How Dark the Night [Paperback]

How Dark the Nightcontinues the seafaring adventures of the Cutler family by picking up the action where the fourth volume,A Call to Arms, ends in 1805. The years leading up to the War of 1812 were devastating ones for the young republic. The life-and-death struggle between Great Britain and France caught the United States in a web of financial and political chaos as President Jefferson and Secretary of State Madison labored to keep the unprepared United States out of the conflict without compromising the nation's honor. On the home front, Jefferson's embargo threatened the livelihood of the Cutlers and other New England shipping families as merchant ships rotted on their moorings and sailors sat on the beach, penniless. Far worse for the Cutler family is a grave illness that threatens the life of its most beloved member. As in previous books in the series, the action is brought to life by such colorful historical figures as the infamous pirate Jean Lafitte, Secretary of the Navy Robert Smith, Robert Fulton (and his prototype for a submarine), Captain Stephen Decatur, Captain Salusbury Pryce Humphreys, RN, and Commodore James Barron.William C. Hammondwas born in 1947 in Boston, Massachusetts, and grew up in Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts. An amateur historian and sailing enthusiast, he is the author of the Cutler Family Chronicles, which take place amid the rise of the American Navy. Hammond lives in New Zealand with his wife, Sheree.. . . William Hammond sticks with his engaging and award-winning formula of embedding his early 19th-century characters in the culture, people and politics of the time.High drama on the high seas combined with political intrigue, ships of two navies, pirates, and privateers draws the reader into this compelling tale, well crafted by William Hammond. The growing Cutler family's story brings history to life even as they appear on opposite sides of an international conflict. Another well-told, fast-paced storlS«