A Novel of the Revolution tells what life was like when patriotism meant danger, disgrace, ruin, and even death. It's the story of the Culper Ring, a group of people who gathered intelligence for George Washington throughout America's War for Independence. Central to the story is a mysterious operative known to history only as 3-5-5, the Culper's code for "lady."
Shadow Patriots covers much more than secret codes, invisible ink, double agents, and aliases. An estimated 11,500 American soldiers died of starvation, disease, exposure, and brutality in British prisons in theAmerican colonies. The battles of Brooklyn, Monmouth, and Stoney Point are part of the story, as well as the hardships of winter encampments at Valley Forge and Morristown.
The Revolution had its lighter side, too. Such as: What were the origins of "Yankee Doodle?" What was a macaroni? Which famous American hero shouted, "Come out, you damned old rat." to a British general? Why did some of founding fathers and mothers sleep with their heads in cages?
Kirkus Reviews said of Shadow Patriots, "Few novelists working now have a better grasp of early American history than Robson. |
