The Republic of Virtue: Jefferson Flanders' New Novel, a Story of Americans in Paris during the French Revolution

    BOSTON, MA, December 10, 2014 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The summer of 1793 represented a pivotal time for the French Revolution, and The Republic of Virtue, a compelling new novel by Jefferson Flanders, brings those fateful months to life through the eyes of American expatriates in Paris.

In the novel, Calvin Tarkington, a young Boston merchant-trader, arrives in Paris on July 4th only to discover that his brother Alexander, the family firm's representative in France, has disappeared, suspected by a powerful Jacobin official of spying for the British. As Calvin seeks to clear his brother's name, his quest for the truth takes him from elegant townhouses to squalid gambling dens to the secret chambers of the Masonic Lodge of the Seven Sisters. Drawn into a shadowy world of intrigue and betrayal, Calvin becomes the target of hidden forces intent on altering the course of history.

Rich in historical detail and suspense, The Republic of Virtue (Munroe Hill Press, paper, $15.50) tells a story of love, courage, and loyalty set in a dangerous place at a dangerous time--a France lurching toward the Reign of Terror.

"I wanted to capture that inflection point where the Revolution began to spin out of control, where suspicion and paranoia overwhelmed the revolutionary leaders," Flanders says. "It's a fascinating setting for a historical thriller, and it does say something about the costs of extremism and partisanship--a lesson we might do well heed today."

"The Republic of Virtue is the first novel to focus on Americans caught up in the French Revolution," he adds. "Many were deeply involved, including Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine, Joel Barlow, Gilbert Imlay and other expats who supported the Marquis de Lafayette and his fellow revolutionaries seeking a constitutional monarchy. American officers served in the French army until President Washington established a policy of neutrality. When the Revolution veered toward radicalism in 1793, with the execution of the King and the rise of Jacobins, those Americans were caught in the middle. Paine, for example, ended up in prison!"

The Republic of Virtue is the initial book in a new series by Flanders, The Tarkingtons, that will trace the experiences of a New England family from the eighteenth century to today. The second novel in the series, The Boston Trader, is scheduled for publication in February 2015.

Jefferson Flanders is an author, educator, and independent journalist. During the course of his career, he has been a sportswriter, newspaper columnist, and publishing executive. He is the author of Cafe Carolina and Other Stories, The Girl from Recoleta and Other Stories of Love, and of the critically-acclaimed First Trumpet Cold War trilogy of Herald Square, The North Building, and The Hill of Three Borders.

For more information, please visit www.munroehillpress.com or www.jeffersonflanders.com.

Media contact: Astrid Sante
Munroe Hill Press
(857) 256-1406
http:munroehillpress.com
asante(at)munroehillpress(dot)com

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