About the Book:

"From the warmth of a kitchen with a smell of ginger cakes and cookies, to the heartbreak and politics of America in 1776, A Christmas Conspiracy is a historical page turner with love, loyalty and family at its core."

—Gail Sweet, Burlington County Library 

“Not only has Dennis Rizzo provided a fascinating look at a part of the American Revolution only a few historians know about, he presents familiar characters in unfamiliar, yet completely believable, roles. This is a must-read for anyone interested in seeing how ‘regular people’ on all sides (Crown, Continental and Neutral) behaved during the struggle for Independence.”

—Ian Johns, Loyal American Regiment

Elizabeth “Betsy” Ross and her household fall into the maelstrom that was South-Central Jersey during December of 1776. “The colonial rebellion,” as King George refers to it, is in a crisis. Washington and his army are huddled between the capital of Philadelphia and the King's troops, across the Delaware River. Hessians and Scots have taken over most of the towns and are carrying away anything not buried in the yard or hidden in the forest.

Three days before Christmas a small group of militia attacks Hessian outposts. Hessian Commander, Count von Donop, moves his entire force sixteen miles from their posting in Bordentown to the little hamlet of Mount Holly. After sending the gathered militia scurrying for safety, he dallies for the holiday. Colonel Rall, commanding at Trenton, will need his help the day after Christmas; but he is not there. Why?

Told through the eyes of Betsy’s apprentice Tom Dyer, and Hessian Jaeger Jacob Brunner, A Christmas Conspiracy brings into the open a little known event that changed the course of the rebellion. Read it and get to know the women that helped the colonials win at Trenton, giving new life to the revolution. Learn about the roles of ordinary people in America's first civil war. Enjoy a fast-moving tale of strife, intrigue and human endeavor, and never again be able to say, "I didn't know."