Fire Along the Sky: A Novel of America

In this stylish departure from his usual haunts, suspense author Moss ( Carnival of Spies ) presents the fictional journal of Shane Hardacre, in service to his distant relative Sir William Johnson, a historical figure who served as the king's superintendent of Indians in the years prior to the American Revoluton. This bawdy, violent and always engrossing tale rings with authenticity in both fact and spirit. Johnson strove to create an order in which the Indians could retain their hunting grounds and live side by side with white settlers; and Hardacre's adventures illustrate many of the reasons that destined that noble plan to failure, from conflict between cultures to the nearly insatiable land-hunger of many pioneers. With his death-obsessed traveling companion, Sir Robert Davers (whose Indian name gives title to the book), Hardacre is witness to, and just barely a survivor of, Johnson's struggles to hold the peace and the eventual uprising led by Chief Pontiac. Enhanced by an extensive appendix, this splendid piece of storytelling offers the added delight of a likely sequel set during the American Revolution. (Feb.)