Recently, I fell down a rabbit hole of spy books about the revolutionary war, and it was not just any spy books. They were ones about female spies and they are all based on real women! I have been in heaven reading these books! I love historical fiction—especially when it is fast paced and reads more like a thriller. I hold the view that the events and people of the past are as exciting as anything that can be imagined- perhaps even more so because these things actually happened. Imagine being an untrained spy and the enemy is boarding in your home with you. To add more suspense to the situation, the particular enemy boarding with you in your home was sent to ferret out the spies that they know must be living in the area. They are hunting you as you are spying on them! This stuff actually happened! This is what history is, and a good author will take you there and make your palms sweat. This is what the following 3 books about the female spies of the American Revolution did for me!
Before I launch into discussing these three books about some of the lady spies of the American Revolution, I want to give you some context for the setting of each of these books. A few years into the American Revolution, things were not going well for us Americans. Washington was in trouble and he knew he had to outsmart the British as there’s no way our little American army could over power them. He, therefore, set up with the help of one of his military men- Benjamin Tallmadge- a spy ring. There came to be 6 members of this spy ring known as the Culper Spy Ring, and without them the outcome of the American revolution could have had a very different outcome. Of these 6 agents, one of them was called 355 and the only name given her in the code book was “Lady,” rather than her real name. The term lady denotes a woman of high status. I won’t give away any spoilers as to the fate of this lady, 355, but rest assured she did exist and she did help turn the tide of the American revolution. There is much room for speculation as to this lady’s true identity. If you want a compelling but factual read about the Culper Spy Ring, I suggest George Washington’s Secret 6 by Brian Kilmeade and Don Yager. Now, onto the lady spies!
355: A Novel, The Women of Washington’s Spy Ring, By Kit Sergeant
This book is probably the most factual out of the three books I am discussing today. It follows 3 women who played a part in spying in the American Revolution. All 3 of the women portrayed in this book were actual people. They lived and did the things (at least to a certain extent) told in the book. While I really enjoyed this story, there were a few things I would like to mention:1) the book is called 355, yet none of the characters in this book quite fit what we know about the actual lady agent known as 355 in the Culper Spy Ring of New York. That doesn’t mean that these women didn’t do great things for the American revolution. Neither does it mean that none of them could have been agent 355. To this day, the identity of agent 355 still remains a mystery, but none of these women quite seem to fit the bill so if you are picking this book in order to learn specifically about agent 355 you may be a little disappointed. 2) The book came to a rather abrupt ending. I respect and value when an author stays as true to the real history as possible, and as real life doesn’t have neat little endings tied up in bows, neither does this story. The story in this book was good. I felt that the characters did come to life for me by sticking closely to the history that is known about these women the author did well, but I would say this is more of a portrayal of events told, well, than a story with a plot. Read it and judge for yourselves- I’d probably say this is a 4 star rating as far as the story goes, but 5 star if you are reading to learn the history!
Agent 355, by Marie Benedict
This is a short little story (currently only available via audio book) about agent 355 of the Culper Spy Ring in New York. Again, agent 355’s true identity remains a secret but there is a case to be made that the woman in this story is a possible candidate. The woman in the story was a real person, and she could have easily been agent 355. While short, this was a great telling of the events that the true agent 355 is suspected have had a hand in during the revolution. This woman moved in the circles with the social elite of New York during the British occupation of New York in the later years of the American revolution. She had a chance to be a fly on the wall while the British superiors spilled their intended battle plans right in front of her. There is also the social constraints of the day in which a single woman did not wander about the city unchaperoned— Agent 355 therefore would have then had the additional obstacle to face of how to get her information to another agent who could then relay the information to Washington without incriminating herself in the process. Agent 355 was a 5 star rating for me in every sense- compelling plot, lots of history, staying true to the event of those fateful years. My only complaint was that this book was simply, too short!
Rebel Spy, by Veronica Rossi
I couldn’t put this book down!! Out of the 3 books I’m discussing today, this one definitely had the most compelling plot that kept me on the edge of my seat through the whole book! Soo good! While this book also discusses the event that agent 355 is supposed to have had a hand in, the rest of this story is highly fictionalized. This makes for a very engaging read, but not quite as great of a history lesson. If you are reading this to learn about the events 355 played in the revolution read it, absorb the events, but be prepared for the fact that someone like this woman likely did not exist. However, if you are just looking for very compelling and entertaining historical fiction read it and enjoy every minute of it!