rebel spy

2.5 stars

This is an ok historical fiction about the mysterious Agent 355 – the famous “lady” spy who passes information to George Washington’s Culper spy ring.

Frannie Tasker is a young girl in the Grand Bahama Islands. Her mother died and she is left in the custody of her drunken, lecherous step-father. When Frannie discovers the body of a young women, Emmaline Coates, floating off the coast, she assumes the girl’s identify and takes the opportunity to escape her brutal step-father. Frannie discovers that the young woman is rich and part of society, so Frannie must learn to act and speak like her in order to keep up the charade.

Once in New York Frannie blends into Ms. Coates’ life. She is courted by a British lieutenant and soon learns about the darker side of the war. Using her position in society, she begins to eavesdrop on British officers and passes on the information to Robert Townsend, a member of the Culper spy ring.

I am fascinated by the Revolutionary War, and in particular, the spy ring developed by George Washington. So, I was very excited to get the opportunity to read this book. Unfortunately, it wasn’t what I expected. The writing was ok, but the story fell flat. Disappointingly, the spy ring was a very small part of the book. Frannie’s exploits and “spying” was described very simplistically and the author didn’t provide much detail about what she did and how she did it. Considering the book is 368 pages long, I was expecting a much more robust depiction of Frannie’s participation in the spy ring, but didn’t get it.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.