Bill Hammond

PLOT SUMMARY

The novel opens with the capture of the Cutler merchant brig Eagle by Barbary pirates. Young Caleb Cutler and his shipmates are taken as prisoners to Algiers. Richard Cutler is sent to North Africa to pay the ransom demanded by the Dey of Algiers to free his brother and the others. After the dey rejects the ransom, Richard must defend his family's fortune from Algerian pirates who try to take it by force. Victorious in a fierce battle at sea, Richard travels to Paris to report to John Paul Jones, his former naval commander, who will serve as America's emissary to the Barbary States. In Paris, amid the tumult of the French Revolution, Richard engages in a desperate attempt to save his former lover, the beautiful Anne-Marie Helvetian, and her two young daughters from the guillotine.


PRAISE & ENDORSEMENTS

For Love of Country is a skillful merger of fiction and history that sweeps from New England to Algiers and then to France in the late 18th century. The cynical cruelty of the Barbary pirates and the more brutal aspects of the French Revolution are among the challenges faced by the book’s hero, Richard Cutler, who interacts with such historical giants as Horatio Nelson, John Paul Jones and Thomas Jefferson. This is a tightly crafted, fast-paced sea adventure that’s woven into the economic and diplomatic growing pains of young America. The drama that plays out has disquieting relevance to today’s world, and the common sense and courage of the book’s main characters provide a thought-provoking reminder of America’s roots.
-- Joseph F. Callo, author of John Paul Jones: America's First Sea Warrior and Nelson Speaks: Admiral Lord Nelson in His Own Words

“A sea story in the great traditions of Forester and O’Brian, set in the early years of American independence and peopled convincingly with the heroes of the period, and not one but two lush beauties. Schooner Falcon’s battle with the Algerian xebecs of the crafty Mohammed bin Osman is so good, it should have happened. Hammond is a knowledgeable sailor, who writes convincingly of the sea.”
—Andrew C. A. Jampoler, author of Horrible Shipwreck! A Full and Particular Account of the Melancholy Loss of the British Convict Ship Amphitrite

"I thought it would be impossible to top his first book, but I was wrong.
Mr. Hammond has eclipsed my expectations ten fold and has me eagerly
awaiting the next installment in what has become the favorite series of
books I have ever read. Characters you feel like you know, places that
you feel like you are at, and though I have spent many years at sea he
takes me to sea on sailing vessels and makes me yearn for a more
glorious time when ships were powered by wind not gas turbines. If you
are a nautical fiction lover like me do yourself a favor and read A
Matter of Honor quickly followed by For Love of Country, you will not regret it. You cannot even fathom what you are missing if you do not read this book. I have read almost every piece of age of fighting sail
fiction out there and this very quickly became one of my favorites as I
consumed it in a matter of days. Thank you Mr. Hammond, looking forward
to book 3 and many more to follow!!!"
--LT Eric Meyers, Combat Systems Officer, USS Oscar Austin

"A rollicking good read full of battles, glory, and high seas adventure, all firmly rooted in this nation's maritime history which the author knows and portrays so well."
-- James L. Nelson, author of George Washington's Secret Navy and a host of other fiction and nonfiction titles.

"A rich evocation of the age of fighting sail. If you enjoy Bernard Cornwell or Patrick O'Brian, For Love of Country will strike searing hot sparks off the flint of your imagination."
--David Poyer, author of That Anvil of Our Souls and Ghosting

"Bill Hammond has done it again. He is a master historical researcher and author. It's wonderful see his nautical fiction series receive the acclaim and attention it so richly deserves."
-- Good Old Boat Magazine

Publishers Weekly has selected this novel as one of the top 50 titles for the fall in the category of "General Fiction."

The New England Booksellers Association (NEBA) has selected it as an early pick for its holiday catalog.