A fictionalized account of undercover activities during the Civil War, Conspiracy of Knaves is the love story of Belle Rutledge, an actress turned double agent, and Charley Heywood, a dashing Confederate major working to support the Copperheads (northerners who sympathized with the south). The story is loosely based upon actual events later referred to as the ``Chicago Conspiracy,'' an attempt to free Rebel soldiers held captive in Chicago and ultimately to force the Northwest Territories out of the Union. Belle is an independent, amoral young woman seeking to survive the war in style. The constant about-faces required of her as a double agent (assigned the responsibility of spying upon a man she loves) give the story a dramatic tension that even indifferent readers will have difficulty resisting. Belle's story is bound to interest young adults who love suspense and have romance in their souls.