George Washington's Secret Six

Brian Kilmeade clearly is excited by his subject, and the story of George Washington's spy ring during the American Revolution is indeed an exciting story. But in his narration of the book he cowrote, he needs to dial back some of that enthusiasm. He adds emphasis to passages and even words that don't warrant it. He also pauses at awkward and even unexpected points in sentences. In remarks at a book signing this would be acceptable, but in a book-length reading it becomes distracting. A more studied reading of the book, adding emphasis more judiciously, would have done the subject greater justice. To make the book longer, the authors include basic information about the American Revolution, which nearly all listeners will already know. R.C.G. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine

March 1, 2014

This history of six of George Washington's spies in New York during the American Revolution covers fascinating material but does so with a flawed execution. Kilmeade (It's How You Play the Game) and Yaeger (Greatness) tell the story of five men and one woman, whose identity is still unknown, in British-occupied New York, who were working to pass military secrets to Washington in the time between the invasion of New York and the British withdrawal at the end of the war. Washington himself plays a relatively minor role here as the instigator of the enterprise and the recipient of the spies' work. The book's climax is the thwarting of Benedict Arnold's plot to surrender West Point. The authors are fond of hyperbole and superlatives, even when subtlety or complexity are called for. They also made the questionable choice to include fictionalized conversations, which are quite stilted. Kilmeade narrates, and his vocal style is to speak as though every sentence is the most important. VERDICT Only for fans of Kilmeade.--Tristan M. Boyd, Westbank Community Lib., Austin, TX

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