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Freegift
Freegift Cooper is born enslaved. On his mother's death bed, she reveals his father is the disgraced general, Benedict Arnold.
Freegift vows to find his father and make himself known. The only proof he will have to offer? A yellowed newsprint page and facts only his mother could know.
Emancipated and freed from bondage, Freegift sets out to fulfill his promise. On a rafting journey to New London on the Connecticut coastline, he makes a name for himself defending his cargo from river pirates who are part of the murderous crew of the schooner Badger, a gang known as the Mooncussers.
Freegift joins the local militia, ready to defend his new home.
His life of freedom is not a simple one, and as Freegift meets Martine, a Pequot, they both seek to carve out a new life for themselves. Avoiding the evil crew of the Badger is difficult, but Freegift takes to the seas as a privateer on the Minerva to wrest valuable cargo intended for the British, hoping to secure his future with his share of the spoils.
As the Hessians and Redcoats threaten to destroy his new home and all he holds dear, Freegift is torn between his promise to his mother, his new love, and a desire to finally confront his father. As one of the last clashes of the Revolutionary War in the north engulfs his home, Freegift enters the battle that could very well destroy him.
Freegift vows to find his father and make himself known. The only proof he will have to offer? A yellowed newsprint page and facts only his mother could know.
Emancipated and freed from bondage, Freegift sets out to fulfill his promise. On a rafting journey to New London on the Connecticut coastline, he makes a name for himself defending his cargo from river pirates who are part of the murderous crew of the schooner Badger, a gang known as the Mooncussers.
Freegift joins the local militia, ready to defend his new home.
His life of freedom is not a simple one, and as Freegift meets Martine, a Pequot, they both seek to carve out a new life for themselves. Avoiding the evil crew of the Badger is difficult, but Freegift takes to the seas as a privateer on the Minerva to wrest valuable cargo intended for the British, hoping to secure his future with his share of the spoils.
As the Hessians and Redcoats threaten to destroy his new home and all he holds dear, Freegift is torn between his promise to his mother, his new love, and a desire to finally confront his father. As one of the last clashes of the Revolutionary War in the north engulfs his home, Freegift enters the battle that could very well destroy him.
- GenresHistorical Fiction
318 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 6, 2022
15 people are currently reading
30 people want to read
About the author
James R. Benn
34 books403 followersJames R. Benn is the author of Billy Boyle: A World War II Mystery, selected by Book Sense as one of the top five mysteries of 2006 and nominated for a Dilys Award. The First Wave was a Book Sense Notable title.
Benn is a librarian and lives in Hadlyme, Connecticut.
Benn is a librarian and lives in Hadlyme, Connecticut.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 2, 2023
A COMPELLING HISTORICAL NARRATIVE
Over the past fifteen years, James R. Benn has made quite the name for himself in the genre of historical mysteries. In his eighteen “Billy Boyle” World War II mysteries, he has exhibited his skill at weaving actual historical details, both critical and insignificant, into interesting fictional whodunits. These installments have transported readers across a realm of locations in the WWII theater from its fateful start to its bloody conclusion, all the while addressing the realities and horrors of war.
In his newest release, Freegift, Benn has turned this skill with historical research toward a different type of narrative. Freegift is the tale, set midway during the Revolutionary War, of an enslaved African in Connecticut who, appropriate to his name, is “given” his freedom. His owner, a strong proponent of the War for Independence, has a crisis of conscience and grants the young man’s freedom. The young African must make his way in a hostile world and, based on a promise to his mother on her deathbed, must attempt to find the white man who fathered him.
Freegift is full of the gems Benn is known for—great novel opening; powerful, memorable dialogue; amazing capture of historical details; great, believable action scenes and compelling characters readers can root for. Like other skilled historical writers such as not only does Benn deliver to readers a captivating tale and characters we care about, but he also gives us new insight into a history we thought we knew. After reading the historical note at the end, I once again marveled at Benn’s ability to take a few crumbs of historical details and turn them into a rousing read. I loved his portrayal of Freegift as the character struggled to gain, maintain and use his status as a free man for good.
As a reader, historical fiction is one of my preferred genres, from Gore Vidal’s Burr to Ken Follett’s Pillars of the Earth trilogy. Benn’s books, especially Freegift, rank up there with my other favorites.
Over the past fifteen years, James R. Benn has made quite the name for himself in the genre of historical mysteries. In his eighteen “Billy Boyle” World War II mysteries, he has exhibited his skill at weaving actual historical details, both critical and insignificant, into interesting fictional whodunits. These installments have transported readers across a realm of locations in the WWII theater from its fateful start to its bloody conclusion, all the while addressing the realities and horrors of war.
In his newest release, Freegift, Benn has turned this skill with historical research toward a different type of narrative. Freegift is the tale, set midway during the Revolutionary War, of an enslaved African in Connecticut who, appropriate to his name, is “given” his freedom. His owner, a strong proponent of the War for Independence, has a crisis of conscience and grants the young man’s freedom. The young African must make his way in a hostile world and, based on a promise to his mother on her deathbed, must attempt to find the white man who fathered him.
Freegift is full of the gems Benn is known for—great novel opening; powerful, memorable dialogue; amazing capture of historical details; great, believable action scenes and compelling characters readers can root for. Like other skilled historical writers such as not only does Benn deliver to readers a captivating tale and characters we care about, but he also gives us new insight into a history we thought we knew. After reading the historical note at the end, I once again marveled at Benn’s ability to take a few crumbs of historical details and turn them into a rousing read. I loved his portrayal of Freegift as the character struggled to gain, maintain and use his status as a free man for good.
As a reader, historical fiction is one of my preferred genres, from Gore Vidal’s Burr to Ken Follett’s Pillars of the Earth trilogy. Benn’s books, especially Freegift, rank up there with my other favorites.
February 5, 2023
Very interesting for those who live in the area
History at it's finest. The lives of those who lived during the time of the revolutionary War are defined in words that give meaning to what life was like in New London on September 6,1781.
History at it's finest. The lives of those who lived during the time of the revolutionary War are defined in words that give meaning to what life was like in New London on September 6,1781.
November 9, 2022
Interesting premise -well written, but did not resonate with me
February 13, 2023
A work, completely different from all Benns's others, but wonderfully imagined and written.
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March 30, 2025A slow read. a bit of a soap opera. Writing is a little adolescent in flavor. A variation on the Thomas Jefferson - Sally Hemmings theme, involving Benedict Arnold and taking place in and around New London, Connecticut.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews