The Hazard Trade: A novel of occupied Newport - 1778

by Eric Picard

The Hazard Trade

In British-occupied Newport, Rhode Island, the most dangerous weapons are the people the enemy refuses to see.

Newport, Rhode Island is the crown jewel of the colonies—one of the most beautiful cities, one of the wealthiest, with the finest natural harbor in the new world. Rhode Island is a hotbed of rebellion, and the British have made an example of it: brutally occupying the city, blockading the harbor, and cutting off trade. More than half the population has fled the island, every tree has been cut down to feed the voracious need for firewood, and the British have begun tearing down the houses of those who left for fuel.

William and Mary Hazard have spent their marriage choosing principle over profit: refusing the slave trade, sheltering the vulnerable, building something decent in a city being consumed by British occupation. When soldiers raid their provisions shop and arrest them in front of their children, their careful neutrality is shattered. Survival now demands something far more dangerous than principle.

The Hazard family fights back the only way they can: in the shadows. Mary becomes the architect of a covert intelligence network hidden in plain sight, drawing on the networks women have always maintained—the gossip of officers' wives, the quiet solidarity of those the powerful ignore. William navigates a deadly game of mutual blackmail with British command. Their daughter Bridget, who has been secretly documenting British patrol patterns for two years, finally has someone to give the intelligence to. And their son Benjamin is drawn into a dangerous double game when he catches the eye of a brilliant British counterintelligence officer.

Their allies are as unlikely as they are formidable. Duchess Quamino, an enslaved caterer, risks being torn from her children to spy on British officers from inside their own dining rooms. Her intelligence is a lifeline for her husband, John, a free Black man braving the brutal Atlantic to earn the money to buy his family's liberty. He sails as first officer to Harry Sherman, a dangerous, grieving privateer captain waging a relentless war of vengeance against the empire that murdered his wife.

As a massive French fleet approaches and a catastrophic hurricane threatens to destroy everything, the Hazards and their allies must navigate the razor's edge of espionage.

The Hazard Trade is a story of ordinary people doing extraordinary things in the shadows of history—and of what it truly costs to resist.

Book one in an ongoing series, The Hazard Trade is a historical thriller set in Colonial Newport, Rhode Island. Think Turn: Washington's Spies meets The Alice Network.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction

402 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 30, 2026

About the author

Eric Picard grew up in Newport, Rhode Island, and holds a degree in History — yet no one ever told him that the Battle of Rhode Island was decided by a hurricane that wrecked both the French and British fleets in August 1778. Finding stories like that one is why he writes: the American histories that got left out of the books — the vanished towns, the invisible spies, the family secrets that refuse to stay buried.

His fiction is built on archival research, real people, and real places. Before writing novels, he worked as a commercial boat captain, SCUBA diver, and lighthouse keeper — experience that shapes every page he sets on the water. He also holds a degree in Fine Art from the University of Rhode Island and an MFA from the University of Cincinnati.

His newest novel, The Hazard Trade, is a Revolutionary War thriller set in British-occupied Newport, following one family's transformation from shopkeepers to spies. Its pages are populated by real Newporters history nearly forgot — including Duchess Quamino, the "Pastry Queen of Rhode Island," who baked her way toward her family's freedom while still enslaved, and John Quamino, the first African American to receive a college education. And yes, that hurricane is in there too.

His debut, Legacy of the Bitterroots, was inspired by visiting a ghost town in the Bitterroot mountains, then reading a prospector's diary and reading about the Great Fire of 1910. It's a slow-burn historical mystery and multigenerational saga about Crystal Village, a utopian mining settlement in Idaho's Bitterroots that vanished in the fire — and a descendant's discovery that what survived defies everything the history books say. Wyatt Earp and Calamity Jane really did pass through Eagle City, fifteen miles from where Eric placed his fictional village — and they made it into the book.

He is also the author of the urban fantasy novella Frost and the nautical adventure short story Sally Braid.

Eric lives with his wife, Erynn, in a former livery stable built in 1680, a block from the streets and harbor of The Hazard Trade. When not writing, he swims in the ocean, drives his boat, explores ghost towns, and collects the odd historical facts that turn into novels.

Reviews

[Gloria · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Giveaway read* The book was a little slow at first but then I started becoming more interested, especially with the Hazard family. The ending gives that there could be a part 2 (which I hope!!) but even if not - it was a fantastic, adventurous read.

[Christina Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good plot, words a bit redundant

**Giveaway Review**
I enjoyed the plot - family making impossible decisions during the American Revolution. However, there were places where the information about characters and conversations became redundant to the point that the same sentences were used multiple times. This was distracting to me as it didn’t move the plot along and made it sluggish at times.

[Bonne Sharp · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Great Read!!!

It captures your imagination from the moment you begin reading! Descriptive of the past it is well thought out and well executed. It made me think of how Patrick O’Brien wrote his series in that it truly placed you in that time and the way it was. I really enjoyed the book and hope you enjoy it too!!!

[Mary Yarde · Rating 5 out of 5]

Empires wage wars with fleets and armies, but occupations are endured in kitchens, counting houses, crowded wharves, and the fearful silence between knocks at the door…

There is a remarkable depth and intelligence to "The Hazard Trade: A Novel of Occupied Newport – 1778" by Eric Picard that sets it apart from much contemporary historical fiction. This is not simply a story about the American Revolution, nor merely a tale of espionage and resistance. It is an extraordinarily immersive examination of what it means to live under military occupation — how ordinary people survive, adapt, resist, compromise, and endure while history reshapes the world around them.

What impressed me immediately was the sheer authenticity of the novel’s atmosphere. Newport does not feel like a stage upon which events occur; it feels lived in. The streets bustle with merchants, sailors, soldiers, servants, dockworkers, and families attempting to maintain routines despite the ever-present pressure of British control. Every detail — the smell of tar and saltwater, the oppressive summer humidity, the groaning timbers of ships at sea, the candlelit parlours of Loyalist gatherings — creates a world so tangible that the reader feels entirely embedded within it. Picard’s command of historical texture is exceptional, yet never self-indulgent. The research serves the story rather than overwhelming it.

At the heart of the novel lies the Hazard family, and they are written with extraordinary emotional complexity. William Hazard is an especially compelling protagonist because he is neither a traditional hero nor an idealised patriot. He is a merchant, a father, and a man forced to navigate impossible moral terrain. His growing involvement in intelligence work feels entirely believable because it emerges not from grand speeches or ideological certainty, but from necessity, fear, loyalty, and survival. The strain of maintaining false appearances while protecting his family creates some of the novel’s most powerful tension.

Mary Hazard is, without question, one of the finest characters in the book. Her intelligence gathering through ordinary social interactions is brilliantly executed and quietly fascinating. Picard understands something many espionage novels overlook: intelligence work often depends less upon dramatic secrecy than on patience, observation, memory, and invisibility. Mary’s ability to synthesise fragments of overheard conversation into meaningful conclusions becomes one of the novel’s most compelling elements. She is intelligent without ever feeling artificially modern, and strong without being romanticised. Her resilience feels entirely authentic to the world she inhabits.

Benjamin and Bridget Hazard are equally memorable, particularly because the novel never loses sight of their youth despite the burdens placed upon them. Benjamin’s gradual exposure to surveillance, military logistics, battlefield communications, and the grim realities of war is deeply affecting. Some of the novel’s most emotionally resonant moments come from his growing recognition that the British soldiers surrounding him are not monsters, but human beings trapped within the same brutal machinery of war. That moral complexity gives the novel tremendous emotional weight.

Bridget’s coded ledgers and analytical mind add another fascinating dimension to the resistance network. I particularly admired the way Picard depicts intelligence gathering as a cumulative process built from fragments rather than sudden revelations. Patterns emerge slowly. Conclusions remain uncertain until verified. Information must be concealed within ordinary life. The operational realism throughout these sections is genuinely impressive.

The espionage narrative itself is exceptionally well-crafted. The constant danger posed by Major Ashworth and Sergeant MacReady creates an atmosphere of sustained tension that runs throughout the entire novel. MacReady, in particular, is a superb antagonist — not because he is cruel or theatrical, but because he is intelligent, methodical, and patient. His surveillance techniques, his understanding of networks, and his ability to recognise behavioural patterns make him genuinely unsettling. The novel understands that the greatest danger in occupied societies often comes not from overt brutality, but from careful observation and incremental control.

The maritime sections involving Harry Sherman and John Quamino are equally extraordinary. The nautical writing throughout the novel is among the finest I have encountered in historical fiction. The technical details of sailing, privateering, navigation, and naval warfare are rendered with astonishing clarity and confidence. Yet what makes these sections truly memorable is the emotional core beneath the technical mastery.

The hurricane sequence is simply breathtaking. Few authors manage to convey the sheer terror and physical violence of the sea with such immediacy. The storm feels overwhelming not merely because of its scale, but because Picard captures the exhaustion, fear, and helplessness of the men enduring it. The scenes aboard Rebecca are visceral, terrifying, and utterly immersive. One can almost feel the deck tilting beneath one’s feet and hear the impossible roar of wind and water consuming the world.

John Quamino is another outstanding character. His intelligence, navigational brilliance, and quiet authority are compelling in themselves, but what elevates the character further is the nuanced way Picard addresses race and slavery within the period. John’s competence gradually forcing respect from prejudiced crewmen feels painfully authentic rather than idealised. The novel never simplifies these tensions, nor does it attempt to impose modern sensibilities upon eighteenth-century realities. Instead, it allows relationships, trust, and shared survival to evolve naturally under pressure.

Another aspect I greatly admired was the novel’s treatment of historical events. The French fleet’s arrival, the British scuttling operations, the collapse of the siege, and the Battle of Rhode Island are all depicted with remarkable clarity and strategic understanding. Picard clearly possesses deep knowledge of eighteenth-century military operations, logistics, and naval warfare. Yet the narrative never becomes dry or overly academic because these events are always experienced through the perspectives of people whose lives are directly shaped by them.

The novel also excels in its pacing. Despite its complexity and scope, the story unfolds with deliberate confidence. Quiet scenes of conversation and observation carry as much tension as storms or battles because the reader understands how much depends upon every word overheard and every choice made. There is a maturity to the storytelling that trusts the reader to appreciate subtlety rather than demanding constant dramatic escalation.

Perhaps most importantly, "The Hazard Trade" succeeds because it understands that war is not merely fought upon battlefields. It is fought in kitchens, shops, taverns, docks, parlours, and private conversations. It reshapes families, friendships, loyalties, and identities long before armies clash. Picard captures that reality with extraordinary sensitivity and intelligence.

"The Hazard Trade: A Novel of Occupied Newport – 1778" is an exceptional achievement — richly atmospheric, intellectually sophisticated, emotionally resonant, and relentlessly immersive. Eric Picard has crafted a work of historical fiction that feels both epic in scope and deeply personal in execution.

This is historical fiction at its finest: humane, intelligent, and unforgettable.

Review by Mary Anne Yarde
The Coffee Pot Book Club

[Stacey H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eric Picard’s The Hazard Trade is nothing short of a masterclass in historical fiction. From the opening pages, I was transported to British-occupied Newport, Rhode Island in 1778, a city of stark contrasts, brimming with beauty and wealth yet shadowed by fear, scarcity, and rebellion. Picard’s attention to detail is astonishing: the blockade of the harbor, the destruction of homes for firewood, and the palpable tension of every street corner make the setting feel not just real but alive. You can feel the chill of fear, the crackle of danger in the air, and the quiet defiance simmering beneath the surface.

The heart of the story lies in William and Mary Hazard, whose moral courage and ingenuity shine throughout. William’s quiet strength and sense of principle, paired with Mary’s intelligence, resourcefulness, and audacity, make them extraordinary protagonists. Mary, in particular, is a revelation—the way she orchestrates a covert intelligence network, turning gossip, social connections, and the unnoticed roles of women into tools of resistance, is both inspiring and thrilling. The narrative balances historical authenticity with gripping suspense: every raid, every risk, every small victory feels earned and impactful.

What I loved most about this book is how Picard captures the human side of history. The choices, sacrifices, and resilience of ordinary people caught in extraordinary circumstances resonate deeply. The stakes are immense, yet the story never feels purely about battles or strategy; it’s about humanity, ingenuity, and the quiet heroism of those who stand by principle in times of chaos. I found myself thinking about the Hazard family long after I finished the book. This is not just a story about war, it’s a story about courage, love, and the power of quiet resistance. A profoundly moving and utterly immersive read.

[Cyrus · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've always been a student of the Revolution, so I was curious how this one would handle the occupation of Newport. I was not disappointed. The Hazard family feels real ordinary shopkeepers forced into becoming spies because the British won't leave them alone. Mary Hazard running an intelligence network right under the officers' noses, using gossip and the quiet work of women, that was my favorite part. Duchess Quamino, the enslaved caterer, broke my heart and impressed me in equal measure. A solid, immersive read.

[Becky BEHRENS · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book! Well written, exciting, suspenseful, and full of information. It shows you the Revolutionary War from the viewpoint of colonists living in occupied Newport. The focus is not so much on the war itself, but how it affects these people and their lives.
The end will leave you wanting more.... you won't get the entire story in one book. I can't wait to read the next book in the series!

[Charla Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s 1778 and the British have taken over Newport. The Hazards own the local general store and they watch as their town is turned to rubble. The few locals are living like paupers while the British live like royalty. The Hazards become involved in working with an intelligence network while hiding in plain sight. The entire family is working with allies that puts them in grave danger.

[David Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book immensely. I love historical fiction, especially when it is true to what really happened. This book deals with the British occupation of Newport during the Revolutionary War. Relatives on both sides. Spies and civil disobedience. A very good battle scene. Great characters.

[Deanna]

This one just wasn’t for me.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway. This was a good book, it started out a little slow but it gives a take on a few characters during the American Revolutionary war.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really interesting read that tells us a lot about living under British military occupation during our Revolutionary War. A nice plot and with an extraordinary young teenage boy.

[Lys · Rating 1 out of 5]

AI COVER

[Kimberly Warner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Early American history with a new insight on the challenges faced to freedom from British. I love historical fiction and hadn't read much about this time period so I enjoyed listening to the book and learning about the sacrifices made.

[Leslie Laredo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Compelling and engaging, loved the deep character development and it felt like I was living in the middle of historical events as they happened.