The Whiskey Rebels: A Novel [Paperback]

I was once fortunate enough to receive, as a gift, a bottle of 40 year old single malt scotch, handcrafted in a single barrel on the Isle of Skye. Tasting it was a stunning experience; complex, evocative, mellow, smooth, dense and yet light all at once. Sunshine and butterflies in my mouth it was, and it has left me listless in regards to drinking lesser scotch. The Whiskey Rebels is the literary equivalent of that drink. It is a complex, fascinating, evocative, mellow, smooth, dense and light reading experience and it is my favorite novel of this year. I will be mightily surprised and disappointed if it doesn't make the year-end top ten lists, but this is for me, by far and away, the best book I've read in 2008.

If you have read any of Liss's previous books you already know what a gifted writer he is. If you haven't, then you do yourself an injustice. This book transcends even his earlier works in greatness and I suspect that The Whiskey Rebels could become a classic. It is hard to know where to begin in praising this book. Liss is a wonderfully literate writer, even more so than Iain Pears, and he effortlessly transports you in time and space to the period he wishes to evoke. In this case the year is 1792 and Liss crafts a tale which alternately follows two protagonists until their stories merge near the end of the novel. The first is Captain Ethan Saunders, a spy for the Americans during the revolutionary war, friend of Washington, Hamilton, and other worthies, who found himself disgraced and cashiered at the end of the war when accused of being a double agent. Wallowing in guilt, and the muddy floors of rotgut taverns, Saunders has spent the last ten years trying to drown his sorrows in cheap whiskey. The other protagonist is Joan Maycott, a young woman trying to make her way in the harsh and difficult frontier world who aspires to become a novelist. Both characters are drawn into a whirlwind of deceit, lies, and misdirection as greedy speculators connive to make a run on the newly formed Bank of the United States.

This book has it all. Lively action, intrigues within intrigues, daring adventure, taut writing, sparkling dialogue, incredible plotting, depth of characterization, a sense of humor, and a sure hand at the literary tiller. It is so deeply atmospheric that you feel like you are in 1792 Philadelphia. The portrayals of various actual historical figures are realistic, believable, and enjoyable. Hallowed names of yore are brought to vibrant life, sounding and acting as real as your own family, yet their qualities which will make them famous still shine through. In The Whiskey Rebels actual historical personages are not the focus though and the stories of the two fictional protagonists is where this book truly dazzles. As Liss switches between them, chapter by chapter, I was so caught up in their individual experiences that I was inevitably jarred by switching viewpoints. His writing so tightly draws you in and is so absorbing that you don't want to leave the character you're with; yet within a few sentences you are once again completely absorbed with the current character. So it goes, back and forth, until the stunning denouement. If there is one thing that strikes me as magical about Liss's writing it is how well he does period dialogue. Writing compelling and scintillating dialogue is hard enough without having to make it sound natural to the 1790's. Liss does this with ease though; the conversations never ring false and they never stray from their period. The magical part though is the dialogue is as clear and understandable as speaking with a friend.

I have no criticism of this book at all; it was a nearly perfect book and if there was a flaw within it, I couldn't find it. I highly recommend it to any and all. In fact, I give it my highest recommendation.

I have never considered myself especially a fan of historical fiction. Nonetheless, quite a few of my favorite novels fall into that category. Honestly, I sort of love these books in spite of their period setting, not because of it. That said, The Whiskey Rebels by David Liss is the best mystery I've read in a long, long time.

It's set in a period I know little about--post-Revolutionary War America. Again, to be honest, my knowledge of American history in general doesn't go much beyond what I learned in grammar school. It bored me senseless because they never taught the really interesting stuff in school. Liss's tale of the Whisky Rebellion (which I had literally never heard of) was complex and riveting.

Our hero, of sorts, is Ethan Saunders, a thoroughly disgraced former Revolutionary War spy. He was framed as a traitor to the revolution, ultimately causing him to loose the woman he loved, Cynthia Pearson. In the years since, attended by his slave, Leonidas, Saunders has become a penniless, womanizing drunkard. It sounds bad, and it is bad. This man formerly of sterling character has fallen truly low. Still, for all his many flaws, Ethan Saunders is utterly charming. The man charmed my socks right off, and it is his charisma and humor that caused me so much delight throughout this novel. Mr. Liss, I beg you, bring back Ethan Saunders in future novels!

The actually mystery is quite convoluted, and a bit difficult to sum up in a few sentences. It has to do with the early American economy, and given my ignorance of history and economics, I had to pay close attention to follow everything that took place. But that, too, was the pleasure of this novel. It was complex. It was challenging. There was a large cast of characters, with some appearances by people even I remember learning about, such as Alexander Hamilton. This is an intricate 500-page mystery. There were twists and turns and surprises aplenty. At no point could I have guessed how it was going to end. So, in all ways, it was everything a mystery should be. In addition, it was a romance, a buddy story, a history lesson, an espionage novel, and more. I was fascinated, for instance, with the relationship between Ethan and Leonidas, which was unlike any I'd read about before. The Whiskey Rebels is highly recommended for readers of all stripes and inclinations.

I tend to like historical mysteries/thrillers, but for some reason, had never picked up any of Liss' well-regarded books until now. The post-Revolutionary War setting intrigued me enough to try this one out, as I know next to nothing about the era in general, and precisely nothing about the real speculation and banking panic which inspired the story.

The book is driven by separate plotlines featuring a pair of awfully compelling protagonists. Captain Saunders is a penniless, drunk rogue who left the Revolutionary Army under scandalous (and possibly unfounded) circumstances some years earlier, and spends most of his time stewing in his own disgrace. He becomes embroiled in the search for the missing husband of his true love, which leads him down some shady streets, and into the corridors of power. Namely those of his former commander, Alexander Hamilton, now the Secretary of the Treasury. Meanwhile, Joan Maycott is a forward-thinking young woman of brains and beauty, who marries her first love and sets out with him to the wild wild West (that is to say, Western Pennsylvania). She heads down muddy paths and into a grim future, eking out a living with her husband under the thumb of a despotic overlord.

Unfortunately, although the two plotlines alternate chapters, their timelines do not coincide, making for some rather awkward back and forth. Captain Saunders' adventures take place in 1791, while Mrs. Maycott's take place several years earlier, and must catch up to the Saunders timeline. This results in some herky-jerky pacing, as days in one chapter give way to months in another. All of while gets even more confusing when other characters appear in both plotlines. It's not impenetrable, it just takes one out of the story a smidgen, which is unfortunate.

Otherwise, the two plotlines juxtapose well, as Saunders' story allows the reader to revel in Revolutionary-era Philadelphia, and follow the process of the fledgling financial markets, while Mrs. Maycott's captures the brutality of the West and how it changes its settlers. Of course, eventually the two stories dovetail, as a powerful speculator attempts to manipulate the market in a manner that might well spell doom for the fledgling American republic. Unfortunately, at this point Mrs. Maycott more or less stops being a full character and instead acts as a mysterious catalyst, robbing the reader of the more sympathetic of the two protagonists. Saunders takes center stage in a game of financial cat and mouse with huge ramifications.

Although Liss could never have known when he started, the subject matter is all too timely, and those looking for a good read dealing with market panics will find this to their taste. It's also got some rich historical atmosphere and detail, combining historical and fictional characters in a seamless manner. The dialogue deserves special mention, as Liss clearly revels in doling out clever wordplay to his protagonists. All in all a good read slightly undone by problems of pace, construction, and length.

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