I apprecitate the publisher allowing me to read this book. I found this a really interesting read and the characters are quite engaging. it kept me reading until the end. I highly recommend.

Molly Becker writes The Turncoat's Widow about Rebecca Purcell, the widow of a British spy during the American Revolution. The neighbors in the community treat Rebecca badly because they suspect her husband left behind a list of fellow spies before he was executed. Rebecca knows nothing about any list and begins a journey helping the Americans while searching for the list. What follows is a very well done story of war, loyalty and deciding which people and country to trust.
This is historical mystery fiction with just enough romance thrown in to make it interesting.

In Morristown, NJ, Becca is different than the other townsfolk and that causes the people in town to question her loyalty to the revolution. It’s 1779 and Becca Parcell’s husband, Philip has died aboard a British prison ship in New York City. His dying words to cell mate, Daniel Alloway are to find his wife who has a list of Patriots that are really British Spies. In a unique setting for the historical mystery genre, this book is set in gritty Revolutionary War-era New England. Young widow Rebecca Parcell finds herself at the mercy of the townspeople in Morristown, NJ, when publicly accused of betraying her husband to the British and being the cause of his death. But Philip Parcell was not what he seemed to be. As a blacksmith’s daughter wed for her dowry, Becca had never fit in with Morristown society, despite her husband’s aristocratic family line, so she provides a handy scapegoat for those in the town who had reasons to be rid of her. The suspicions raised mean that Becca will most likely lose her farm and all she holds dear, despite the backing and support of her mother-in-law, Lady Augusta, and neighbor Thomas Lockwood, a man of standing who also happens to be personally acquainted with George Washington. In an astonishing turn of events, Becca finds herself enlisted by General Washington himself, to serve as a spy for him and discover the truth about a list of names of turncoats Philip had in his possession. The cast of supporting characters was well-rounded and enjoyable, the story clipped along at a fast pace, and there were twists and turns along the way. It offered a glimpse into the rougher, and most likely quite accurate, aspects of life during this tumultuous time. It also threw in a few interesting facts I didn’t realize, like one needing a passport to travel from New Jersey to New York.

I really enjoyed reading this book! Historical fiction is a genre that I generally like and this book sucked me in from the beginning. The characters were well-rounded and well-written, and the story flowed easily while still providing unexpected twists and turns. Recommended for lovers of historical fiction, especially the early colonial/American period.

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook. A great book. The cover is beautiful. Highly recommend.

This was probably not the most respectful book to be reading with the recent death of Queen Elizabeth. That monarchy will have changes ahead and I hope King Charles III is willing to compromise. I get tired of reading about WWII so I've been reaching out to other historical eras--heaven knows I can always learn more.

So what did I learn here? That there's a legend--maybe true, maybe not--that an attempt to kill Washington involved a guard poisoning a bowl of peas. From the interwebs--

Thompson said Washington's own papers report Hickey was indeed a member of the general's "life guard" who was involved in a plot to aid the king's army when it invaded New York, and that plot may have included plans to assassinate Washington and his staff. The plot was discovered and Hickey was court-martialed, found guilty of mutiny, sedition and treachery, and hanged before 20,000 spectators on June 28, 1776.

A while back I learned my ancestors were on the Loyalist side during the Revolution (I know, I know, hiss hiss) and after the war they were given land in Canada.

3.5 rounded down. A great debut and I'll be looking forward to more from Becker. I want to know more about Augusta, Becca's mother-in-law. This combined romance, historical fiction and mystery. I like my romance very light in historical fiction and this was at the tipping point of too much. (Again, I was more interested in the mother-in-law's romance than Becca's!)

The one plot point that bothered me--(view spoiler)

A brothel from this time
Revwarbrothel

Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced reader's copy.

The Turncoat’s Widow begins with the execution of Phillip Parcell, a British spy who has been caught selling British secrets to the Americans. Before his execution, he left a list of names of other British spies in his wife Becca's possession. He hopes that Becca will find the list and give it to the Americans. While Becca is looking for the list, she is given a task by George Washington and becomes a spy for the American cause. She is aided by Daniel Alloway, a British prisoner. Becca and Daniel set out on a dangerous mission to track down the British spies.

Becca is a compelling character. She is often judged by the locals because it is assumed that she has betrayed the British. Therefore, she is an outcast by society. The only person who believes in her is George Washington, and she is employed to be a spy for the American cause. Over time, Becca becomes a patriot. She is a strong woman and is very smart. I liked her romance with Daniel. Both of them have sad pasts. They were able to connect with each other very deeply and have the same cause. Therefore, they truly belonged with each other.

Overall, this novel is about choices, patriotism, and war. I liked how the novel showed how many people in colonies did not support the American cause. Many of them still wanted to be British. Therefore, it was interesting to see how unpopular and unlikely the American cause was. The many characters in this novel were very realistic. The mystery itself was fun to unravel because there were a lot of twists and turns! The Turncoat’s Widow is meticulously researched and made the Revolutionary era come alive. The only thing I did not like about this was the beginning was very slow, but picked up in the middle. Still, there is enough action, suspense, and romance that will keep you turning pages! I am excited to read the sequel! I recommend The Turncoat’s Widow for fans of City of Liars and Thieves, Cry of the Innocent, and This Day is Ours!

I have admittedly been spoiled by very, very wonderful historical fiction over the years, and unfortunately this is not in that category.

I enjoyed the premise but felt too much was undertaken and things ultimately fell flat. The plot progressed in confusing ways, and often characters acted with motivation that was confusing, not ever fully explained or rushed. Example - Mason and Augusta. What? What even happened with that?

Many thanks to #NetGalley for access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very nice read! It was intriguing with the mystery and the plot twists that I didn’t see coming. The romance was a nice bonus too! Great debut novel with a perfectly detailed historical setting! Would highly recommend!

This book was a huge surprise to me, as it was not like the sanitized history I learned in school, about our founding fathers and the early days of the Republic. Instead, it was a dangerous, desperate, and unsettled time for the citizens. I had never heard about the prison hulks moored in New York Harbor filled with American prisoners. It was a shock to read that the bodies of the dead were tossed into the harbor, and their bones and skulls washed up on the shore.

Rebecca Parcell's husband is dead, and she is left to run the family farm. Her farm, her livelihood and she are in danger, however. Conflicting rumors about her and her deceased husband are spreading, and all are dangerous to her and her future.

Daniel Alloway was a printer before he was accused of treason and sentenced to one of the prison hulks. He managed to escape in a particularly harrowing fashion. Rebecca and Daniel are caught up in a very dangerous conspiracy and must work together to survive.

Thanks to the publisher Level Best Books and Netgalley for allowing me to read and review this book. All opinions here are my own.

eBook Review: The Turncoat’s Widow – Mally Becker

Story: Rebecca “Becca” Parcell is a widow because her husband was murdered as a spy. Some are told that he was a spy for the British and a spy for the American’s. Becca has not allied with either side, preferring to be neutral and not wanting to get into the fight. Neither did Daniel Alloway, the man who was the last man to be with Becca’s husband before he died, and left a secret paper that was a list of traitors under General Washington. Now it is time to find the list before Becca loses her farm, Daniel loses his life, and the American rebellion loses. Also, Becca will find out who betrayed her husband and led him to the ship the “Jersey” where he died. Running from bandits and trackers along with her mother-in-law and maid, and Daniel. There is some element of romance, but the mystery of the list of traitors is the main plot of the story. This point pleasantly surprised me. I admit though it was a nice read, it sometimes dragged and Becca doubted herself, and the people around her. She did possess many qualities you don’t normally see in a heroine at that period in novels, which is refreshing. My favorite part is when Becca stands up to the bandits, it made me laugh and also grit my teeth a bit.

The traitor was a complete surprise for me, and I usually know who the murder is halfway in the novel. There are many notable names from our history classes, including several presidents, George Washington, Sam Adams, their wives, Alexander Hamilton, and others.

I would like to tell and thank Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to read and review the novel. It has been a pleasure.

Final Notes: The Turncoat’s Wife 3.9/5 Stars

This is a great read if you are interested in the Revolutionary period of our country’s history. There is not a lot of books that I’ve seen in this time period, but I’m always interested in growing and finding new subjects to read about. Until next time A Girl and Her Tablet is signing off! Bye!

I absolutely loved this book. Very well written historical fiction with a bit of a mystery. I thought it was very believable and liked the unexpected twists. Great read! Thank you netgalley and publisher for this arc in exchange of an honest review.

The Turncoat's Widow is a brilliant take on the historical mystery. Becker sets her dramatic story against the backdrop of the American Revolution, and she seamlessly integrates fictional characters with real life figures from that era. Even George Washington--not to mention Martha!--comes to life in unexpected ways. I was fascinated with the treasure trove of intimate details about life in that era, but those elements of the story never take over either the plot or the engaging characters. I don't often read historical novels, but this one may just change my mind. Gripping plot, turns and twists, and a dollop of humor kept me reading until the satisfying end. Looking forward to more books by this talented author.

i loved the use of historical novel mixed with a mystery, it's a genre that I really don't see often. The mix really works well together and I enjoyed getting to know Becca.

An interesting novel which I enjoyed for the setting -- a fascinating historical time period that I have not seen all that often in fiction -- as well as the characters and story. For a debut novel this was very good, with well-written but sometimes flawed characters, an interesting mystery, intrigue, great historical detail, and some plot twists I didn't see coming. I would have like a bit more heat to the romance! The ending seemed to set up a sequel. I look forward to it.

I didn’t love this one, maybe I wasn’t in the right headspace for it. It was a great story and really well written.

THE TURNCOAT’S WIDOW by Mally Becker is a debut historical mystery set in Morristown during the Revolutionary War era with a female protagonist who is widowed and must find the strength and courage to do extraordinary things to save her family farm.

Rebecca Parcell is a widow who wants nothing more than to continue working her late husband’s family farm with her mother-in-law and servant/friend. She hates the war and feels no love for either side, but her husband supposedly died a patriot and hero.

Some in Morristown believe she turned her husband in to the British and are setting her up to forfeit her farm, but General Washington and his aide Alexander Hamilton know the truth about her husband and his activities for the British. If Becca, with the aide of Daniel Alloway, an escaped prisoner who was imprisoned with her husband, are willing to work together to spy and find the list of turncoats left by her husband, then Washington will intervene to save her farm.

Becca and Daniel work together to discover the turncoats before their plot can change the course of history.


I enjoyed this debut from Ms. Becker. The plot was well paced with several surprising twists and an increasing sense of dread and suspense leading up to the solution of the mystery. Becca and Daniel start out as characters that do not believe in the war, just personal survival, but Ms. Becker takes them through personal changes together that change their beliefs and futures. The secondary characters were all fully fleshed and I especially enjoyed the addition of the historical figures. This story is complete, but there are hints that Becca and Daniel could be up for future adventures.

I really wanted to love this book. And it was just okay for me. I was looking forward to reading something along the lines of the TV show "Turn." It was a like that show, but light. I would like to see where the widows adventures lead her.

Very well written historical fiction. Can't wait to see and read what my fellow bookstagrammers think about this one!

Fun, fresh, and historical too – The Turncoat’s Widow is the perfect relaxing read! I always appreciate when an author can skillfully combine meticulous, historical research with an easy-to-read, engaging format and that is exactly what Mally Becker has winningly accomplished with Turncoat.

It’s shortly after the American Revolution, in 1780, and recently widowed Rebecca Parcell is surprised to find that her deceased husband has been selling American secrets to the British who control the state nation of New York. Drawn into the intrigue by none other than General George Washington himself, Parcell takes daring risks to track down the ring of spies with whom her husband was dealing. Along the way she faces danger from multiple corners and romance with a rogue she’s not sure she can trust.

The kernel for the novel all started when Becker was volunteering at a national park in New Jersey and found herself sorting through the park’s archive of historical letters. When Becker came across a copy of an indictment for the Revolutionary War-era crime of traveling from New Jersey to New York City “without permission or passport”, the spark that became Becker’s debut novel was born.

Such a short period time after the Revolution of 1776, the reader is reminded that not all during that historical period was cut and dry. In one particularly lovely and poignant scene, Parcell muses, “After the balls of New York, the evening’s entertainment seemed almost quaint. No, that wasn’t it. The music here was more straightforward. The guests laughed more easily. The voices were louder. We’re not British, she thought with surprise. In all the flowery language about independence, she hadn’t heard anyone state what was obvious to her now. They were not English. They were American.”

This reviewer has heard rumors that there may be follow-up installments to Turncoat, and if so, let’s just say that we can’t wait for the next wild romp through the Revolution – looking forward to more, Ms. Becker!

A big thank you to Mally Becker (https://www.mallybecker.com/), Level Best Books (https://www.levelbestbooks.us/), and NetGalley (https://www.netgalley.com/) for a complimentary Advanced Reader Copy of The Turncoat’s Widow in exchange for this honest review.

Please consider buying a copy of The Turncoat’s Widow today from Bookshop.org (https://bookshop.org/lists/best-reads-of-2021-88773662-4d2d-4749-824a-e8ca8561f6ca) – the online bookstore that gives 75% of the book’s profits back to independent bookstores.

From the Publisher
About the Author:

Mally Becker is a writer whose historical suspense novel, The Turncoat’s Widow, published in February 2021 by Level Best Books. She was born in Brooklyn and began her professional career in New York City as a publicist and freelance magazine writer, then moved on, becoming an attorney and, later, an advocate for children in foster care.

A winner of the Leon B. Burstein/MWA-NY Scholarship for Mystery Writing, Mally lives with her husband in the wilds of New Jersey where they hike, kayak, look forward to visits from their son, and poke around the region’s historical sites.

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