Copies are available in 9 x 6-inch paperback ($24.95) from the publisher, Evening Post Books, at:
In the spring of 1780, Polly Cooper, a young patriot, decides to smuggle rifles to her brothers defending Charleston against the British siege. As she approaches the city she’s captured by 25-year-old Irish Colonel Lord Rawdon, who offers safe passage in exchange for three dances at the next ball to celebrate the British victory.
So begins an improbable romance between rebel and redcoat as Charleston falls and Rawdon spends the next year trying to subdue the South Carolina backcountry. Polly struggles with divided loyalties as Rawdon wins a succession of battles, only for him to discover that victory, in both love and war, eludes him.
The cover of The Charleston Gambit, partly reproduced above, incorporates portraits of the two central characters. The young woman is from a 1778 print, “The Studious Beauty,” reproduced courtesy of The Lewis Walpole Library, Yale University.
The portrait of Lord Rawdon, probably painted in the later 1780s, is from a print in the author’s collection.
``If you are looking for a read that weaves history, culture and life together in the wondrous way of historical fiction, this should be your first choice.``
``Bennett’s prose is spirited, his command of the material absolutely unquestionable. There is an authentic feel to the descriptions of the objects, the fashions, the foods, the books read in 1780, the battles and troop movements, the weapons, the nuances of terrain and military tactics, and especially the cadence of the spoken language, all completely believable. . . it strongly reminds me of Michael Shaara’s novel Killer Angels. Both books are character driven and told from the viewpoint of both sides . . .``
“Rife with historical detail, The Charleston Gambit tells a rousing tale of Revolutionary War South Carolina. Along with the battles, it gives glimpses of Charleston fashion and society, faces head-on issues of slavery and plantation life, and gives us an engaging love story. Bennett is a fine guide to the real and imagined world of those turbulent times – I didn’t want it to end!”