Title: The Trial and Execution of the Traitor George Washington
Author: Charles Rosenberg
Publication: July 1, 2018
Publisher: Hanover Square Press
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Historical
Pages: 432
SYNOPSIS: (From Goodreads)
British special agent Jeremiah Black, an officer of the King’s Guard, lands on a lonely beach in the wee hours of the morning in late November 1780. The revolution is in full swing but has become deadlocked. Black is here to change all that.
His mission, aided by Loyalists, is to kidnap George Washington and spirit him back to London aboard the HMS Peregrine, a British sloop of war that is waiting closely offshore. Once he lands, though, the “aid by Loyalists” proves problematic because some would prefer just to kill the general outright. Black manages—just—to get Washington aboard the Peregrine, which sails away.
Upon their arrival in London, Washington is imprisoned in the Tower to await trial on charges of high treason. England’s most famous barristers seek to represent him but he insists on using an American. He chooses Abraham Hobhouse, an American-born barrister with an English wife—a man who doesn’t really need the work and thinks the “career-building” case will be easily resolved through a settlement of the revolution and Washington’s release. But as greater political and military forces swirl around them and peace seems ever more distant, Hobhouse finds that he is the only thing keeping Washington from the hangman’s noose.
Drawing inspiration from an actual kidnapping plot hatched in 1776 by a member of Washington’s own Commander-in-Chief’s Guards, Charles Rosenberg has written a compelling novel that envisions what would take place if the leader of America’s fledgling rebellion were taken from the nation at the height of the war, imperiling any chance of victory.
REVIEW:
**A copy of this novel was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**
While the cover of this book was rather bland, the eye-catching title made up for it. The trial and execution of the traitor of George Washington. That sentence in of itself was enough for me to request this book. The other thing was the description of being an alternative ending to the American Revolution. I found that fascinating.
Full disclosure: I did not finish this book. I tried three different times to get into it and it was a huge struggle. I didn’t make it past 20%. However, I will review what I read. Jeremiah Black is getting a super secret mission to sail to the Colonies and kidnap George Washington and bring him back to England to stand trial for treason. Jeremiah is given a fake name and cover to hide under. He is deposited on the shore in the middle of a storm and picked up by the people on the beach. He is taken to a barn where he meets up with the rest of the extraction team. From there he gets the low down of how they are going to break into the house and kidnap and whisk George Washington away without getting caught.
I really, really wanted to like this book. I truly did. I thought that the whole idea was awesome. An American Revolution twist of “if the British had won”. I found the book dry and hard to get into. At 20% in they had JUST kidnapped George Washington. It moved slow and gave a lot more detail than was necessary. I have read a fair share of fiction and nonfiction historical books, so this was nothing new for me to read. I don’t want to dissuade you from reading this book. Please read it and form your own opinion.
STAR RATING: 1/5
The Trial and Execution of the Traitor George Washington by Charles Rosenberg is available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble now. You can also check you local bookstore. Also make sure to add it to your To Reads list on Goodreads. You can also check out more novels from author Charles Rosenberg here!
