Spymaster

2nd Continental Light Dragoons #2

by Sandra Chen

Treason.

Punishable by court martial and death - an action of last resort. That is what the officers of the 2nd Continental Light Dragoons have done. Restless for glory, the gentlemen officers do not see Colonel Elisha Sheldon as their leader and request his resignation. In wake of the officers' actions, Major Benjamin Tallmadge employs a gamble that might cost him his career and the goodwill of his men.

Danger looms in the battlefield as the British grow bolder in the year of 1779. Ambushes, near misses and the threat of discovery imperils not only the men of the 2nd Light as they fight in the ravaged countryside of Westchester, New York, but also for Tallmadge's nascent spyring, the Culpers. The hardships and horrors of war threaten to engulf all as they valiantly fight for independence.

This is the year of trials.

340 pages, Paperback

First published October 13, 2019

About the author

Sandra Chen is a lifetime member of the Connecticut Museum of Culture and History (formerly Connecticut Historical Society), Colonial Williamsburg Donor Society and Historical Novel Society member. She currently lives in Connecticut.

She will never use Generative AI or any other AI tools to write or edit her works.

Reviews

[Lynelle Barrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thus far, each of Chen's books are very thoroughly researched and feel true to life. I think I enjoyed this book a bit more than the first, simply because Tallmadge's inner circle expanded, and he not only made friends with some interesting characters, like Adamson, whom I enjoyed, but also some enemies/opponents, as well, who proved to be interesting roadblocks. It's impressive how much time and energy she's dedicated to this series. Looking forward to getting to read the next installment!

[Jessna Woods · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sandra Chen is so good with the casual talk between the Dragoons as they relay their personal experiences of war while dropping valuable historical clues to us. She's also very good with the intellect of the inner-workings of the units, the trials and triumphs these men faced together. You get to know their names and you celebrate with and mourn with them.

The the downsides is there is a lot of in between as it would be in a real war, so the book is more the politics within the unit than the actual action. Sometimes the history facts dump makes me need to feel I have to go back and re-read a section to get a grasp on what I need to know and I'm a history lover, so this may be hard for readers not as "in" the history.

Overall I loved the book and getting to know the other members of the 2nd Continental Light Dragoons. The last line of the book made me audibly gasp for the set-up for the next book.

[Kathy Hensel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story line

I enjoyed this series. Great info, character traits well built. However, the editing was atrocious. So many jumbled sentences. Words misplaced, odd phrasing. Seriously someone didn't do their job