Hatfield 1677 - Hardcover

by Laura C. Rader (Author)

Inspired by a true story of love, courage, and survival in seventeenth-century New England.

Benjamin Waite, devoted husband and father, is the volunteer military scout for the colonial Massachusetts town of Hatfield during King Philip's War. He protests a planned attack against a Native American camp but reluctantly guides the army on their ill-advised mission.

The Algonquian sachem Ashpelon and his tribe retaliate, laying waste to Hatfield and taking seventeen colonists captive, including Benjamin's wife Martha and their three young daughters. Then, Ashpelon heads north to Canada with his hostages in a desperate bid for freedom.

While Martha courageously strives to endure captivity and protect her children, Ben and his friend Stephen Jennings defy bureaucracy and brave the wilderness to find and rescue their loved ones.

Based on the lives of the author's ninth great-grandparents, this riveting novel of love and war in colonial America, told through three different perspectives, is one you will not forget.

Winner of multiple awards, including:

• • 2025 Readers' Choice Gold Medal for Historical Fiction
  • 2024 Chanticleer First Place Chaucer Award for Pre-1750s Historical Fiction
  • 2024 Feathered Quill Silver Debut Author Award