Book Review: To Outwit Them All
Today, I’m participating in a book review tour for To Outwit Them All, a historical novel by Allen Wolf from Iron Stream Fiction.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher as part of JustRead publicity tours. All views expressed are my own. This post includes Amazon affiliate links.
My Review
To Outwit Them All by Peggy Wirgua is a fictional account of the “lady” in George Washington’s spy ring during the Revolutionary War. Before I read this novel, I had only the vaguest notion that there even was a spy ring, so it was fascinating to learn more about it. What I found most intriguing was that the lady was only known as “355,” and to this day, no one knows who she really was. Apparently, there are seven likely possibilities. This book explores the “what-if” possibility that a young woman named Betty Floyd was the lady spy.
Betty lives with her mother, younger brother, and her grandmother’s former housekeeper. She is courted by a British major, which proves very handy for her spying purposes. She reports to her cousin, who runs a dry goods shop. All of the characters were believable and well-written.
I read a wide variety of genres, but my main objective is to learn something from every book I read. This one covers an obscure but important detail in American history. If you enjoy historical novels based on real events, I highly recommend it.
From the Publisher
Betty Floyd’s uncle risked his life when he signed the Declaration of Independence, yet she is the epitome of British loyalty and social grace in 1779. Attempting to ignore the war, she attends New York’s balls and soirees with the Crown’s officers, but the city is a dangerous place for someone with Patriot ties. When a soldier she has befriended is murdered at a British prison, Betty is driven to choose sides and join General Washington’s covert spy group, the Culper Ring.
Her social calendar provides the perfect backdrop to dance with the enemy, and she catches the eye of the charming Major John André, Britain’s Director of Intelligence. Garnering timely information for the Patriots becomes a never-ending balancing act, amid heightened collision between duty to her country and deepening feelings for André. When the slightest misstep could expose her and the entire Ring, a traitorous plot conducted by Benedict Arnold unfolds, and Betty is led to the very brink of death. Will she outwit the enemy, or will her flirtations with danger cost her everything?
