Matt Hawkins, an
antiques dealer in Savannah, Georgia, buys a box of old atlases. The
last one looks uninteresting, but when he opens it to the center, he
finds a small leather-bound journal. The journal dates from the
Revolutionary War and was written by Caty Greene, wife of General
Nathaniel Green, one of Washington's officers.
In the journal, Caty
recounts the story of Washington writing a surrender letter addressed
to General Howe during the terrible winter at Valley Forge. The
letter was never delivered, but General Greene, who was the courier,
kept the letter. Caty ends up with it and so has a very explosive
piece of history.
Matt shows the
journal to Sarah Gordon, a local historian. They decide that it
should be authenticated, but this brings the existence of the letter
to the attention of politicians. The country is in the middle of a
presidential campaign. One of the candidates claims direct descent
from George Washington and is using that relationship to move ahead
in the polls. The existence of the letter could change the tenor of
the race.
Imposters of
Patriotism is told from the viewpoint of the present day interspersed
with chapters giving Caty Greene's perspective. It is both a
historical novel and a romantic suspense story. As the story
progresses, Sarah and Matt recognize their mutual attraction. They
become partners with Sarah's father in trying to find the original
letter. This attraction between the principals is a typical plot line
for romantic suspense.
The historical
details seem reasonably accurate save for the fact that Washington
himself had no direct descendants. That doesn't hurt the story, since
it is fiction, but if you're looking for historical accuracy, this is
pretty much fabrication. However, the setting is interesting and
seems accurate for both time periods.
This is a fun if
predictable read if you like historical fiction or romantic suspense.
However, if you're looking for serious historical fiction you'll be
disappointed.
I reviewed this book
for Net Galley.
No comments:
Post a Comment