A Matter of Honor

Cutler Family Chronicles #1

by William C. Hammond

The first volume in a series of maritime novels set in the early years of the United States, A Matter of Honor"" is a dramatic account of a young man's coming of age during the American Revolution. Introducing Richard Cutler, a Massachusetts teenager with strong family ties to England, the novel tells his story as he ships out with John Paul Jones to avenge the death of his beloved brother Will, impressed by the Royal Navy and flogged to death for striking an officer. On the high seas, in England and in France, on the sugar islands of the Caribbean, and on the battlefield of Yorktown, Cutler proves his mettle and wins the love?and allegiance to the infant republic?of a beautiful English aristocrat from the arms of Horatio Nelson himself. ""A Matter of Honor"" is deeply researched and eloquently told. Sailors and historians will appreciate that author's attention to maritime detail, vivid sailing scenes, and dramatic battles.""

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction

416 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2007

About the author

Born in 1947 in Boston, Massachusetts, Bill Hammond received a B.A. degree in History and English from the University of North Carolina in 1970 and a M.B.A. degree from Babson College in 1985. He grew up in Manchester-by-the-sea, Massachusetts, where he developed a deep love for blue-water sailing, and has lived during his career in such places as Kansas City, Missouri; Alexandria, Virginia; and, for sixteen years, in Hingham, Massachusetts.

His thirty-year career in publishing has included work as a sales representative and as trade sales manager for Little, Brown & Company; as publisher of Hazelden Publishing and Education; as president of his own management consulting firm; and as a principal of a boutique investment bank located in Concord, Massachusetts.

A life-long student of history, and an avid sailor and reader of nautical fiction, he has combined his life’s passions in writing A Matter of Honor and subsequent titles in the Richard Cutler Naval Series. The Revolutionary War holds special fascination for him, for it was a war fought over ideals and principles -- not for territorial gain or monetary advantage, as is true in most wars -- and it was waged by a relative few. That these ragtag Continentals, the true heroes of the war, could prevail against the world’s mightiest military remains a testimony to the ages of Man’s courage, resilience, and desire for freedom.

A Matter of Honor is the author’s first novel. Previous writings include articles for various sailing magazines and a nonfiction business title, Twelve Step Wisdom at Work, published by Kogan Page (London) in 2000.

Bill Hammond lives with his wife Victoria and their three sons in Minneapolis. In addition to his day-time jobs as a publishing consultant and literary agent, Bill continues to write early every morning on sequels to A Matter of Honor, and to sail whenever possible on Lake Minnetonka and Lake Superior, and on Frenchman Bay in Maine where he maintains property and a Cape Dory sailboat.

Reviews

[D.w. · Rating 3 out of 5]

He's not Hornblower
He's not Jack Aubrey
He's not Bolitho or Ramage or Lewrie

Cutler, our hero in this story is just plain not...

Not heroic or exciting. He is wordy and he is so fortunate as to meet and be a part to great events. He meets and has intimate dialogue with John Paul Jones and gets to become a worthy companion so as to get to the French Court and meet notables there. He has strong ties to England so he can do a turn there and meet Nelson. (Both sides of our heroes bread is buttered it would seem.)

He witnesses the end of the war of the revolution. As an American, since we won't have another war until 1812 (30 years later) perhaps we will be spared seeing him again. Since 50 is the now 80's what with medicine and the hardships of life in the late 1700's... Something tells me though that every little provocation that the US is involved in will have this hero, or his descendents involved.

The author ruins a good read with too many coincidences of being involved in the great events of the day. Then making our lowly midshipman capable of giving long paragraphs of what should be short dialogue. The genre that so many worthy others have tackled has more adventure and less preaching by the protaganist to establish their characters. More show, less tell perhaps is the rule.

The hero is supposedly going to war over the death of an elder brother but there seems little emotion over that except as the briefest overlay. He falls for a daughter of a British Post Captain in the course of a few weeks one summer while in his early teens. That daughter can turn her back on Sovereign England for the cause of the Rebels just because they are so in love.

Just can't believe it. Which further makes our hero that much harder to accept. Cutler the hero is too much favored by providecne to be believable and thus the whole tale is weakened by it.

[Eugenea Pollock · Rating 3 out of 5]

Neither Patrick O’Brian nor Bernard Cornwell, but a sort of blending of the two. Although I enjoyed this novel, I probably will not go on to read the other seven. The ending was annoying as it left our hero, Richard Cutler, on the surgeon’s table following Yorktown. I understand the rationale, but it just feels too manipulative. The entire story, the cast of characters should compel continued interest. And, for me, it just falls a bit short.

[Bryant · Rating 2 out of 5]

A somewhat entertaining read for fans of naval adventures and/or the Revolutionary War, A Matter of Honor stretches the reader's suspension of disbelief as coincidence after coincidence leads our hero, young Richard Cutler, to be not only involved, but to play a pivotal role in a number of major events of the war, up to the battle of Yorktown, while meeting such luminaries as John Paul Jones, Benjamin Franklin, and Lafayette. There's more to it than that, of course - much more, probably too much for one book, and yet looking back none of it seems terribly interesting in the recall. Ultimately it's an entertaining yet mostly forgettable read with an abundance of descriptions of rigging and spars and the like.

[AGinNoCal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable but not compelling or believable and sometimes there is just a bit too much historic name- and event-dropping. I enjoyed the background historic, locale, and nautical details and believe I may have learned a bit about that period, and that kept me interested. But the main characters are just too perfect, too attractive, too earnest and our hero always finds himself involved in meetings with the most famous figures of the era. While that plot device certainly can be useful and entertaining, here it just seemed somewhat contrived and the dialogue and narrative flow from encounter to encounter is a little wooden, stilted, and devoid of real emotion. I am not feeling much interest in their further adventures, and for that I am disappointed.

[Jeanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Others have done this (genre) better. And I have a personal pet peeve against dropping every imaginable important historical person into one story.

[Ande]

So far this story os good. I hope it is close to as good as the Horatio Hornblower stories. After being such a huge fan of Horatio, its strange to read a book where the British Navy are the bad guys.

I finished and I enjoyed it, although there were a couple of extraneous chapters that were more rmance novel than navy tale. And, its a little too far-fetched that our hero is in so many important battles and meets so many improtant historical figures. Still, it was a fun story, and I would try the next in the series.

[S Glenn Krochmal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first of the series and was for the post revolutionary period. It begins with the impressing of an American sailor by the Britsh off the coast of Mass. Interesting history in a period that is not well documented on the nautical events until the Cheasapeake and Leopard incident off Hampton Roads. The book is brilliantly written and views the impressing of Americans into the light.

[Virgil Larson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first of a series about American life and Navy experience during and just after the revolutionary war, in the era of the tall sailing ships. This is similar to the series by Patrick O'Brian, which is written from the British point of view. I enjoyed O'Brian's series a bit more, but this is still fun to read.

[jallioop · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining. Not really a naval book, too much of the book occurs elsewhere. Provides an interesting perspective on the Revolutionary War though, and a good picture of life during the time period. The book was good enough that I had no problem finishing it, and I look forward to the next in the series.

[Journeywoman · Rating 4 out of 5]

For those who love Patrick O'Brian, this book is magnificent. It is about the beginning of the American Navy, and has luminaries John Paul Jones, John Adams, Ben Franklin, and the Marquis de Lafayette.

I reccomend this highly.

[Roger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting premise for the first book in what is a series of US Naval power in the infancy of our Republic. A good history lesson on the lesser parts of our early days on the world stage. Some parts seemed to drag, but all in all a good yarn

[Michael Burke · Rating 3 out of 5]

some Revolutionary war history from a new perspective