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The Scent of Death
This is an historical novel set during the American War of Independence. Much of its action focuses on Manhattan, the last area of the United States under the control of King George. Into Manhattan flood all those British loyalists dispossessed by the expanding rebel armies. The story is about Edward Savill, a clerk sent from London to investigate the claims for compensation by the dispossessed colonists. Even before his arrival in Manhattan, nothing is really as it first appears and he soon finds himself embroiled in murder investigations and is tempted into affairs which are, perhaps, best left undiscovered. As his tour of duty is extended and extended he finds himself involved with the family of Wintour family and when the husband returns from the army he is inveigled into undertaking a mission into enemy territory, the real purpose of which he could not have guessed at. When Savill receives bad news about his marriage and his posting finally arrives from England, he at last learns the truth and how in the fires of conflict, all is at the mercy of the armies who require gold to help them continue to wage war. This is an excellent novel with brilliant attention to historical detail and to the characterisation of individuals. The author creates a compelling picture of revolutionary America in the late eighteenth century.