George Washington's Secret Six: the Spies Who Saved America

by Brian Kilmeade, Don Yaeger

A page-turning middle-grade adaptation of the New York Times bestseller about George Washington's top-secret spy ring that helped defeat the British.

The American Revolution is well under way in 1776, but things are looking bleak for General George Washington and his Continental Army. With Washington's hasty retreat from New York City in August, many think the war might soon be over. After all: how on earth is this ragtag group going to defeat its enemy, the well-trained and well-funded military of the largest empire in history?

But Washington soon realizes he can't win with military might. Instead, he must outsmart the British, so he creates a sophisticated intelligence network: the top-secret Culper Spy Ring. Drawing on extensive research, Brian Kilmeade and Don Yaeger tell the fascinating stories of these long unrecognized spies: a reserved merchant, a tavern keeper, a brash young longshoreman, a curmudgeonly Long Island bachelor, a coffeehouse owner, and a mysterious woman.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, American History, American Revolution, Historical, Biography, Book Club

176 pages, Hardcover

First published November 5, 2013

About the author

As cohost of FOX & Friends, the number one rated morning program on cable television for the past nine years, Brian Kilmeade shares his unique perspective on the daily news. He has interviewed the biggest names in politics, sports and entertainment, often securing exclusive content.

Kilmeade played a large part in FOX ís coverage of September 11th, as well as coverage including reporting from war zones in the middle east and over a dozen military bases from coast to coast. In addition, he has contributed live coverage of both the Democratic and Republican Party Conventions.

Also serving as the networks sports anchor, Kilmeade has reported on or provided live coverage of every major American sport over the last twenty years.

Currently, he is the host of the nationally syndicated radio talk show on FOX News Radio, Kilmeade & Friends. The show is heard on 80 stations, as well as XM and Sirius Satellite Radio.

Kilmeade’s first book, The Games Do Count: America’s Best & Brightest On The Power Of Sports (2004), was The New York Times best-seller and presents more than seventy stories straight from America’s top leaders and those who were closest to them. Kilmeade reveals this simple and compelling truth: America’s best and brightest haven’t just worked hard—they’ve played hard, too.

His companion volume, It’s How You Play the Game: The Powerful Sports Moments That Taught Lasting Values to America’s Finest (2007), reveals personal stories of the defining sports moments in the lives of athletes, CEOs, actors, politicians, and historical figures—and how what they learned on the field prepared them to handle life and overcome adversity with courage, dignity, and sportsmanship. Sports Illustrated said of it, “This book taught me more about some of my favorite leaders than any profile of them I had ever read.”

A graduate of Long Island University, Kilmeade began his career as a correspondent on Channel One, a daily national high school television news program. He then served as an anchor and host for KHSC-TV in Ontario, California. Brian also hosted sports talk radio for top rated XTRA-AM 690 whose duties included co-hosting The Jim Brown Show.

Prior to joining FOX News Channel, Kilmeade served as a freelance sports anchor for NBC in Hartford, as well as a sideline reporter for the MSG Network, where he covered the New York/New Jersey Metro-Stars, a major league soccer team based in Giants Stadium. He worked as a feature reporter and anchor for Newsport TV, where he hosted Newsport Journal, a daily magazine show for the national sports network. He also anchored Scoreboard Central, a live half-hour general sports program.

In addition to his career in journalism, Kilmeade has 10 years of experience as a stand-up comedian. He lives in Massapequa with his family, where he still coaches soccer.

Reviews

[Art · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately, the title and the subject are much more exciting than this sometimes sophomoric telling of the Culper Ring's story. To say it is dumbed down is an under statement. I read on, even after encountering: "But as the sky began to lighten, there were still men to move -- and it was then that Washington's prayers proved effective. A thick fog began to roll in, like the benevolent breath of God, providing cover and protection until every last soldier and piece of equipment reached safety on the other side." Puh-leeze!!! A history book that says God answered Washington's prayers? Really? The Culper Ring deserves so much better. They are a little known footnote to history as it is. We still don't even know the identity of the lone woman among the half dozen who established methods of intelligence gathering that are still used in instruction by the CIA. Their contributions as Washington's private espionage corps were priceless. And even Washington didn't know all of their names. I have high hopes AMC's new series, "Turn" will take a more exciting approach to their story (although I suspect its factual content may also be lacking). To be fair, the book does get better as you get into the Culper action. But the first 50 pages are an ordeal of over-simplified, cliche-driven historical summaries of the early Revolutionary War. All full of patriotism and God, of course. The first part of the book is a 1.0 but the latter stages are probably a solid 3.0.

[Jenny (Reading Envy) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish I'd paid attention to who the author was before deciding to listen to this in audiobook form. Brian Kilmeade is from Fox & Friends, notorious for his idiot taco comment to a co-anchor. Once I discovered this, I became more skeptical of the book. I'm not perfect. I just don't like that guy.

The topic interests me, the spy ring formed by Washington that successfully obtained important information during the Revolutionary War, not the least being the entire British naval code. The mystery of the female Agent 355 is one I'd first seen in the Y: The Last Man, Vol. 1: Unmanned graphic novel.

The book is based on historical research, but is not well documented, and the author made the decision to write fictionalized dialogue. This serves to make the entire book seem less historical, and I wish he had not done this. Reading the letters that are actually known to history was more interesting and authentic, and didn't need fictionalizing. I would like to see a more scholarly version of this story, in other words.

Still, the book is interesting and not too long. I'd give it 3.5 stars. However the narration is terrible. Brian Kilmeade has a very pronounced Long Island accent which in itself is very distracting, but his background as a sports broadcaster makes him practically yell every word, which almost made me quit before the end of the first disc. He also doesn't read sentences as entire phrases, rather he... takes pauses... for no reason. He does this... throughout the book... and it is exhausting. This would have been an enjoyable experience with a more refined reader, regardless of the level of scholarship.

[Jason Koivu · Rating 2 out of 5]

"I only regret that I have but one life to give for my country." - Nathan Hale, American Revolution Spy.

"I only regret that I have but one life in which to read books...so I am DONE with this muthafucker." - Jason Koivu, American Reader.

American Revolution history? Insights into early intelligence agents? "I like those things!" I would've shouted had I not been in the middle of the library when I found this on the shelves and did a little dance.

Brian Kilmeade's George Washington's Secret Six reads a tad young. Perhaps it's a young adult book? I don't know. All I know is it felt simple. The language sounded dumbed down.

I say "sounded" and mean it literally, because I listened to this via audiobook. This review is essentially for, or rather against that version of the book, of which I could only manage to get through approximately 20% before making the above declaration regarding "this muthafucker."

My main complaint is against the reader, who could not for the life of him pronounce all his words correctly for more than a five minute stretch. At first I thought maybe he was from Boston, because words that ended in an R were getting replaced by Ah or Aw sounds, and vice versa. For example, "saw" became "sar". But then other words were just said flat out wrong..."door" became "doer". It was like he was sounding out the letters instead of reading the whole word.

Over emphasis. If you're looking for it, this audiobook has some and some to spare. When reading action or dramatic scenes, okay, lay it on, but anguish and elation are not necessary through out the reading of your average history text.

I also wasn't a fan of the addition of fictional dialogue. What was added didn't seem necessary. Here's a fictional example...

"The British are coming! The British are coming," Paul Revere shouted.
"No shit? Seriously," asked a guy from Concord and/or Lexington.
"Yep!"
"Dang..."

It's too bad this audiobook had so many faults that not only ruined my enjoyment of the book, but put an end to my reading of it. The subject interested me, so perhaps if I was to pick up the book and read it for myself I might really like it.

[Katie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I love reading about the Revolutionary War and was excited to learn something new.

This is a very, very dumbed down account of history, featuring fictional conversations and lines that go something like: no one knows which prayers George Washington said that day, but then the fog rolled in like the breath of God (I'm paraphrasing, but you get the idea). I kept wanting to throw this book across the room and, as I considered it, saw Brian Kilmeade's photo and bio on the back flap.

OH. This awful, terribly written book that I don't like is authored by a co-host on Fox & Friends. OH.

...and there's the target audience for the book! I think history (and even the concept of non-fiction) is presented in precisely the same way Fox & Friends treats the news (or, dare I say, reality).

What a disappointment. This could have been so interesting.

[Scott Rhee · Rating 3 out of 5]

9/20/2025 addendum: I don't advocate for the banning of books. Let me just make that clear up front. You have the right to read whatever you want. You also have the right to say whatever you want. As vile and loathsome as was the garbage that consistently spewed from Charlie Kirk's mouth, he had the First Amendment right to say them, and he certainly did not deserve a bullet in the neck. Of course, defending an asshole's right to say shit does not mean one has to be a passive listener. There are plenty of ways to disagree and fight back against hatemonger speech that doesn't resort to violence. Recently, FOX's Brian Kilmeade made a comment that was so egregious that it made me re-think my previous assessment of him as a harmless buffoon. He advocated for the "involuntary lethal injections" of homeless people, following that statement with the even more-awful statement, "Just kill them." Seriously, he said that. Which kind of rivals some of the awful shit Kirk had said. But we are now living in a culture war where a liberal talk show host who criticizes the ridiculous deification of hatemongers like Kirk has his show cancelled but a conservative pro-Trump talk show host who advocates murdering homeless people barely gets a slap on the wrist. I don't advocate book banning, but I have always been a big believer in the boycott. Because in this free-market capitalist system (and to Republicans and conservatives, those words give them instant hard-ons), the best way to protest something is to hit 'em where it hurts the most: their wallet. I've made a personal vow to never read another Kilmeade book, and I have no trouble admitting that I have read several of them and even liked them, as the following review shows. (I've never bought one in my life, btw, and I never will voluntarily give money to the guy by purchasing anything associated with him.) I'm not telling anyone what to do, but if enough people decide for themselves that assholes like Kilmeade shouldn't be on the air, and if enough people decide that his words are harmful and he doesn't deserve the money for spewing them, then maybe they will take him off the air, which, for people like Kilmeade, is almost as impactful and horrible a thought as an assassin's bullet. I mean, it's the same exact logic that the protestors of Disney are using to protest the cancellation of Jimmy Kimmel. Why should one be a good thing but the other frowned upon? Protesting with boycotts is far better than protesting with bullets.

That Brian Kilmeade, one of the co-hosts of the FOX News morning show Fox & Friends, has said and done things that would make any sensible and intelligent person cringe is true, but it didn’t stop me from reading his book, “George Washington’s Secret Six: the Spy Ring That Saved the American Revolution”.

Maybe it’s because I don’t watch Fox & Friends, so I don’t know who Kilmeade is. Or maybe it’s because I’m such a sucker for history, I will read just about anything history-related (especially early Colonial American history). Whatever the case, I read it. It was pretty good.

That may not sound like a glowing endorsement (Trump himself has a blurb on the back, calling it “[a] historical gem.” As if he actually read the book...), but as someone who has read books by authors and historians like Alan Taylor and Nathaniel Philbrick (both Pulitzer Prize winners, by the way), it’s as glowing an endorsement as I’m allowing myself.

Kilmeade (along with co-author Don Yaeger) are not historians. They may like history, but that does not make them historians. Both Kilmeade and Yaeger are, according to their own bios, sports writers. I’m certainly not saying that sports writers can’t write books about history. I’m merely saying that sports writers and historians probably come at things differently. Maybe it’s wrong, but a history book by Taylor or Philbrick is going to hold a little more weight, for me, than anything by Kilmeade or Yaeger.

Politically, as mentioned before, Kilmeade has proven himself to be one of the many pro-Trump stooges on FOX News. His generally ultra-conservative views were a red flag, for me, when I was considering reading this. I hate thinking that, but it’s true. History should be nonpartisan, but as with everything nowadays, history is political. To be fair, this book did not appear to be pushing any agenda other than information and entertainment.

It should also be noted (and hopefully not in a judgmental or negative way) that Kilmeade/Yaeger have written in a style that is fairly simplistic and seemingly targeted toward a young adult audience. I’m not sure if this was intentional or not, but if we are to compare Taylor and Philbrick’s writing styles with Kilmeade/Yaeger, it would be apples to oranges. This is not a qualitative argument. I’m not saying one style is better than another. I’m merely pointing out a difference.

Maybe it’s not fair to compare Kilmeade to rock-star historians like Taylor and Philbrick, but Kilmeade basically opened the door himself to such comparisons when he decided to write a book about an important and overlooked aspect of the American Revolution, namely the Culper Ring, the secret inner circle of spies created by George Washington himself as a way of gathering vital intelligence on the British. The identities of the spies were a secret up until 1929, when historian Morton Pennybacker accidentally discovered the names of several of the spies in the records of the Townsend family, a well-to-do New York family.

The rest, as they say, is history. And Kilmeade/ Yaeger has succeeded in writing an entertaining and readable one. Strangely enough, it is also somewhat apropos to today’s current political climate as a book that points out the importance of intelligence gathering, a point that Kilmeade (who published this in 2013) may have a different take on today, given his status as a pro-Trump stooge.

The two have also co-written two other books of history involving our founding fathers. I plan on reading them as well.

[Tracey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an entertaining, informative, and well-written work of non-fiction. It vividly describes the Culper Spy Ring and their activities under George Washington during the American Revolution. I listened to the audio book, and the author, Brian Kilmeade, does an outstanding job narrating this fascinating book.

[Jilly · Rating 1 out of 5]

Don't bother reading this. If you want a "story" version of the Culper Spy Ring, watch AMC's series, Spin. If you want the historical facts, use the references from this book. The writing is terrible. A swing at trying to make history into a story, but a total miss. I think your average high school student could write a report on the whole event and make it more compelling than this book.

[✨ Helena ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though this was a requirement for uni, it was surprisingly enjoyable to read. I most likely shan’t read it again, but I had the opportunity to learn about Revolutionary-era American espionage tactics, which were fascinating, as I normally focus on Europe.

[Arminius · Rating 5 out of 5]

George Washington’s Secret Six is an incredible story of six spy’s who helped win the American Revolution. Benjamin Tallmadge was in charge of forming the spy ring because of his vast knowledge of English held Long island territory. He formed an expert spy ring with the following people:
Abraham Woodhull had business dealings throughout Manhattan which allowed him unmolested British passage and unsuspected message delivery to the Americans.
Robert Townsend owned Templeton and Stewart, a business on an important route, along the spy ring.
Austin Roe owned a tavern where many Tory and British soldiers congregated. Here, he would overhear many British plans.
Caleb Brewster was a longshoreman responsible for ferrying messages between Connecticut and New York.
James Rivington was probably the most important member however because he was the publisher of the Royalist newspaper “Rivington Gazette.” There he would gather military information by interviewing British officers. The British never caught on to his American sympathies. Rivington was responsible for acquiring the British battle plan for Yorktown which ended the war with an incredible American victory.
Finally, there was a woman known as Agent 355 who used womanly charm to obtain information from British soldiers.
The Rings other major contributions to the war was capturing British Spy, John Andre, and obtaining Benedict Arnold’s plan to hand over West Point to the British.

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think one of the things that makes this book great is its length. Making history interesting but also accessible to people today is important and I think this book does both.
I think I will never forget agent 355. It's hard to believe they couldn't find out more about her. What a lady and what a sacrifice. She was by far one of the most interesting characters of the book. It's like I always say: Women are essential to any war and gossip is more important than we realize, especially in war. That is why I will do so well, if I ever end up in one.

Just finished another round for a book group in 2015. I enjoyed it just as much if not more the second time. There are some liberties taken with dialogue but I still really enjoyed this book. You can't help but wonder how it might all have ended up had Arnold's plan worked.
I liked this blurb on the back: James Bond is a rank amateur compared to the heroic efforts of the Culper Ring. Harvey Mackay

[LillyBooks · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to read this because I knew almost nothing about the Culper Spy Ring except a mention of them in National Treasure or something like that. I should have done my research first and picked a book by an actual historian (I had no idea who the author was when I started this book). My primary complaint with this book is the imagined conversations. I'm not talking about recreated conversations where the words are put in quotes instead of the way they were originally related in a letter or something, these are full fictional meetings and conversations complete with raised eyebrows and hitting a table so hard the tankards shake. Really? Did anyone actually see that raised eyebrow? No, so in my opinion this cannot be a nonfiction book. A second complaint, although fortunately this one fades out after the first couple of chapters, is the assumption that God himself was guiding Washington et al, including that He purposely put fog down on the Hudson River so Washington could escape New York. That sort of nationalism is ugly and narrow-minded. In general, I found the writing to be sophomoric at best. I did finish the book, mostly because it's short and written at a third grade level, but I finished it feeling like the actual Culper Spy Ring deserve so much better for their efforts.

[David Dowdy · Rating 4 out of 5]

While searching for books on American General Nathaniel Greene, who’s responsible for weakening British General Charles Cornwallis’s forces prior to the catastrophe for the redcoats at Yorktown, I discovered George Washington’s Secret Six. I started reading it immediately and I can hardly believe I hadn’t learned the feats of General George Washington’s secret agents.

This is a nifty quick read that gets its drama from the story itself, from codes and invisible ink to great feats of espionage by simple folks to the harrowing stories of spies being hung. Interestingly, I started watching the AMC series ‘Turn’ the same day as I bought this book at a used book store. ‘Turn’ tells the same story as GWSS though the latter is truer to the history. ‘Turn’ is definitely embellished and there’s nothing wrong with that because it's a great series.

Intriguing as the events of espionage were, spying was vital to the Continental Army’s prosecution of the war. If Washington feared anything it was getting caught in a single, winner take all battle because he was certain that he would lose. The Americans lacked overwhelming professional forces (army and navy) and large supplies of arms, food, and uniforms which the British had.

It was only by fighting a protracted war which would drag out the resolve of the British that the Americans had any hope of winning. The strategy of engaging the British, doing as much damage as possible, and quickly retreating was used time and again, notably by General Greene. In the case of New York, there was hardly a battle. It was a case mainly of Washington retreating to conserve fighters and resources.

That’s why espionage came to be so vital to Washington. If you know far enough in advance something that poses a weakness to your enemy, then you may be able to take proactive steps. If you don’t know what the enemy is up to, you may fake your own plans. An underdog looks to any actions what will multiply their strengths.

What were the secrets that Washington wanted to know? In his desperation to take back New York, he obsessed over any current facts of British force movements or strengths that would help him assess his chances of battling the British in the second largest city in the colonies. The British only left NY after they signed the Treaty of Paris.

Until then, GW never stopped strategizing about New York. When he finally knew the French fleet arrived in America to assist the Patriots and were planning to make their port in Rhode Island, not far from British forces occupying Long Island, Washington drew the British away from the French by feigning an attack.

What other trickery did Washington get up to using espionage? For one thing, he let it be known through a counter spy who spoke to Hessian mercenaries that he was too weak to take Trenton, New Jersey. When the Hessians let down their guard and partied a bit too much for Christmas, Washington took the city.

Espionage may uncover traitors. It was only through the luck of finding information on the person of chief British spy John Andre that the duplicity of Benedict Arnold was discovered before he gave West Point to the British.

Spies not only pass on information they overhear or read. They may steal entire documents. A huge find toward the end of the war was a book of British naval communications. It was passed on to the French who unlike their American friends had a large navy. The French intercepted the British navy, that was headed toward Yorktown, and defeated them using the knowledge they gained from the book. Cornwallis, had the British navy made it to Yorktown intact, may have been saved instead of backed up to the sea.

Pick up this book and read about an amazing part of the Revolutionary War that surely many haven’t heard of.

[Theresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This isn't so much a review as much as it is a rant on how horribly ignorant Americans are of such an important part of our history and me shamelessly trying to convince everyone to watch a show about it. You've been warned.

First off, had I known the author was affiliated with Fox News I would never have actually bought the book, but tried to find it from the local library. And no that isn't the reason it got three stars. That being said this is a very important story in American History that is not told in any history course I've ever taken. Anyone I've tried talking to about the Culper spy ring looks at me like I have six heads. I find this extremely troubling, considering the amount of recognition these men and woman deserve.

In high school history when learning about the American Revolution, we were taught the major battles and names like Benedict Arnold and George Washington. Maybe we even heard the name General Clinton in skimming of the text, but we never read the names Culper, Woodhull, Talmadge, Townsend, or Roe. Why? In fact, had I not been watching Pawn Stars on the history channel to see a coming attraction for Turn: George Washington's Spies on AMC, I wouldn't know their names either. By the way, if you haven't watched the show, you should. It's wonderful and mostly accurate, aside from the inter-character relations they add for dramatic effects. So why are high schools not teaching students even a tiny bit of this history? When I had to take another history class in college, this was again not touched upon. Why are we not learning about these people?

I have tried pushing this information onto so many people in recent days, because I think it's so important. And you may be thinking to yourself: why does it matter? One, the CIA uses this spy ring to influence its current methods for spying. Two, we have a country because of this spy ring. Granted, it is a bit of a mess and has a long way to go, but it also has come a long way. And it only got its start because six people decided a country was worth the risk of being hung by the neck, like Nathan Hale. I found out from this book he was hung on a corner I frequented every single day for five years and had no idea of its relevance. What's there representing Nathan Hale's valiant effort at spying? Starbucks. No sign, no recognition.

I get it, being a spy usually entails no one knows your identity. But over two hundred years later, and there is still one name we don't know. We only recently discovered Townsend's involvement, and who knows who else helped save the cause. But what I do know is this story is important, and it really is fascinating how six people with no military background pulled off what some would have thought to be impossible.

The only thing I didn't like about this book was the dialogue. I love historical fiction and nonfiction alike, but there's no way I can accept assumed dialogue in a nonfictional account. I get why it was used, I just don't think it worked nor was it needed. I also recently purchased Alexander Rose's book on the topic, which was the inspiration for AMC's Turn.

If nonfiction isn't something you're interested in, do try watching the show! It is on Netflix and also on demand. The show is also finished, so you won't be left hanging. While not 100% accurate, it does the trick in informing the viewer of such a crucial period of American History. And the actors are also not so bad to look at.

[Yibbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book.
It was my first introduction to the Culper spy ring and their exploits. It’s a fascinating story. I really enjoyed the long quotes from the personal letters of those involved. The minute details that have been preserved through Washington’s, Tallmadge’s, Townsend’s, and Woodhull’s letters are compiled to give us a startlingly complete picture of their activities. It also gives us a glimpse of daily life during the revolution. I liked that.
But while numerous letters are directly quoted and many more referenced, this didn’t feel like a history text. Instead, it felt more like a novel or thriller. Not that I question any of the research, it’s just that it’s presented with a liberal mix of fictionalized dialog and overly detailed background descriptions. For example, we learn about Washington’s little smile as he finishes writing a letter (p.29), the taper on the candle spluttering as ash fell from the wood (p.22), or that Hale blinked rapidly and blushed while being interviewed (p.21). Then there were many imaginarily ‘reconstructed’ conversations. That all made for an incredibly smooth narrative and a captivating read, but it’s not a simple history. You just have to be willing to sift the fictitious from the truthful.
If you just want to learn the basics of the story in an easy to read format and aren’t concerned about the reliability of every word, it’s a fine book. As I said, I enjoyed it, I believe it to be reliable in the main. In my opinion, though, a history book with large sections fictionalized shouldn’t really be called non-fiction. It’s a fine historical fiction that’s extra heavy on the history side, and for that, I would recommend it.

[Douglass Gaking · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a fantastic story! However, in this case it is written in a somewhat amateur fashion. Kilmeade and Yaeger, better known for their sports writing, are not real historians. One is a pundit for Fox News Channel, and the other writes those books you find in the bargain section at Barnes & Noble for the arbitrary price of $6.98. There are moments in reading this book when I feel like I am helping my wife grade high school English papers. The obviously fictional dialog and other moments the authors have imagined up lack creativity and feel forced. If this were one of those high school English papers, it would have received an F for having no in-text citations. There are a few pages of "selected sources" listed in the back. For a book with so many juicy details that would change the popular view of history, one would expect to be able to check footnotes. This was a quick, easy read; perhaps it would be a good way to introduce revolutionary history to a middle school student. I suppose it usually flowed well. The story itself is great, and the samplings of the Culper Ring's letters are very insightful to read. However, Kilmeade and Yaeger's writing is dilettantish, spoiling the entire reading experience. I really wish I had found Alexander Rose's Washington's Spies: The Story of America's First Spy Ring before I bought this book. It appears from reviews to be much better researched and written, giving this fascinating story the deliberation that it deserves.

[Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

This had potential but the narrator of the audio went all over the place.

OVERALL GRADE: C minus.

[Jill · Rating 1 out of 5]

I only made it through Chapter Four of this book. It was so full of hyperbole, misrepresentations, and downright inaccuracies that I was too infuriated to continue.

In my opinion, those who purport to convey “history” have a sacred trust, and I cannot understand why publishers let this kind of humbug see print.

Thus, this book became a “DNF” (did not finish) for me. (I started to keep a list of the passages in which the truth was distorted, misinterpreted, or just omitted, but after five pages of notes, I had had enough.)

I listened to the audio version of this book, read by Brian Kilmeade, who sounded as if he were enthusiastically reading fairy tales to kids. And maybe that was appropriate….

Evaluation: Maybe if you don’t know much early American history, you won’t even know that the information presented as fact is so inaccurate and objectionable. (It should be noted that the contortion of facts is all in the service of glorifying the American revolutionaries.) But I respect history, and I feel strongly about abusing it. I was outraged over this book.

Rating: 0.5/5

[Candy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story of the "Culper Ring" of revolutionary patriot spies is taught as part of today's introductory training for new CIA agents. Kilmeade and Yaeger write an easy to read and fascinating tale of the brave men and lone woman, who worked in profound secrecy in New York City and environs to help secure the freedom Americans enjoy today.

[M T · Rating 5 out of 5]

A riveting story of a previously unknown group of spies who changed the tide of the American Revolution. Six brave patriots used an elaborate network of citizens to spy on the British and relayed crucial information to George Washington. The most remarkable thing about this story is that these spies were completely anonymous and received almost no historical praise, and yet without them, we might still be under the British. The intelligence network included a bartender who would quietly listen in on important conversations between intoxicated Englishman, a longshoreman who delivered messages between Connecticut and New York, and a seductive mistress who teased secrets out of unsuspecting Brits. This book is a gripping adventure story, as well as a much-needed homage to six unknown heroes. It is a previously unpublished story of astoundingly clever citizen spies who risked their lives and played an integral role in the shaping of American history.

[Brian Eshleman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty effectively penetrates the reader's handicap of knowing the outcome. The author gives the dangers these people faced a contemporary feel.

[Naomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a short inviting read on a fascinating, little known aspect in the Revolutionary War. Part of it almost reads as though it is a fictional read complete with "dialog". However, it is a non-fiction book. I have read a number of books on this topic including Washington's Spies: The Story of America's First Spy Ring. Most of these have been very dry reads. This book wasn't so it would be perfect for those who aren't necessarily into "war stories", but want to learn fascinating tidbits from our country's history.

[Jay Schutt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book that I have read on this subject. It was by far the better of the two. "Washington's Spies" being the first. General Washington and his army needed all the help they could get to defeat the better equipped and much stronger British army and navy. They got that help from a small band of spies in the New York City area. This is their little known story. A good read for those who like to know the rest of the story.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

History and facts almost told in story!

I had never heard of the Culpers before reading this. I learned so much! The circumstances of the book kept me at the edge of my seat. The writing flowed well. Excerpts from actual documents of people at the time were provided in the book.

Recommended if you'd like to learn more about forgotten heroes of history. An old spying story. Or if you're interested in obscure parts of the American Revolution.

Very good!

[Raven · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thought I wanted to read this book. Unfortunately, I think what I actually wanted was to read the primary sources of this book. I really disliked the creative writing aspects of the authors' reading into history, presenting the thoughts of historical figures as if they knew what they were. The writing style reminded me very much of the Value Tales that I loved as a child, in that it had a strong moral message and was written for the reading level of a third grader. For a book covering new historical knowledge, I had rather hoped for something written for adults. There are plenty of places where the book is flat-out historically inaccurate (the root causes of the French and Indian war, the history of espionage or military strategy prior to the American Revolution), which is terrifically irresponsible in a book meant to inform. By about page 20, I was looking for the "about the author" section to see what their background in military history or intelligence was, that they came out with such a book. Sadly, they do not appear to have much. It's a fascinating topic; I hope an actual historian does better justice to it.

[Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Old reviews went missing. How does save not working?

Struggle to finish this one. But I'm glad I did.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love the AMC TV show TURN: Washington's Spies, you'll love this non-fiction account of the same topic. I know the show was actually created from Alexander Rose's history book "Washington's Spies: The Story of America's First Spy Ring" but they were both on sale on Kindle and I couldn't decide so I just got both and wound up reading this one first. And honestly, I'm not sure how or why the show claims to be based on a non-fiction book when a non-fiction book is factual... so really, it's just based on history, and this is also a non-fictional book about that history.

I honestly had no idea just how important espionage was during the Revolutionary War. When I thought of this topic, I thought of what I learned in school: founding fathers, minutemen, Paul Revere, etc. But now I know it's so much more than that, and there was so much more going on in the background. They don't teach this in schools, but they should, maybe kids would pay attention.

Never boring or dry, this book really pulls you into the spy ring and let's you get to know each individual involved. At the end, it also explores who female agent 355 might have been. Sometimes, it's so juicy, I can't believe it really happened. It was interesting to compare and contrast it with the show too, which did add some fictional elements and make some changes, but not so much that it draws away from the real history, which makes me love the show even more.

This is precisely the kind of history book I would recommend to people who (wrongly) think history is boring, but it's also thrilling for those who already appreciate history. I don't think I've ever blown through non-fiction this fast.

Historical Readings & Reviews

[Gary Sundell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating stuff. So one of my ancestors was the source of the invisible ink used by Washington's spy ring. John Jay just doesn't get the credit he deserves in Amercican history. John's brother created it, John learned how to make it and provided the ink to Washington.

I have at least two more books by the author in audio or ebook format.

[Phillip · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm familiar with the author from watching him on Fox News during the week. Having never read anything by him, I figured this book would be a good introduction. The content was very well researched and written. I'm embarrassed to confess this, but I was completely ignorant of this particular aspect of our own history. The book was very good, and I plan on looking for other titles from this author. Please read!

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars. It was interesting and I'm glad to have read it. I admit though that I have trouble focusing my attention on non-fiction. I really love it when it tells a personal story. Those were in there, and there were some fabulous lines. I just find that as interesting as it is, non-fiction is hard to relate to personally. A few takeaways: George Washington did not win the Revolutionary War by force - it was won through Intelligence. Spies and wits were at the center of it all. Loyalty to country is a pretty incredible thing, and something I respect. Interesting that it was written by a Fox Broadcaster, who says in the acknowledgments that he works for the most patriotic company in America. Nowadays we call into question what is patriotism, and I have no doubt that all of the news companies are patriotic, and that the majority to most of our leadership really does care about America. Its just interesting that what is Patriotic is really called into question when our country is so divided. And thinking about the ideals and the divide of that time, and what it means to be on two sides of an issue then and now. I also really enjoyed that there was a prominent woman who was one of the Culper 6, although they have never to this day been able to establish her identity. I found it interesting and I'm glad that I read it.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned very early about George Washington, Nathan Hale, Benedict Arnold, etc. It was not until recently that I learned that Washington had a spy ring ... the Culper Ring organized by Benjamin Tallmadge to obtain information on British activity in and around New York city. The Culper Ring provided valuable information to Washington including that the British planned a surprise attack on the allied French force at Newport, that the British planned to counterfeit American currency, and that a high ranking American officer, soon shown to be Benedict Arnold, had been plotting to surrender the garrison and to turn over the vitally important American fort at West Point. Secrecy was so paramount that even Washington did not know the names of the members of the Culper Ring. One of the main members, Robert Townsend, was not known until the 20th century. The identity of the only female member, known as Agent355, is still unknown. This novel often reads like historical fiction. It is not a history textbook. If you enjoy history and a good mystery I would recommend.