart-pumping retelling of the true story of John Scobell. Hilliard takes the reader on a vivid kaleidoscope of twists and turns that includes espionage, [and] a perilous border crossing that makes you feel as though you're with Scobell the entire way. In Freedom's Shadow is this years must read for anyone who loves history, thrillers, and true stories of American heroes."

- Salena Zito, Author/National Reporter

"In Freedom's Shadow reads like a movie as it follows John Scobell, a former slave turned [Union] operative sent behind Confederate lines. Who can he trust and who will turn him in? Hilliard packs In Freedom's Shadow with vivid historical details inviting you to the theater of the mind."

- Dan LeFebvre, Based on a True Story Podcast Host