The Spy

It is war. New York is split – the British and the loyalists occupy Manhattan as the Continental Army and the American rebels muster in the Hudson Valley. Westchester County is the “neutral ground”. The plot of General Benedict Arnold to betray West Point has just been foiled. The British spy Major Andre has been executed. Harvey Birch, a modest and unassuming peddler and his family live in a stout little house in Westchester County, New York, where neighbors’ suspicions are aroused by his dealings with the highest British authorities – he is a traitor to the cause of Independence! Or is he…? Considered the first great success in American literature, Cooper’s second novel, “The Spy” is a tale of adventure, intrigue, romance, greed, and above all, patriotism, set during the waning days of the American Revolution.