Doctrine of Shadows: How America’s First Spy Was Forged Beneath the Founding Fathers

by Douglas Gosselin

The Republic is young, its air thick with smoke and ink, its cobblestones still echoing with the march of armies not long gone. Beneath the speeches and parades runs another ledgers without titles, couriers who vanish into alleys, truths too fragile to survive in daylight.

Cyrus learns to move inside that hidden world. His boots track river mud into taverns heavy with tobacco smoke and spilled gin. His fingers stain with ink as he copies ledgers that whisper of betrayal. Across from him, Smith watches in silence, a presence felt more than seen, each step precise, each pause deliberate, as if even his stillness carries intent.

The Doctrine does its work in shadows. A rumor buried in Boston tilts a vote. A forged manifest in Bordeaux unravels an empire’s supply line. In Baltimore, a press is silenced before its fire can spread. Quiet acts, invisible on the surface, but sharp enough to cut history.

Not all who move in the dark serve the same cause. Camille’s smile lingers like citrus, her knife glints beneath a lantern, her choices leaving marks no archive can erase. She fights her own war, her own doctrine, and every step draws Cyrus closer to the edge between loyalty and loss.

The Doctrine does not tell the truth. It carries it—in the smoke of taverns, in the silence of prisons, in names erased from the page but never forgotten. And in that silence, the Republic’s fate trembles on the edge of a blade.

📖 Available now on Amazon.
💡 The cipher is real. It’s in the book. If you pay attention.

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261 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 28, 2025

Reviews

[Rose Ornellas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Douglas Gosselin’s Doctrine of Shadows plunges deep into that hidden world, weaving an intricate and atmospheric spy tale set in the turbulent birth of the American republic. At its heart is Cyrus, a foundling raised in the household of John Jay during his ambassadorship to Spain, who is quietly recruited into a clandestine network known only as The Doctrine. Guided by the enigmatic Mr. Smith, Cyrus becomes part of a secret force working in the shadows to protect the fragile new nation while the Founding Fathers shape it in the open.

Gosselin’s research shows on every page. Real historical moments Shays’ Rebellion, tensions with Haiti, the Chesapeake-Leopard affair intertwine with the fictional spy network, giving the story a vivid and believable sense of place. The narrative spans decades, following Cyrus from idealistic youth to hardened operative, showing how deeply espionage and politics become entangled.

What impressed me most was the moral complexity. This isn’t a simplistic good-vs-evil tale; it’s about loyalty, betrayal, and the cost of living a life that can never be known or celebrated. The characters wrestle with duty versus identity, and love versus secrecy, making the stakes feel human as well as political.

That said, it’s not a quick read. Gosselin dives into spycraft minutiae and political mechanics, which sometimes slow the pace, and the sheer number of characters and shifting timelines can be disorienting. But for readers who love dense historical fiction, richly layered plots, and slow-burning intrigue, it’s deeply rewarding.

[Courtney Pityer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a book that I was lucky enough to win in a goodreads giveaway! I will say I ended up loving this book a lot mainly because of the history nerd inside of me. It takes place in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century during the early days of the forming of the United States. I will say I wish I had known about this book and the two before it were apart of a series because I am absolutely certain the amount of history in the plot of those other two is also very important information.

[AMAO · Rating 5 out of 5]

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