Travis Simpkins: "An Experiment in Treason" by Bruce Alexander

"An Experiment in Treason" by Bruce Alexander

G.P. Putnam's Sons Publishers, 2002

Brief Review by Travis Simpkins

Set in mid-1770's London, the theft of a packet of incendiary letters from the home of a government official (and the resulting murder of a nightwatchman) ignites a series of mysterious events that will add further fuel to a brewing war between Britain and the American Colonies. Blind magistrate Sir John Fielding and his assistant, Jeremy Proctor, work the troublesome case from their headquarters at 4 Bow Street. The stolen letters, as it turns out, were penned by Massachusetts governor Thomas Hutchinson and made their way back to Boston after the theft… a turn made evident by a confession of sorts, published in the London newspaper by Benjamin Franklin. With Franklin amongst the key suspects in masterminding the crime, Sir John must delve deep into a subversive network of criminals. Things take a scary turn when the government official hires his own investigator, a murderous slave hunter, and victims begin turning up dismembered. Part Sherlock Holmes, part Johnny Tremain, the plot unfolds with clever twists against a carefully composed 18th Century backdrop.

As mentioned in the Author's Note concluding the book, liberties were taken to create a fictional story surrounding the real-life absconding and release of the Hutchinson Letters by patriot Benjamin Franklin… the content of which incited great animosity amongst Massachusetts rebels and further hastened the start of the American Revolution. In An Experiment in Treason, Bruce Alexander (a pseudonym) handles the historical material and characters with respect and dignity, offering readers an enjoyable literary sojourn set in the not-all-so-distant past.