The Franklin Affair: A NovelBONUS: This edition contains an excerpt from Jim Lehrer's Tension City. “Three may keep a secret if two of ’em are dead.” –Poor Richard’s Almanack[pg. 27 of mss] R Taylor arrives in Philadelphia for the funeral of his longtime friend Dr. Wally Rush with a heavy heart. Not only has the world lost one of its preeminent, Pulitzer Prize—winning American Revolution historians, but R has lost his mentor, the man who led him to devote his life’s work to the study of “The First American,” Benjamin Franklin. The bond between them was sealed when R did Wally a favor that could never be revealed. But Wally saved one final secret for R, disclosed in a letter conveyed by the will’s executor. Written in the slow, painful script of the professor’s last days, the note delivers an incredible bombshell. Wally, it seems, had stumbled upon twelve handwritten pages in a code commonly used by spies during the revolutionary war. The pages refer to George Washington, John Adams, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison, and level a shocking charge–that Benjamin Franklin committed a heinous crime. Wally, not wanting to foul the image of his lifelong hero, had kept this monumental secret until his death. But as R races to unravel the mystery, he faces an onslaught of obstacles. Vicious blackmail, a threat of sabotage against his own career, and grave personal doubts threaten to overtake R as he struggles with a discovery that has the potential to completely alter the fabric of American history. Rich with revelations, rife with the darkest depths of deceit and mystery, and enlightened by the unparalleled insights of America’s first patriots, The Franklin Affair is a tense, constantly surprising novel about the ultimate quest for truth and justice. |
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30th Street Station 36 Craven Street Adams American Revolution ARHA asked Ben's Benjamin Franklin Bill Paine Braxton briefcase called chardonnay choice Clara Hopkins cloak Clymer Colonial Colonial Williamsburg crowd desk Eastville Evelyn eyes Founding Fathers Franklin University front glass going Gray House Hancock hand Harry Dickinson head historian honor Jefferson Joe Hooper John Adams John Gwinnett Johnny Rutledge Joshiah Ross knew Law & Order lived look loved Madison Melissa Anne Harrison minutes morning Morton moved museum Nelson once parlor Patrick Henry Pennsylvania person Philadelphia plagiarism Poor Richard's Almanack Pulitzer Rebecca Kendall Lee Rebecca Lee Samantha smiled Stockton story sure talk television tell Thank thing thought tion told took turned twelve Wallace Stephen Rush Wally Rush Wally's Washington Washington Post Williamsburg Wolcott woman words writing written wrote
Popular passages
Page 65 - THE BODY of BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, Printer, (like the cover of an old book, its contents torn out, and stript of its lettering and gilding) lies here food for worms ; yet the work itself shall not be lost, for it will (as he believed) appear once more in a new and more beautiful edition, corrected and amended by THE AUTHOR.
Page 66 - My native country, thee, Land of the noble free, Thy name I love. I love thy rocks and rills, Thy woods and templed hills. My heart with rapture thrills Like that above. Let music swell the breeze, And ring from all the trees Sweet Freedom's song...
Page 32 - They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.
Page 66 - The Body of B. Franklin Printer; Like the Cover of an old Book, Its contents torn out, And stript of its Lettering and Gilding, Lies here, Food for Worms, But the Work shall not be wholly lost: For it will, as he believ'd, appear once more, In a new & more perfect Edition, Corrected and amended By the Author.
Page 177 - The game of chess is not merely an idle amusement. Several very valuable qualities of the mind, useful in the course of human life, are to be acquired or strengthened by it, so as to become habits, ready on all occasions. For life is a kind of chess...
Page 177 - ... change, and that of persevering in the search of resources. The game is so full of events, there is such a variety of turns in it, the fortune of it is so subject to sudden vicissitudes, and one so frequently, after...
Page 49 - I warn you, gentlemen, if you do not exclude the Jews forever, your children and your children's children will curse you in their graves. Their ideas are not those of Americans, even when they lived among us for ten generations. The leopard cannot change his spots. The Jews are a danger to this land and if they are allowed to enter, they will imperil our institutions. They should be excluded by the Constitution.
Page 177 - ... and it is therefore best that these rules should be observed, as the game thereby becomes more the image of human life, and particularly of war, in which if you have incautiously put yourself into a bad and dangerous position, you cannot obtain your enemy's leave to withdraw your troops and place them more securely, but you must abide all the consequences of your rashness. And lastly, we learn by chess the habit of not being discouraged by...
Page 71 - Man's tongue is soft, and bone doth lack ; Yet a stroke therewith may break a man's back.
Page 201 - ... of the day. During this period Tyler launched a third career as a book reviewer. In 1972, she wrote her first review for the National Observer, eventually becoming a regular reviewer in 1975. Within a few years she was reviewing for publications ranging from the New Republic and Saturday Review to the New York Times Book Review and the Washington Post Book World, as well as other newspapers all over the country. Her reviews were generally favorable. She always searched for, and usually found,...