The Lost Despatch
“The only thing more dangerous than a spy is a woman with nothing left to lose.”
Historical Thriller • Espionage • Civil War
In Civil War Washington, Confederate spy Nancy Newton risks her life carrying secrets through Union lines. But when she is framed for murder, the woman already guilty of espionage must prove her innocence before Federal intelligence—and the gallows—catch up with her.
Coming Soon
About the Book
Washington, D.C. – 1865
The Civil War has turned drawing rooms, boarding houses and government offices into another kind of battlefield.
Nancy Newton is the daughter of a Confederate colonel and one of the South’s most resourceful spies. Moving through Washington society under layers of charm and deception, she carries out a final obligation born from a promise to her dying father.
But when espionage collides with murder, Nancy finds herself hunted by Federal intelligence and forced to defend herself against a crime she did not commit. Complicating everything is Major Robert Goddard, a Union officer whose growing feelings for Nancy challenge both duty and allegiance.
The Lost Despatch is a Civil War espionage thriller about divided loyalties, deception, duty and forbidden love, adapted from James Leach’s screenplay and inspired by Natalie Sumner Lincoln’s classic 1913 novel of wartime intrigue.
Book Details
Title: The Lost Despatch
Author: James Leach
Inspired by: Natalie Sumner Lincoln’s 1913 novel The Lost Despatch
Genre: Historical Thriller / Espionage / Civil War
Setting: Washington, D.C. and Civil War America
Timeline: 1864–1865 / American Civil War
Format: Historical Novel
Status: Coming Soon
Available: Coming Soon
About the Author
James “JC” Leach, USAF (Ret.) is a U.S. Air Force military veteran, technical writer, instructional designer, and screenwriter whose work blends operational realism, geopolitical tension, and deeply human stakes.
With more than two decades of experience across military aviation, electronic warfare, technical documentation, intelligence-related training, and instructional design, JC brings a combination of field knowledge and narrative discipline to his fiction. His U.S. Air Force career included electronic warfare and airborne systems, thousands of flight hours, and extensive experience working within complex military and aerospace environments.
After years developing screenplays, James brought that same cinematic instinct to long-form fiction, combining visual storytelling, technical authenticity, and character-driven suspense.
JAMES LEACH Author • Screenwriter 