Synopsis
Winter 1777: The times that chill men’s souls. General George Washington’s beleaguered army struggles to survive its first winter. Its only hope is a young immigrant. Lieutenant Jeremiah Creed, recently passed over for promotion, nevertheless resolves to give his all for his new country and its cause. Creed must penetrate the British high command but standing in his way is the ruthless Major Sandy Drummond, newly appointed head of British counterespionage.
Around Creed swirl a cast of characters, fictional and non-fictional, men and women from all walks of life, who are involved on both sides of the struggle. Creed leads his small band of spies in a series of daring missions. Along the way, he uncovers a British plot that could snuff out the flame of freedom in one dark blow. Complicating things, Creed’s best agent, the rakish rebel Roy Harry, is captured by the British. Creed forgoes his commander’s orders and risks a daring mission to rescue Harry from the infamous New York prison – the Sugar House. To do this he must draw on the beautiful Emily Stanley, a deep cover agent of George Washington and Creed’s secret love. Can the Winter Spy succeed? Not only Harry’s fate, but that of the Continental Army and the new nation depends on it. Interwoven throughout The Winter Spy are exciting plots involving deception, covert operations, military/naval action and espionage. This is Revolutionary War action and intrigue at its finest.
“I shall constantly bear in Mind, that as the Sword was the last Resort for the preservation of our Liberties, so it ought to be the first thing laid aside, when those Liberties are firmly established.”
Letter from General George Washington to the Executive Committee of the Continental Congress, January 1, 1777
Endorsements
S.W. O’Connell’s third Revolutionary War thriller reveals a side of the conflict rarely touched upon – the savage, in your face aspect of winter warfare, guerilla actions and diabolical intrigues.
The cold of winter thaws in the heat of battles in this rousing espionage tale…
About the Author
S.W. O'Connell is a retired US Army intelligence officer who has served in a wide variety of counterintelligence assignments around the world. Upon retirement, he decided to mix his love and study of history with his military experiences to craft historical novels.
His Revoltionary War military action and espionage series, Yankee Doodle Spies, is his first foray into historical fiction. The series' first three novels are: The Patriot Spy, The Cavalier Spy and The Winter Spy. Each novel mixes historical and fictional characters and inserts fictional plots into actual historic events.
S.W. O'Connell is also the author of the Yankee Doodle Spies Blog, a series of non-fiction essays on the American Revolution and things connected to his writing, and authors a Facebook Page of the same name. You can also follow his Tweets at @SWOConnell.
In an effort to stretch his creative range and audience, he is also crafting a Cold War espionage time-travel tale due out some time in 2021.