The New Land
Seeking a new life, the Oberstrasse family reaches the wild Maine coast in 1753. The American frontier teems with swindlers, hostile French and Indians, killing diseases and bone-cracking cold. Renamnig himself Overstreet, Johann tries to put aside his soldiering past.
But even an ocean cannot protect the Overstreets. War follows them, first the French and Indian War, then the fierce fight for independence. The new land, and peace, come at a high price. Watch this video for more!
"Great novels are filled with the nuances and contradictions of human history. So it is that Johann . . . determined to kill no more, has to use a bayonet [against] a Penobscot . . . I had to hold my breath as the two men struggled. . . That scene. . . will remain to haunt you."
Carl Rollyson, New York Sun
"A dazzling and wrenching novel of history that marks the beginning of an American epic. A story of immigration, the inheritance of violence, and the love of a father for his son, told in language that stings with salt and sawdust and gunpowder. . . . David Stewart is a master of history and the human heart that beats within it."
Kent Wascom
author of The New Inheritors
George Washington: The Political Rise of America's Founding Father
Amazon #1 Bestseller
Finalist, George Washington Book Prize, 2022
2022 Book Award, Colonial Dames of America
2022 History Prize, Society of the Cincinnati
2022 George Washington Memorial Award
"[A]n outstanding biography that both avoids hagiography and acknowledges the greatness of Washington's character. . . Mr. Stewart's writing is clear, often superlative, his judgments are nuanced, and the whole has a narrative drive such a life deserves."
Wall Street Journal
"David O. Stewart brings his characteristic grace and skill to this portrait of the political George Washington. . . . Stewart's book is a welcome reminder of the possibilities, however imperfect, of the public arena."
Jon Meacham
"An important new portrait of our first president. As Stewart demonstrates time and time again, with vivid prose and a wonderful sense of pacing, great leaders are also great learners. In this time of division and turmoil, this is the book we need.”
Nathaniel Philbrick
About David
As a bestselling writer of history and historical novels, David O. Stewart applies the storytelling and analytical skills honed by years in trial and appellate law practice. Critics have called him "an acknowledged master of narrative history" and "one of our best new writers of historical mysteries."
Awards
• Washington Writing Award for Best Book of the year (Summer of 1787)
• Bloomberg View: Best Historical Mystery of the year (The Lincoln Deception)
• The William H. Prescott Award of the Colonial Dames of America (Madison's Gift)
• The History Prize of the Society of the Cincinnati (American Emperor)