The tension between the United States and the Imperial French government at the close of the Civil War provides the basis for 'Second Chance, ' author Ed LeCrone's newest novel. LeCrone vividly describes the trials and close escapes of the former Union infantryman, Chance Neunan, as he resumes his quest to re-connect with the woman he discovered in the res of war. Neunan is rejected by his mixed race love interest who feels that the barriers involved in their coupling will be insurmountable. Not knowing the location of Andrea Edwards except that she was an executive in the Freedmen's Bureau organization in Texas, the newly recruited cavalry trooper volunteers for a hazardous mission in order to continue his search. The clandestine operation he joins is designed to gather information regarding the forces of Napoleon III and his appointee to the throne of Mexico, Arch Duke Maximilian. The main characters eventually learn of each others presence just as the intrigue explodes into open hostilities between the two contesting factions on the Rio Grande. Ed LeCrone, former educator, has produced his fourth literary offering; 'Second Chance', in the winter of 2013. Born and raised in Central Illinois, LeCrone spent his early life attending public schools in Moultrie County. He worked as a farm hand as a teenager and with the assistance of a teaching scholarship, attained a certi cate in the eld of education. When the opportunity arose, he lost himself in the hills and bottomlands of the Kaskaskia and Okaw Rivers' watersheds searching for Indian artifacts and observing the various animal species. LeCrone received degrees from Eastern and Northern Illinois universities as well as acquiring a grant to study for a summer at the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. The author enjoys writing and painting in his retirement as well as researching the American Civil War. Previous books by LeCrone are: 'The Grave on the Point', a collection of short stories, 'Beyond the Point', a second book of short stories, and 'Fire on the Prairie, A Civil War Novel'. The writer and his wife, Darlene, make their home in McHenry County in northern Illinois."