I have never listened to an Audible Original before, but when looking for audiobooks included in my subscription I discovered Agent 355 written by Marie Benedict, a favorite biographical/historical author, and decided to give it a try. This audiobook focuses on the mysterious Agent 355, a still unknown woman who was part of Washington’s spy ring during the Revolutionary War. A quick Google search showed that Benedict chose one of the theories surrounding this woman and ran with it. It’s part history, part romance, and a riveting listen. At just over 2 hours its novella length was perfect when I needed a quick and easy book. It includes historic figures and true facts and events in New York City around the time of Benedict Arnold’s discovery as a traitor. I enjoyed it very much. The historical details gave the book authenticity and the romance was bittersweet. I loved that the author explored an otherwise unknown piece of American history involving a heroic woman. Although there is no way of knowing if the suppositions in Benedict’s novella were true, I appreciated her dedication to make the era come alive to a modern reader/listener.

Recommended.

Audience: adults.

(Agent 355 was included with my Audible subscription. All opinions expressed are mine alone.) ( )

Elizabeth Morris is a young lady living in New York City who opposes the occupation by the British Army. While at a soiree with her parents, she comes to realize that her place in society could help the rebels learn the Loyalists' plans. As a woman, she was often overlooked when men were discussing items of importance as they did not believe she could understand what they were talking about. Thanks to this invisibility, Elizabeth was able to gather important intel regarding a possible traitor in the rebels' ranks. Elizabeth passes her information to Richard Townsend who ends up having a personal relationship. She is caught and it is insinuated that Elizabeth dies.

Marie Benedict is well-known not only for her historical fiction but for bringing forgotten heroines into the forefront. Benedict clearly states in the author's notes that we are not sure who Agent 355 is as she is never mentioned in historic records by name but she managed to give us an idea of what kind of woman Agent 355 could be. A short but very well-done story for a time period we do not often read about. ( )

Based on true facts about a real lady spy for George Washington who helped stop Aaron Burr and the British.

This author has a mission to bring to light the stories of real women who put their lives on the line for others.

FROM AMAZON: The tide is turning against the colonists in the Revolutionary War, and 18-year-old Elizabeth Morris cannot sit by idly. Quietly disdainful of her Tory parents, who drag her along to society events and welcome a British soldier into their home during their occupation of New York City, Elizabeth decides to take matters into her own hands. She realizes that, as a young woman, no one around her believes that she can comprehend the profound implications of being a nation at war - she is, effectively, invisible. And she can use this invisibility to her advantage. Her unique access to British society leads her to a role with General George Washington's own network of spies: the Culper Ring. ( )

Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone audiobook novella. I got this book as a free Audible Originals audiobook with my Audible membership.

Audiobook Quality (4/5): The audiobook was well narrated, nothing too special but decent to listen to.

Story (3/5): I think the idea behind this story is a good one, the author is trying to highlight women in history who have been overlooked. I found it interesting to learn about Agent 355 (Elizabeth),although this story is more speculation than history. The story itself was pretty lackluster. Many parts of this are very unbelievable; Elizabeth being accepted as a spy so quickly and being thrown on the prison ship both seemed pretty unrealistic for the time. Way too much time is spent on the romance between Elizabeth and Townsend.

Characters (2/5): The characters lacked depth and just seemed to accept each other too quickly given they were working as spies. I also found it irritating that initially Elizabeth is shown as a woman who wants to be independent and then for most of the story she is trying to cater to Townsend. I was just in general not very impressed with the characters here.

Setting (3/5): The majority of this book takes place in New York City during the revolutionary war. It’s an interesting setting but not a lot of emphasis was placed on the setting. The story focused more on the events happening at the time and on the romance between Elizabeth and Townsend.

Writing Style (3/5): I felt like this story was written at a pretty low reading level and the author told us stuff rather than told a story. The language is pretty stark and the story doesn't flow well. Technically there weren’t really any issues here but it wasn’t a writing style I enjoyed.

My Summary (3/5): Overall, while I love the idea of what the author is trying to do here, the writing style and storytelling leave a lot to be desired. This was a freebie for Audible so I can't complain too much and the audiobook was well narrated. However, I wouldn't listen to it again and don’t plan on picking up any other works by this author. ( )

Spy vs. Spy circa 1780
Review of the Audible Original audiobook (July 2020)

This was an entertaining historical fiction that used many of the speculations about the otherwise anonymous female American Agent 355 from the American Revolutionary War's Culper Ring and pitted her against the true-life head of the British Secret Service in America at the time John André.

The narration by Emily Rankin was excellent.

Agent 355 was one of the free Audible Originals available to members in July 2020. ( )