The Whiskey Rebels

By: David Liss

Narrated by: Christopher Lane

Ethan Saunders, once among General Washington's most valued spies, now lives in disgrace, haunting the taverns of Philadelphia. An accusation of treason has long since cost him his reputation and his beloved fiancée, Cynthia Pearson, but at his most desperate moment he is recruited for an unlikely task: finding Cynthia's missing husband.

To help her, Saunders must serve his old enemy, Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton, who is engaged in a bitter power struggle with political rival Thomas Jefferson over the creation of the fragile young nation's first real financial institution: the Bank of the United States.

Meanwhile, Joan Maycott is a young woman married to another Revolutionary War veteran. With the new states unable to support their ex-soldiers, the Maycotts make a desperate gamble: trade the chance of future payment for the hope of a better life on the western Pennsylvania frontier.

There, amid hardship and deprivation, they find unlikely friendship and a chance for prosperity with a new method of distilling whiskey. But on an isolated frontier, whiskey is more than a drink; it is currency and power, and the Maycotts' success attracts the brutal attention of men in Hamilton's orbit, men who threaten to destroy all Joan holds dear.

As their causes intertwine, Joan and Saunders - both patriots in their own way - find themselves on opposing sides of a daring scheme that will forever change their lives and their new country.The Whiskey Rebels is a superb rendering of a perilous age and a nation nearly torn apart - and David Liss's most powerful novel yet.

©2008 David Liss (P)2008 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Who knew Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson?

An interesting portrait of the period after the Revolution and the ratification of the Constitution, when the nation was expanding to the west into Western Pennsylvania near Pittsburg. The portrait of Hamilton as a man and as Treasury Secretary is not flattering, to say the least? Jefferson is also treated harshly, although not directly or in much detail. I found the characters somewhat flat, although the setting is good. I prefer the characters in "The Coffee Trader," another historical book by David Liss, to those in the "The Whiskey Rebels," but I did enjoy this book, as well.

really loved this!!!

Loved it from the start, although I didn't know where it was going. Then the plot lines converged. The book was full of surprises. The narrator was 5 star fantastic!!! I only allowed myself to listen on the way home from work ( because I have my inspirational and instructive books for the "to work" trip). So it was great. I really looked forward to listening. Enjoy! PS: I learned a little history from it, too. And got prodded to go further.

Worth a read

it's funny because I prefer male narrators. No idea why... but the women in this reading all sound the same. That kind of detracted from some parts of the story. Overall, however, it's a solid performance of a really entertaining story. There are many players trying to scheme and that kept my attention to the very end. The story also prompted me to go back and read about some of the real people in the story. I always like that. When a story is so interesting that I want to find out more about the subject.
I do recommend this to anyone who enjoys historical writing. The story also has a strong and clever lead female character. I seem to enjoy this vs. women being dumb, easy to bend to male will, and having sex with everyone.

Fantastic

This book has a wonderful cast of characters and is captivating historical fiction. I recommend for mature audiences due to scenes of violence but the story is filled with humor and rich relationships.

make this into a film

great story, very relevant to today . could see this as a action film