The Whiskey Rebels

This is the 3rd book I've read by David Liss and I have one more in queue, so obviously I like his writing. The stories are well-researched historical mysteries with a financial/markets/politics aspect to them. I rate "The Coffee Trader" and "A Conspiracy of Paper" 5 stars. I would give this 5 stars but for Liss' dealing with historical figures and a slightly dark ending. I should point out that I rate tough, and this is far better than 95% of the books rated 5-star on Amazon. (Apparently those folks have either never read quality or can't recognize it!).Having researched well and due to his ability to write period conversation, Liss gives the reader a real feel for the life and times of the era. This is not merely a poor modern story dropped into an historical setting to sell better.The story is written in the first person by 2 different characters whose lives eventually intertwine. Therefore there are alternating chapters of one character then the other -- it is not done merely as an affectation, but adds to the story. I know that some reviewers are confused or put off by this, but it adds considerably to the mystery not unlike Michael Crichton.In case you haven't read the other reviews, this primarily involves a woman who moves from Philadelphia to the frontier (Pittsburg) and returns seeking revenge, and an ex-American-Revolutionary-War-spy who was betrayed and disgraced. They are both involved with Alexander Hamilton setting up America's first national bank.

The Whiskey Rebels is David Liss' historical thriller set in Philadelphia, New York, and western Pennsylvania in the 1780s and 1790s. The book is told from the alternating points of view of the two main characters, Ethan Saunders and Joan Maycott. Ethan's story takes place in 1792, and Joan's begins about a decade earlier. Eventually, the two characters' paths will cross, but at first you don't know how and when, and part of the suspense of the novel is figuring out how the two stories will intersect.Ethan Saunders, a charming rogue, was one of George Washington's top spies during the Revolutionary War, but he was disgraced and his career in the army ruined after he was falsely accused of treason. Ethan has always thought Alexander Hamilton was responsible for his ruin, but, towards the beginning of the novel, he finds out this was not so, and, in fact, Hamilton saved him by not allowing him to be formally charged with treason. The suspicion alone was enough to ruin him. Now Ethan is a drunk, gambler, and womanizer, but soon he sees a chance of redemption. Before his disgrace, Ethan had been in love with Cynthia, the daughter of his mentor who was ruined along with him, but when she heard of his downfall, she married another man. When her husband, Jacob Pearson, an investor in Hamilton's Bank of the United States, goes missing, and there are threats against Cynthia and her children, Ethan decides to find Pearson, especially when he finds out that Hamilton, who at this time is Secretary of the Treasury, is also interested in discovering what happened to him. He thinks success in his search for the missing man will redeem him in Hamilton's eyes and bring him back into favor. As Ethan soon finds, Pearson's disappearance is only part of an intricate plot against the Bank of the United States, and much more is at stake than he ever realized--even the fate of the republic itself.Joan Maycott is a farmer's daughter who wants to write a novel, even though she realizes she does not have enough life experience to write one. She marries Andrew, a Revolutionary War veteran who has not had much success in his carpentry business. When financial speculator William Duer, an associate of Hamilton's, offers Joan and Andrew a deal, she leaps at the chance: Andrew will trade in his war debt for land in the western Pennsylvania frontier. Joan believes her experience in the west will give her material for her novel. Soon Joan and Andrew realize they have been tricked: Duer has sold them a worthless piece of forest land, when he had promised them farmland, and he hasn't even sold it outright, but only sold them the right to use it. The whole area is under the control of a cruel landlord, who promises the couple a piece of farmland if Joan will sleep with him. She absolutely refuses, and the landlord keeps finding ways to make life difficult for the couple. Joan and Andrew survive under brutal conditions, in an area full of rough men. Then their fortunes change when Andrew discovers a new method of distilling whiskey. His whiskey is more flavorful than anything the people in the area have tasted before, and Joan and Andrew prosper. But then Hamilton's tax on whiskey, which he uses to fund the Bank of the United States, ruins their lives. Andrew is killed in a confrontation with the landlord and his henchmen, and Joan, now a widow, is determined to get her revenge on Hamilton and Duer, the man who tricked her and her husband into buying the land in the first place. Along with several of her friends from the frontier, Joan travels to Philadelphia and concocts a plot to destroy the Bank of the United States by getting people to sell their shares and invest in another bank, called the Million Bank. She hopes to cause a financial panic that will ruin Hamilton and Duer.The two protagonists, Ethan and Joan, find themselves on opposite sides of the conflict, with Ethan trying to save the bank and Joan trying to cause it to fail. As it turns out, Joan is manipulating Ethan in a way he never suspects, and eventually they become both allies and enemies. Which of the two will prevail? The Whiskey Rebels is a highly suspenseful novel, with an intricate plot and many twists and turns. The reader learns a lot about the financial world of the late 18th century United States, and how business was conducted. At that time, people traded stocks in coffeehouses and taverns, and a coffeehouse on Wall Street was one of the principal locations where trading took place.Ethan and Joan are both fascinating characters, with many flaws, and the reader feels sympathy for both of them. I wasn't sure I was going to like Ethan at first, but he grew on me. He is a charming character, with a great sense of humor. Joan is manipulative, and will do anything to get what she wants, but she has good reasons for what she does. Even though the protagonists are opposed to each other through most of the book, you find yourself rooting for each protagonist in his or her chapters. Although Ethan and Joan are fictional, Liss portrays many historical characters, especially Hamilton and Duer, in his novel. Hamilton comes off as a very complex character. Joan sees him as a villain, and so does Ethan at first, even though he later realizes it was Hamilton who rescued what is left of his reputation. In the end, Hamilton comes across as not exactly a hero, but definitely not a villain, either. Duer, on the other hand, is a true villain, a man for whom greed is everything, and who cares nothing about ruining people's lives in order to make more money. You find yourself hoping to witness his downfall. This was a world where greed and financial speculation ran rampant, and Liss portrays it very well. The book was published in 2008, in the midst of the financial crisis and, as Liss says in an interview at the end, this was no coincidence. I highly recommend the book as both a thriller and a portrait of the United States in the years following the Revolutionary War.

This novel wasn't what I expected. Having grown up in western Pa, very near to where the Whiskey Rebellion took place, this title appealed to me. What I got was an entirely different story taking place well before the rebellion.That said, I loved this book! Never have I laughed out loud so frequently while reading a book - and I average a hundred books a year these days. Ethan Saunders is simply one of the best characters I've met in a book!Despite its substantial cast, I was able to keep The Whiskey Rebels cast straight due in part to the excellent narration in the audiobook.I thoroughly enjoyed this story of patriots, scoundrels, greedy traders, and frontiersman - some fictional, some historic. Though the financial schemes had the potential to lose me, I hung tight through the satisfying ending.There are some instances of brutality but nothing gory and several uses of strong language early in the book, which didn't hinder my enjoyment. I'm looking forward to reading more by this author!

I've read Liss's series (and prequel!) about Ben Weaver. And very enjoyable they were - I look forward to any future Weaver books. But Whiskey Rebels is another step up - helped maybe by being at least for the time being a self contained novel. But it is a rich meal - the two strands, off-putting in the first few pages when you are wondering even if they are connected, but really gripping all the way through. Only criticism is towards (I believe) Random House who have their own odd reasons for not publishing this and other novels for the kindle.

Through a well written plot based on actual events (the Whiskey Rebellion, a tax protest that started in 1791 and ended in 1794 during the presidency of George Washington, and the creation of the First Bank of the United States in 1795), seen through the 1st person account of two main characters, this novel immerses you into the complex society of the early United States, only a few years after the Declaration of Independence and the end of the independence war. The stark contrast between the extremely rough living conditions of the settlers in western Pennsylvania (which, at the time, was the Far West) and the relative sophistication and frivolity of the nascent bourgeoisies of Philadelphia and New York, with their speculative fevers, as painted by David Liss, is striking. The principal protagonists, with their qualities and numerous faults, are sufficiently complex to escape predictability. Some secondary characters are more superficially sketched, but that's ok as long as the main ones remain intriguing and finally endearing, as is the case in this novel. In summary, a very interesting immersion in a place and time period that is a quite uncommon, but interesting setting for a piece of historical fiction, and a very enjoyable read. One of the best from Liss that I have read so far.

Difficult to ascertain to what extent this historically based novel approaches reality but nonetheless, it is a fascinating story. At times a bit confusing. Excellent read for those with an interest in historically based novels.

Very much enjoyed this historical novel. Good characters and a fine writer.