The Signers

Spanning the days leading up to July 4,
1776, the Second Continental Congress prepares to debate the wisdom of
seeking independence from their British masters. While most enlightened
thinkers believe reconciliation will soon replace confrontation,
negotiations between the two sides are continuing peacefully. On the
surface the enlightened thinkers appear to be correct; however, both
British and colonial leaders continue to make plans to the
contrary.While the British continue to secretly assemble the largest
naval armada in history, a shadowy plot has emerged from the highest
levels of their government: an order to strike a decisive first blow and
cut off the head of the snake.Patrick Rourke, a notorious and wealthy
Philadelphia Tory, and his exotic mistress, Lydia Ames, are working with
British agents on a sinister plot. Their goal is simple: to eliminate
the leadership of the fledgling rebellion.In the meantime, members of
the Second Continental Congress's Secret Committee have set in motion a
bold plan to seek French military aid for the coming conflict. A ship
full of gold is on its way to France to secure the deal. Unfortunately,
the small committee has been compromised, and word of the shipment has
fallen into the wrong hands.With the looming revolution in the
background, we find our reluctant hero, Benjamin Cushman, thrust into
the middle of the coming storm. Cushman decides to visit his best friend
from childhood, Thomas Jefferson, only to be caught in the middle of
the notorious British assassination plot.The assassination attempt is
the springboard and culmination of various subplots set against the
actual documented historical records of the weeks leading up to the
signing of the Declaration of Independence. This historical fiction
novel allows the reader to follow our Founding Fathers during one of the
most crucial weeks in our history, the week leading up to the Fourth of
July. It will expose the reader to the process, pressure, and politics
that led to the courageous signing of the Declaration of Independence
and perhaps the greatest closing line in human history, as the signers
pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor for a simple
yet powerful idea—freedom.