Valcour

The wild and suspenseful story of one of the most crucial and least known campaigns of the Revolutionary War "Vividly written... In novelistic prose, Kelly conveys the starkness of close-quarter naval warfare." —The Wall Street Journal "Few know of the valor and courage of Benedict Arnold... With such a dramatic main character, the story of the Battle of Valcour is finally seen as one of the most exciting and important of the American Revolution." —Tom Clavin author of Dodge City During the summer of 1776, a British incursion from Canada loomed. In response, citizen soldiers of the newly independent nation mounted a heroic defense. Patriots constructed a small fleet of gunboats on Lake Champlain in northern New York and confronted the Royal Navy in a desperate three-day battle near Valcour Island. Their effort surprised the arrogant British and forced the enemy to call off their invasion. Jack Kelly's Valcour is a story of people. The northern campaign of 1776 was led by the underrated general Philip Schuyler (Hamilton's father-in-law), the ambitious former British officer Horatio Gates, and the notorious Benedict Arnold. An experienced sea captain, Arnold devised a brilliant strategy that confounded his slow-witted opponents. America’s independence hung in the balance during 1776. Patriots endured one defeat after another. But two events turned the tide: Washington’s bold attack on Trenton and the equally audacious fight at Valcour Island. Together, they stunned the enemy and helped preserve the cause of liberty.

Terror lay heavy on that strange household on the Canadian border -- but not until Lt. Valcour of the New York Police arrived did the hand of murder strike. Soundlessly, inexplicably -- and then Valcour's strangest, most perilous case began! Valcour Meets Murder is is the 6th Lt. Valcour novel. It includes a preview of #7, The Lesser Antilles Case.

The Sturm House has an atmosphere of the unpleasant. The shooting of Alice Tribeau only adds to the that impression for Lt. Valcour, as he arrives in the midst of a storm to begin his investigation. Wealthy socialite Mrs. Sturm claims the gun was fired by someone outside the house -- but Valcour had other ideas... The second volume in the classic Lt. Valcour mystery series!

When a prominent New Yorker is murdered at his home, Lt. Valcour is called in to investigate. This is the first of the Lt. Valcour series, from the same time period (and much in the same spirit) as the Philo Vance mysteries.

The strangling of a wealthy woman at an opulent Andirondack estate brings Lt. Valcour to investigate. He knows immediately who committed the crime, but can he prove it? "Good yarn. Valcour has a hard time getting evidence against a peculiarly successful criminal, though he spots the guilty one at the start." -- Kirkus "Designedly transparent as mystery, but suspense keeps up to concert pitch all the way." -- The Saturday Review

In 1751, a French ship left Montreal carrying chests of gold coin intended as payment to French troops stationed at Fort St. Frederic, located at the south end of Lake Champlain. Unfortunately for the French soldiers who had not been paid in two years, the ship struck rocks off Garden Island and sunk. Over the course of many years, numerous divers searched for the golden treasure without success. In July 2001, two recreational divers find the gold secreted in a cave beneath Valcour Island. The gleam of gold and their dreams of wealth triggered a path of death and destruction.

Disaster at sea! When the yacht "Helsinor" strikes a reef in the Lesser Antilles, the passengers take to a lifeboat. Upon their return to the United States, accusations fly. Did one of the survivors drug the others and pitch the millionaire owner of the yacht, Lawrence Thacker, into shark-infested waters? Lt. Valcour begins an informal investigation. When one of the heirs to the Thacker millions is poisoned, Valcour's investigation becomes official. Of course, the logical thing to do is to gather the survivors aboard the "Helsinor II" and return to the scene of the original wreck... The Lesser Antilles Case is is the 7th Lt. Valcour novel.

A blackmailer with religious mania and a decayed actor are murdered -- one by land and one by sea. Despite the challenges, Lt. Valcour is not daunted by his latest case! "The thrills and polished deducing are there in quantity." -- The Saturday Review.

When a wealthy New Yorker with a young bride is shot in his Manhattan mansion, then a blackmailing valet perishes in Easthampton, only Lt. Valcour can unravel the mystery. "A clever solution...[the] tale has more than usual amount of chipper chatter." -- The Saturday Review