From Publishers Weekly
A stage actor, novelist and playwright, Humphreys (
The French Executioner) examines the American Revolution through the eyes of the inestimable Capt. Jack Absolute, an 18th-century 007 lifted from Richard Sheridan's play
The Rivals, who has a "talent for trouble," a rogue's way with women and more lives than a cat. Although he expresses sympathy for the rebels' cause, Jack agrees under duress to serve as Gen. John Burgoyne's chief spy in America. As Burgoyne launches a campaign to capture Albany, N.Y. ("the heart of the country"), Jack and his Mohawk blood brother, Até, are dispatched to root out spies working for the Illuminati, a secret lodge within the Freemasons who hope to establish a utopia in the colonies. Jack hooks up with Louisa Reardon, a beautiful Loyalist traveling with Burgoyne's army, but they are captured and separated. Escaping his captors, Jack rushes back to join Burgoyne, but arrives too late to help prevent a humiliating British defeat. A dejected Burgoyne dispatches Jack to Philadelphia to warn British commanders of the hidden threat. There is more than one surprise in Philadelphia awaiting Jack and readers. Humphreys combines historical detail, a larger-than-life hero, clever plotting and fast pacing to craft a thoroughly entertaining historical adventure.
(Oct.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From School Library Journal
Adult/High School—After a successful run in Britain, this first volume of Humphreys's "Revolutionary War" series of fast-paced adventure finally comes to the States. The title character is a fresh blending of Ian Fleming's James Bond and James Fenimore Cooper's Natty Bumpo, a man equally adept at hunting and Native American languages, along with more modern skills in code-breaking and espionage. During the pivotal Battle of Saratoga, England calls on retired Captain Absolute to use his contacts within the Mohawk tribes to convince the Native Americans to fight on the side of England. During his travels, he uncovers a secret organization known as the Illuminati that manipulates both sides of the conflict for its own dark purposes. Absolute seeks the identity of its ruler and leads readers through a series of red herrings filled with daring escapes and realistic battle scenes. Absolute holds the unusual point of view of sympathizing with the Colonial desires for freedom and liberty but still feeling the strong tugs of loyalty to the crown. The author does a solid job of using this character to illustrate the complex motivations on both sides of the war. Although full of intrigue and accurate historical detail, the novel is ultimately a straightforward adventure story that sends readers racing through the pages of Absolute's improbable but exciting captures, escapes, and fight scenes.—
Matthew L. Moffett, Pohick Regional Library, Burke, VA Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
