Abigail Trench: A Novel of Washington's Spy Ring

"With an eye for remarkable detail clearly anchored in deep historical research, master storyteller Randy Overbeck delivers a rousing, top-notch tale of courage amid our nation’s struggle for independence."
—William Kent Krueger, New York Times bestselling author of the Edgar Award–winning Ordinary Grace

AN UNIDENTIFIED SPY. A CITY OCCUPIED. A REVOLUTION HANGING BY A THREAD.

In 1776, occupied New York is a powder keg of Redcoats, rebels, and back-alley intrigues. To survive, a schoolteacher with everything to lose turns information into her most lethal weapon.

After rogue British soldiers assault her and strip her family’s Long Island farm, Abigail Trench flees to the perilous streets of New York City. By day, she tutors inside the Water Street household of a high-ranking British officer, taking notes in upper-crust parlors. By night, she navigates the city’s shadow world—threading past garrisons, taverns, and informants to move secret intelligence.

As whispers grow of a devastating strike against General Washington, Abigail’s unprecedented access makes her the ultimate courier—and the British military's primary target. Through Abigail’s keen eyes and the counter-perspective of a principled British officer, Abigail Trench pulls readers directly into the grit, danger, and moral gray zones of a nation being born at street level.

Inspired by the real-life mysteries surrounding "Agent 355"—the legendary, unidentified woman of Washington’s Culper Spy Ring—this high-intensity historical thriller delivers:

Rich Historical Detail: Immersive, authentic 1776 New York world-building for fans of TURN: Washington’s Spies and Hamilton.

A High-Stakes Espionage Plot: Dual-perspective tension, codes, cover identities, and high-risk courier missions.

A Resilient Heroine: A story of survival, self-invention, and the unsung heroes history left at the edges.