Spy Vs. Spy Colonial Style

   George Washington Spymaster by Thomas B. Allen is history done fast and fun. Completely unpretentious and unabashedly entertaining, it will turn even the most school-squeamish into history buffs.  It may never sit on the shelf with the studious works of Gordon Woods or even David Hackett Fischer, but it will be a perfect fit on the coffee table or nightstand. The book is really a collection of short articles featuring George Washington and the people who developed an intelligence network during the Revolutionary War. Each story can be read in a matter of minutes, but is full of colorful characters and surprising facts. Allen writes with enough suspense and adventure that his stories seem tailor made to become Hollywood scripts.  Allen takes piles of research on this little-discussed subject and makes it accessible to everyone. Sprinkled throughout are codes and secret spy communication techniques that Allen leaves for you to decipher.  An inexpensive hardback at $16.95, this one is more than worth the money. Although written to be accessible to an 8th grade reader, I have reviewed this book like any history for adults because each adult I give it to loves it so.  I think you will too.

George Washington, Spymaster: How the Americans Outspied the British and Won the Revolutionary War published by National Geographic