Pierre Grimard’s dream was to leave his boyhood home in France and voyage to America. He longed to begin a new life, business, and family in the French settlements of the faraway frontier in the Illinois country. Ten years later it seemed that Pierre had fulfilled every one of his dreams. He had a beautiful, devoted wife, a home full of children, and a thriving business in the French trading outpost at Vincennes on the Wabash River. Then in the winter of 1778 this tiny, primitive village became the epicenter of a bloody struggle between the powerful armies of Great Britain and the rebels of the American Revolution. Colonel George Rogers Clark of Virginia and his ragtag army of frontier riflemen, the Long Knives, occupied Vincennes and its fort in an effort to eliminate the British influence on the Native Americans in the Northwest. But the British would soon return … and with a vengeance.Frenchmen and Long Knives is the unique story of a small band of French settlers and frontiersmen who swore an oath to Virginia and chose to become Patriots and soldiers in the struggle to give birth to a new nation. ☆☆☆☆☆ FIVE STARS! Joel Dennstedt for Reader's Favorite Geoff Baggett's quickly growing series about patriots of the American Revolution is rapidly becoming an award-worthy and highly popular contribution to historical fiction centered on this crucial moment in world history. Frenchman and Long Knives is the third installment in his series, and the best so far. Concentrating on a theater of war much removed from the east coast colonies, and focusing on the role of French immigrant settlers in the Illinois territory - a destination sought by many but reached only after a long and dangerous, highly arduous boat journey up the Mississippi River, subject to the powerful whims of unpredictable and deadly weather, Indian attacks, and unexpectedly ruthless encounters with an existing British military presence - we follow one family in particular, headed by Pierre Grimard, as they find themselves reluctant but necessary participants in a brutal fight for freedom. - Geoff Baggett's writing style, as exemplified to perfection in Frenchmen and Long Knives, employs a superior knowledge of historical events, meticulously researched forays into personal ancestry to find his fascinating main characters, an ineffable ability to plot and create dialogue, and a descriptive technique that makes history come vividly alive, all the while engaging the avid reader in a story so compelling, so urgent, and paced so marvelously well that he cannot help but find himself a silent yet willing participant in the breathtaking events as they unfold. This third book in a thankfully continuing series matches the earlier books for unerring quality, but exceeds their proven ability to induce an adrenaline rush of heart-pounding, breathless anticipation in the reader for what comes next. Geoff Baggett has outdone himself with this one. ☆☆☆☆☆ FIVE STARS! Christian Sia for Reader's Favorite When I read historical fiction, I want to be transported to the period setting. In other words, I want to feel the history, and Geoff Baggett succeeded in making me feel it in very powerful ways. The characters are awesome and from the very first page of this wonderful read, the reader is already introduced to the protagonist. The writing is wonderful, crisp, and loaded with vivid descriptions. The dialogue comes across very naturally and it is also revealing of the characters. Frenchmen and Long Knives took me by surprise because I was reading this author's work for the first time, but I wasn't disappointed. The setting was awesome, the characters incredibly believable, the plot well-paced, and the writing great. There is a lot in this book for fans of historical fiction. It will entertain them, but most importantly, it will recreate history for them. ☆☆☆☆☆ FIVE STARS! Rabia Tanveer for Reader's Favorite Frenchmen and Long Knives by Geoff Baggett is a compelling novel that will make you feel love for your country and the men and women who fight for it. It ... shows that you don't have to be born in a country to be able to feel like you belong there. This is truly a wonderful novel. Truly brilliant!