This is the story of London courier Joethan Wolfe, a self-admitted rake who carries messages for the British government. Born in America, he went to England when he was ten. When his father in America falls ill, in 1775, he takes a ship for the Colonies where he has not lived for fourteen years. The rest of the story is basically him searching for his father, “Captain Sedition”.
The first thing I noticed about this story was that despite his being unfamiliar with the Colonies since he was a boy, Wolfe provides detailed descriptions and historical context for all he sees. How did he know all that?
In his first days in Boston, Wolfe runs into all the major leaders of the Patriots, sometimes in a “drive by” manner with only the surname being tossed out by a boy Wolfe takes as his guide. If you don’t know your US history, you might be lost.
We are told by the author’s description that Wolfe is an honorable man yet most of his decisions appears to be for his own pleasure.
The author left me wondering at times who was speaking because he tends to put one character’s words in the same paragraph with another character’s reaction when they should have been separated. He also shifts point of view in a single paragraph and only for one line. Thus, the points of view were left a bit loose. Also, some awkward choices of words at times left the meaning unclear.
The pace is good, particularly at the outset, and the story moves along at a good clip. But in the middle the story meanders as he goes to Long Island and renews (for a brief time) his childhood friendship with a woman named Prudence to whom he is attracted. She is a Patriot, whereas Wolfe appears to be neutral or on the fence. Their story really never develops.
I had the impression this was the beginning of a longer story
and so I felt a bit cheated as there is no real “end” to the book. Presumably,
the story continues in the next.
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