Introducing a guest review: B (bookboy or my husband) of B&b ex libris wanted to do a review today! I wish he could do more of these, I will keep my fingers crossed that after graduate school is over, he will :) Without further blabbing, Enjoy:

Title: The Whiskey Rebels
Author: David Liss
Pages: 515
B's review number; 1

I have to admit, when I first picked up this book, I was a little unsure. I was prepared for a stuffy, overly intellectual historical novel that was more history than novel. I was very pleasantly surprised. While still packed with a lot of very interesting detail on the early history of the United States and the beginning of the Whiskey Rebellion, The Whiskey Rebels is an exciting, deeply engaging book that I looked forward to reading each night.

The story is told from the first-person perspectives of Ethan Saunders and Joan Maycott, with the chapters alternating between the two characters. Saunders was a top spy for George Washington during the Revolutionary war, but has since fallen from grace. He is now a disobedient and often drunk quasi-spy for Alexander Hamilton, who is trying to uncover a plot against the U.S. Treasury. Maycott is a bitter widow of a frontier whiskey maker, leading a small band of rebels in a secret plot to topple the young U.S. financial system. You can see how the two are bound to collide with each other.

If nothing else, read this book for the Saunders character. He is, without a doubt, one of the most intriguing, hilarious, truly engaging characters that I have come across in a long time. David Liss's portrayal of this self-loathing spy is absolutely top-notch.

Without getting too wrapped up in the dry details of history, The Whiskey Rebels is a very fun book to read, and you will come away knowing more about this chaotic time in our country's formation. It's definitely worth your time.