In a drought‑shadowed Illinois town, the creek runs low — and a body turns the water to poison. Cora Countryman runs the Countryman House boardinghouse to keep her debts at bay and her independence intact. When a well‑dressed stranger is pulled from a feeder stream, Cora and the town’s restless newspaperman, Sebastian Kanady, stumble into a tangle of rusted loyalties: a hired rainmaker who courts the desperate, trustees who hoard wells, and a war‑scarred past hidden beneath a polite veneer. As rumors harden into accusations and one man’s brand becomes a town’s verdict, Cora must peel back reputations and rivalries to find who planted the dead man — and who would burn the town to hide the truth. Tension mounts as cholera and rage race through Railtown and Wanee, and the only way to stop the worst is to expose every buried secret. Will Cora’s stubborn compassion save the innocent, or will the town’s thirst for vengeance drown them all? When drought, disease, and rumor threaten a community, loyalty and courage are tested. Cora faces debt, a wounded town, and a mystery that touches her past — an intimate, evocative historical mystery about survival, betrayal, and unexpected bravery. Read the story reviewers call "authentic and unique" — add to cart now and feel every heartbeat of Wanee. "It is really wonderfully written. Intense, grounded in the time and place, and ends with surprises and fireworks galore. " Heather Haven, author of the Alvarez Family Mysteries Church instills this captivating story with the fascinating resentments of the post-Civil War Midwest, where former Confederates hide their identities, especially as many Wanee residents fought in the war themselves. The continued hatred is only heightened by the desperation for clean water and the public's dark sentiment for residents of Railtown, a nearby shantytown. Cora braves upsetting this volatile mix in the interest of justice. ... Cora, a character it is pleasureable to cheer for, resolutely defends ... regardless of the danger to herself." -- Booklife Reviews A Reedsy Must Read. A serious drought. A mysterious death. A plucky young woman whose father was killed during the Civil War now trying to make it on her own. This is a well-written piece of historical fiction, weaving in some of the facts that many people might not know about the Civil War. This novel explores many of the post-war tensions that existed after the war concluded, as well as during Reconstruction. I have read several of this author's previous works, and this novel is true to historical facts, just like those that preceded it. Books like this are one of the reasons I enjoy reading this genre. -- Reedsy Review , Wanda Adams Fischer Like  Unbecoming a Lady , the first book in the series, I loved writing this book because I love Cora Countryman, her small Illinois town in 1876, and her circle of friends. Left a boarding house and in debt by her mother, nineteen-year-old Cora is on her own. She longs for a life of mystery and adventure but can only dream of it due to the debt she must repay. As she struggles, she is immersed in her changing town. Loyal, fierce, plucky and determined, she is a change agent herself. A Confluence of Enemies is the rousing sequel to Unbecoming a Lady , the first book in the Wanee Mystery Series, featuring Cora Countryman. Cora Countryman is: "Cora is a lively protagonist who dipslays grit and determination." -- Reedsy "Cora is a character it's pleasurable to cheer for, resolutely defends ... regardless to the danger to herself." -- Booklife "Totally enjoyable mystery story with a charming protagonist." -- Reader review