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Abducting Arnold--A Novel of the American Revolution by [Becky Akers]

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Becky Akers

Abducting Arnold--A Novel of the American Revolution Kindle Edition

by Becky Akers (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

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He was the country’s greatest hero before he became its worst villain.

Benedict Arnold is the archetypal traitor—or was he? Abducting Arnold is historical fiction at its best, richly dramatizing the American Revolution’s most brilliant officer while turning little-known history into an edge-of-your-seat thriller.

Cry, laugh, exult and rage as you read of General Arnold’s attempt to betray the Patriots’ Cause. When his fellow officers foil his treachery in the nick of time, Arnold flees to British lines in New York City, the most wanted man in America.

Now, three months later, a young woman joins him. Clem Shippen is as skilled in the kitchen as she is homely, a cousin-in-law with scarce prospects for marriage who has previously served as Arnold’s cook. But this time there’s an added ingredient: she is also a spy for General George Washington. He hopes to kidnap the traitorous Arnold and smuggle him back to American lines for trial and execution with Clem’s enthusiastic help. Enthusiastic, that is, until she realizes that Arnold may be a hero after all—and uncovers explosive information tying her fate and that of the new country to his...

A novel of espionage, heartbreakingly close calls, and profound betrayal, Abducting Arnold will entrance you from its opening pages to its surprising denouement! And don't miss its sizzling prequel, Halestorm, also available on Amazon.

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488 pages
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English
Publication date

March 13, 2014
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2737 KB
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Becky Akers is a woman of talent and considerable skill as a writer. She has written a special book ... [and] done something noble: she has made a much maligned figure a fully dimensional, likable human being. ... Abducting Arnold is an intelligent escape to a special moment in time..." -- Yvonne Lorenzo, author of Son of Thunder and The Cloak of Freya. --This text refers to the paperback edition.

About the Author

Becky Akers is a free-lance writer and historian who publishes so voluminously that whole forests of gigabytes have died. You've heard of some of the publications that carry her work (the Christian Science Monitor, the Washington Post, Barron's, the New York Post, American History Magazine, the Independent Review, Military History Magazine, the Ottawa Citizen, forbes.com); others can only wish you'd heard of them.
Becky is a member of the Foundation for Economic Education's Faculty Network. She's also written two novels of the American Revolution, Halestorm and its sequel, Abducting Arnold. Buy them now to begin your adventure in this era of wrenching choices and extraordinary sacrifices.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00H6J50T4
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Quackenduck Books (March 13, 2014)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 13, 2014
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 2737 KB
Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 488 pages
Lending ‏ : ‎ Enabled

Best Sellers Rank: #1,543,110 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #4,824 in Historical Thrillers (Kindle Store)
- #9,921 in War Fiction (Kindle Store)
- #12,909 in Military Thrillers (Books)

Customer Reviews:
43 ratings

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Becky Akers

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Becky Akers is a free-lance writer and historian who publishes so voluminously that whole forests of gigabytes have died. You've heard of some of the publications that carry her work (the Christian Science Monitor, the Washington Post, Barron's, the New York Post, American History Magazine, the Independent Review, Military History Magazine, the Ottawa Citizen, forbes.com); others can only wish you'd heard of them. She is a member of the Foundation for Economic Education's Faculty Network. She's also written two novels of the American Revolution, "Halestorm" and its sequel, "Abducting Arnold." They advocate sedition and liberty, among other joys, so the wise reader will buy them now, before they're banned.

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Will the Real Benedict Arnold Please Stand Up

Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2021

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If you ever thought your history books shortchanged you on the tale of Benedict Arnold, this novel is for you. Becky Akers takes a deep dive into the legendary hero of the Revolution turned traitor, and the results may surprise you.

By masterfully submersing the real history into a fictional recounting, the story blossoms in all its fascinating detail. You won't get this much fact and detail in an ordinary history textbook. Yet, the only fictional character is the narrator, Clem Shippen, whom Akers paints so well that you're just as intrigued with her storyline as you are with Arnold's.

Clem, a devout Patriot herself and cousin-in-law of Benedict, has been assigned to help the Patriots kidnap Benedict Arnold after he had changed allegiances. As his family's cook, she has the opportunity to sit with him after supper and listen to his war-time saga while she waits for her handlers to solidify the abduction plans. She learns how brave and brilliant a general he had been while fighting the British; how the Continental Congress clipped his wings at every opportunity, seemingly to ensure every major battle would end in defeat. Many did, but Arnold and his rag-tag soldiers managed to prevail at enough skirmishes to earn his Patriot legend. Moreover, Clem is struck by his natural kindness and selfless pursuit of Patriot victory, going so far as to pay his troops and secure supplies out of his own pocket because the Congress refused to fund the war effort. Although the question is never addressed, one wonders if there weren't more than a few British double agents in the Continental Congress. It would certainly explain some pretty bad decisions.

Worse, though, was the constant slights and character assassinations Arnold endured at the hands of men jealous of his military genius and troop-rousing prowess that spurred freezing, starving young men into relentlessly pursuing victory for Arnold year after miserable year. He endures the lies and backstabbing politics, though, until the party calling itself the Radicals takes root in Philadelphia. They comport themselves worse than the British ever had, oppressing the people and succeeding at their own thefts so well that the question arises as to whether Americans would be more free under British rule again. At the time, a valid question, to be sure.

The end of the novel holds some surprises. Clem's relationship to Benedict isn't what she thought it was, for one. Overall, Benedict Arnold was a complex man, as loving and loyal to his wives (the first one died) as he was to the idea of American independence. You also come to realize that he was far from perfect. Were it not for his desire to please his second, faithless wife whom he adored for her beauty, General Arnold probably never would have entertained the notion of treason.

Abducting Arnold is so well-written that I felt like I had traveled back in time, participated in the action myself and had to travel back to 2021 at the conclusion. Some day (soon, I hope), this book will make a great movie.

2 people found this helpful

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Eric Campitell

What a great read; I thoroughly enjoyed it

Reviewed in the United States on July 7, 2021

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Yesterday,, I finished “Abducting Arnold.” WoW! I really enjoyed it, and I learned so much. You are talented beyond words. Dickens, Dumas and Melville have nothing on you!

I must confess that I never knew much about Benedict Arnold; I only knew that he was a dastardly traitor (supposedly) but not much beyond that. Now it turns out that he was a consummate military strategist, showing himself head and shoulders above all other generals on both sides, a man of stellar character; brave on the battlefield as a leader of men, self-sacrificing in every way, ardent toward the cause of freedom. Then enduring permanent physical injury and financial ruin for the cause, as well as slander and jealousy from incompetent and unprincipled lesser men. I actually came to sympathize with him, and, truthfully, I don’t think I blame him if he did in fact turn traitorous; he got screwed over by “the cause” six ways from Sunday. Now, if I understood correctly, even his turning traitor is not a historical certainty.

And, like you, I was also not aware of the existence of Joseph Reed and his despotic Continental Radicals, and how vehemently Arnold stood against them, and the price he paid for it.

I loved your invention of the fictitious character through whose vantage the story unfolds. And I loved the non-chronological way you told it. And you have such a unique bent for painting vivid pictures with a turn of a phrase. And I loved the way you used Nathan Hale as a device to dove-tail the two novels together (This one and "Halestorm").

Although I read avidly, it’s been mostly a diet of nonfiction for a long time; I hadn’t read a novel in fifteen years or so. But I picked two great ones, for sure.

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GinnyS

Perfect Gift for the Graduate

Reviewed in the United States on May 19, 2016

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Abducting Arnold would be a perfect graduation gift for any high school or college senior who loves reading and wants to learn more about the American Revolution than is ever taught in school. When I was in school I thought American history was boring - the Colonists didn’t like King George so some men signed the Declaration of Independence and after some fighting and some hardships they founded the United States of America – freest country on earth – end of story. I would highly recommend this book to anyone, young or old, male or female, who cares about liberty and the founding of our country.

It wasn’t that simple, and General Benedict Arnold had good if not honorable reasons for turning traitor. Arnold was a military genius and a hero to his new country but his strategies were thwarted at every turn by Congress and other generals who preferred staying behind the lines in relative luxury while their troops – ill-clad and ill-fed – suffered and died. Arnold was the exception – he marched with his men and asked nothing from them that he wouldn’t endure himself.

Through the fictional character of Clem Shippen – cousin to Peggy Shippen, Arnold’s second wife – you will experience the Revolution – from Arnold’s military campaigns to the hardships faced by the Colonists in Philadelphia under the Redcoats and then under the Radical Patriots – men supposedly on our side but more tyrannical than the Brits.

Becky Akers has done a wonderful job researching this story from letters and diaries of the Colonists who lived it – ordinary people like you and me living in extraordinary times. Imagine living in a Philadelphia where there was little food and no wood for the fireplace because the opposing armies had seized it all. Horses were starving and lying dead in the streets and the church pews had all been cut up for firewood.

I finished this book thinking that if it wasn’t for Benedict Arnold we would have lost the war In 1777 and the fact that after eight years of bloody fighting we won the right to call ourselves a free nation seems like a miracle. I wonder – if these brave men who fought for our liberty could see our country today would they think their sacrifice had been worth it?

2 people found this helpful

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