Whiskey Rebels Against The System

I spent most of New Year's Day reading David Liss' The Whiskey Rebels. I live an exciting life, I know. But I had enjoyed Liss' The Devil's Company, and his and Patrick Zircher's Mystery Men, so, the book seemed worth a try.

This story is set in the 1790s, and follows a Captain Ethan Saunders, once a noted spy for George Washington's Continental Army, now disgraced under suspicion of being a traitor. Saunders is prepared to die at the hands of an angry husband, but is rescued by a man who needs his help. Saunders wouldn't care, but it also involves a Cynthia Pearson, who he was supposed to marry before the disgrace, and he still carries the torch. Which leads to Saunders trying to stop a plot wreck the recently founded Bank of the United States.

Liss utilizes some historical figures, such as Alexander Hamilton and William Duer, but the focal points at Saunders and a Joan Maycock, and he tends to alternate chapters between the two. I found the Maycock chapters terribly dull for much of the book, until Liss more fully started tying them into the plots running through the Saunders' parts. Looking back, the earlier chapters explain why things are happening as they are, but on the initial reading, I couldn't figure why Liss was wasting my time with these folks who were suckered into moving to the Pennslyvania wilderness. I preferred Saunders' story where any relevant backmatter came up in the course of the investigation (or relevant flashbacks).