The Blacksmith's Daughter: A Mystery of the American Revolution [Kindle Edition]

Suzanne Adair (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Suzanne Adair's second book in her series about a family of strong women in the American Revolution is a winner. She has taken some not-so-familiar history of the Carolinas involvement in the war, and wound a story of rebel spies and intrigue. Mixed with the evil Redcoat Lt. Fairfax and other characters from the first novel, "Paper Woman," she tells the story of Betsy Sheridan, the 17-year-old pregnant wife of Clark Sheridan, a small-town cobbler. Betsy's mother Sophie, along with her uncle and her half-Indian father, are reputed to be rebel spies and have escaped from the hands of Lt. Fairfax. They are rumored to be hiding with the lower Creek Indian tribe. Based on things she finds, she suspects her husband Clark is also involved in some secret goings on. Betsy herself is innocent of wrong doing and is concerned for her unborn child. She claims to be a neutral in the war, but at every turn she is suspected of helping her mother and the others that have escaped Lt. Fairfax. Clark admits to Betsy he is involved and leaves her to perform a mission for the rebels. She wants to believe that he loves her and is trying to get out of the web he has got himself into. Lt. Fairfax and others are suspecting she is involved so she takes a chance and decides to flee to the town where she thinks her husband has gone. Clark's apprentice, Tom, is determined that she not go alone. They gather up supplies and a few other trusted people and set off. From then on the story is filled with ambushes and struggles as they find their way across wild country and face the continual threat of Lt. Fairfax and the Redcoats. The book is filled with historical information about the Carolinas, the battles in the war, and the men who fought them. Betsy gets herself out of jam after jam and makes the book a lively read. Armchair Interview says: History and fiction combined to tell a great story. --Gerry Hartsoe, Armchair Interview

Praise for "Paper Woman," the first book in the series: "Packed with action and breath-taking suspense...this is an exhilarating story that will captivate the reader from beginning to end." --Midwest Book Review

"...a swashbuckling good mystery yarn!" --Ben Steelman, Wilmington (N.C.) Star-News

Product Description

The patriots wanted her husband dead. So did the redcoats. She took issue with both.

In the blistering Georgia summer of 1780, Betsy Sheridan uncovers evidence that her shoemaker husband, known for his loyalty to King George, is smuggling messages to a patriot-sympathizing, multinational spy ring based in the Carolinas. When he vanishes into the heart of military activity, in Camden, South Carolina, Betsy follows him, as much in search of him as she is in search of who she is and where she belongs. But battle looms between Continental and Crown forces. The spy ring is plotting multiple assassinations. And Betsy and her unborn child become entangled in murder and chaos.

Praise for The Blacksmith's Daughter:

"History and fiction combined to tell a
great story." -- Armchair Interviews

"Suzanne Adair follows up her award-winning
debut with another, subtler, high-stakes adventure tale." -- Front Street Reviews

"Adair holds the reader enthralled with
constant action, spine-tingling suspense, and superb characterization..." -- Midwest Book Review

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 525 KB
• Print Length: 353 pages
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0030T1WGO
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #261,349 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

More About the Author

Award-winning novelist Suzanne Adair is a Florida native who lives in a two hundred-year-old city at the edge of the North Carolina Piedmont, named for an English explorer who was beheaded. Her suspense and thrillers transport readers to the Southern theater of the Revolutionary War, where she brings historic towns, battles, and people to life. She fuels her creativity with Revolutionary War reenacting and visits to historic sites. When she's not writing, she enjoys cooking, dancing, hiking, and spending time with her family.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Reviewed by Karen Morse, September 25, 2007

By 

Front Street Reviews www.frontstreetreviews.com - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Blacksmith's Daughter (Paperback)

Suzanne Adair follows up her award-winning debut with another, subtler, high-stakes adventure tale.

Set against the backdrop of the American Revolution, The Blacksmith's Daughter is the story of seventeen-year-old Betsy Sheridan, a neutral who can't help getting involved in rebel intrigues. Happily married to a successful cobbler, Betsey is pregnant with her first child when her seemingly-perfect life starts to fall apart.

Her uncle and both her parents are on the run after being incorrectly labeled as rebel spies. Betsey is implicated in their activities when her uncle drops by to assure her of their safety. With British officers of her case, Betsey discovers that her husband has been keeping secrets from her and, though posing as a loyalist, is involved in a rebel spy ring. When her house is first vandalized and then burned to the ground, Betsey realizes how tenuous her safety in Camden is. Knowing that she must do whatever it takes to keep her unborn child safe, Betsey is determined to leave town. Torn between a desire to reunite with her parents and her duty to her husband, it seems like there are no simple decisions in this time of war.

Filled with adventure, romance, and abundant historical detail, The Blacksmith's Daughter is a page-turner. What sets it apart from most historical thrillers, however, is its cast of substantive characters. Protagonist Betsey is sympathetic, if a bit impetuous. The secondary characters--from the villainous Lieutenant Fairfax to minor actor Josiah Carter--are all carefully drawn and fully realized. Additionally Adair puts her novel in context with a historical afterword and bibliography.


While The Blacksmith's Daughter follows Adair's first novel, Paper Woman, it does stand on its own. Paper Woman takes place immediately before the action of The Blacksmith's Daughter, but it focuses on Betsy's mother Sophie Barton, who is only a minor character in The Blacksmith's Daughter. The novels are also written in such a way that if readers encounter the second novel first, they can go back and enjoy Paper Woman without fear of knowing too much about the plot of the first novel.


Suzanne Adair is a colonial and Revolutionary War reenactor. Her first novel, Paper Woman, won the 2007 Patrick D. Smith Literature Award, given by the Florida Historical Society.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Blacksmith's Daughter -- a must read, March 9, 2011

By 

Susan Schreyer - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Blacksmith's Daughter (Paperback)

Beautifully written, exceptionally well researched, Suzanne Adair's book will transport you to a time in our history that was more dangerous and exciting than anything you learned in history class. We get to see a tumultuous time in our history from the point of view of the people who lived it. A great tale with sympathetic characters and a heart-stopping villain. Couldn't put this book down!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent historical mystery fiction!, September 15, 2007

By 

Lonnie Cruse "mystery author" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Blacksmith's Daughter (Paperback)

I love Suzanne Adair's series. I've read both books, can't wait for the third. In this book, Betsy, the heroine, is pregnant and fighting to stay alive and out of harm's way as she searches for members of her family. Facinating read and Adair has her history down pat! Excellent read, highly recommended.