Review of The Sugar Rebellion

The Sugar Rebellion by Lyle Garford

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Grenada is a dangerous place in which to live in 1795, especially if you are English and white, particularly if you are Ninian Home, the governor. Originally colonized by the French, the English acquired the island as a prize of war, but British politicians have shown little regard for these people’s interests and even less for the mulattos and slaves. One of the latter is Julien Fedon, a plantation owner whose father was white and mother was a former slave. His position within the original colonists, his influence among the free mulattos, and his land make him the ideal candidate to lead a rebellion. The day to strike comes in March when Governor Home ventures from the safety of St. George. If they can capture him, as well as other wealthy English families, the rebels can use them as a bargaining chip to gain their demands.

Crippling wounds ten years ago nearly ended the Royal Navy careers of Evan Ross and James Wilton until Horatio Nelson offered them the opportunity to work for the British spymaster in the West Indies. They have become adept at what they do and the war with France makes their services much in demand. Their most pressing assignment now concerns the rebellion on Grenada, which has reached a stalemate after ten months. They are to assist the acting governor and an incompetent colonel in the Royal Army to bring about an end to the situation. Against his better judgment, Evan allows his wife, a former slave, to accompany him because she’s good at making friends, discovering tidbits of information, and not getting caught. One of her first revelations is that a female rebel may be sneaking into and out of St. George to spy on the British.

A two-fold problem faces Evan and James. They no established network of underground contacts, and the acting governor fears that time is running out for the hostages – forty men, women, and children. The direness of the situation compels James to offer to infiltrate the rebels. If he’s caught, he will most likely die, but he has one advantage over all those privy to their plan. He’s black. When added to his friend’s skill with weapons and a passing knowledge of French, Evan realizes that James might just succeed.

But the rebels are leery of the Royal Navy deserter and one of them yearns to kill him outright. Julien enlists the aid of his female spy, who should do whatever she must to ascertain the truth – a painful, but necessary condition since he is in love with Sophie Ventour. And when James meets Sophie, she awakens feelings he thought long dead. Each day becomes a tightrope to walk where his heart must battle his conscience, as well as the French spies who are helping the rebels and Sophie’s brother, the rebel who wants to kill him.

The Sugar Rebellion is a fast-paced depiction of an actual, but little known, uprising. Garford could have delved deeper into the psychological ramifications that Evan, James, and Sophie face in their line of work, but his rendering of infiltration and spying deftly unfold. Fans of the Evan Ross series will enjoy this fourth book that brings to life this Grenadian rebellion from differing points of view and demonstrates that events are never just black or white or that honor is neither colorblind nor restricted to one gender.




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