The Whiskey Rebels: A Novel by David Liss

This is David Liss' fourth book and I think it's his best. In each of his books, he explores a period in history with great accuracy and attention to detail and then brings that era to life with a compelling fictional story line. In his latest book, he looks at early America, just after the end of the Revolutionary war. The Jeffersonians and the Federalists led by Alexander Hamilton are struggling for power. Hamilton establishes the US Bank and to raise funds, initiates a tax on whiskey, the only source of income and barter on the western Pennsylvania frontier. This leads to the Whiskey Rebellion. Against this backdrop, he weaves two stories which initially seem totally unrelated but then merge to form one fascinating story. Much of the plot line involves financial chicanery which might be confusing but he does an amazing job of making it clear for the reader. Liss is rapidly becoming one of our best writers and this one is definitely a must read.