Shad Run

This delightful historical novel of two men and a girl takes place in the beautiful Hudson River valley near Poughkeepsie, during the tense summer months of 1788 that ended in New York's ratification of the Constitution, which made us a nation. It was a time of decision for many people, among them young Lancey Quist, daughter of the best fisherman on the river. Half tomboy and half the eternal Eve, she was torn between two lovers--Dirck van Zandt, the wealthy, assured son of a patroon; and Justin Pattison, the rebel and rogue, tempered by war and trouble.

Their love story is played out against the background of the scheming and the tensions before the Constitutional Convention. Lancey's two suitors are in opposing camps, and it isn't until a bloody duel between them that she knows where her true love lies.

The high-spirited Lancey is as enchanting a heroine as you'll ever encounter; and even the most minor characters, from the Dutch landed gentry to the poorest fishermen, are drawn in the round in this immensely readable and appealing novel.