Rebel Falls, Tim Wendel
Rebel Falls, Tim Wendel
List: $19.99 | Sale: $13.99
Club: $9.99

Rebel Falls
A Novel

Author: Tim Wendel

Narrator: Courtney Patterson

Unabridged: 8 hr 1 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 04/08/2025


Synopsis

With Rebel Falls, Tim Wendel takes us to late summer of 1864. The Civil War rages on. Sherman is marching on Atlanta, while the armies of Grant and Lee battle across Virginia. In the North, war-weariness has made Lincoln's bid for reelection seem doubtful. As the fate of the nation hangs in the balance, Confederate agents gather in Niagara Falls to plan one last maneuver to turn the tide of the conflict.

Rory Chase, a capable yet haunted young woman eager to contribute to the Union cause, accepts a mission from the Secretary of State to travel to Niagara Falls and prevent two rebel spies, John Yates Beall and Bennet Burley, from seizing the U.S.S. Michigan on Lake Erie and bombarding Buffalo, Cleveland, and other northern cities. To succeed, Rory must gain the rebel spies' trust and, with the help of the Underground Railroad network, foil their desperate gambit. But can she maintain the pretense of being a Confederate sympathizer long enough to unravel Beall and Burley's ingenious plot?

With actual events underpinning the tumultuous story in Rebel Falls, a forgotten chapter in the history of the Civil War is revealed. Far from frontlines, Wendel's exciting, character-driven narrative about a consequential struggle in the shadow of Niagara Falls' dramatic beauty is gripping from start to finish.

About Tim Wendel

Tim Wendel is writer-in-residence at Johns Hopkins University. His nonfiction books include Summer of ’68: The Season That Changed Baseball, and America, Forever and High Heat: The Secret History of the Fastball and the Improbable Search for the Fastest Pitcher of All Time. His fiction includes Castro’s Curveball. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, National Geographic Traveler, USA Weekend, GQ, and Esquire.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Megan on April 03, 2024

I don't usually pick up historical fiction, but the allure of a Civil War tale centered around the taking of a Union warship in Lake Eerie caught my attention. I found this story to not only be well-paced with characters making you keen to continue turning the pages-- but I also found broader themes......more

Goodreads review by Doug on April 19, 2024

While not quite as prolific from a published title perspective as fellow Syracusan Joyce Carol Oates, Tim Wendel's work has spanned a wide variety of genre. With Rebel Falls, he weaves a gripping story of historical fiction based on little known real-life characters and events that came close to cre......more

Goodreads review by Brodie on November 01, 2024

In the latter stages of the Civil War, the Confederacy wanted to disrupt the northern border of the United States in the hopes of exploiting war fatigue, thereby swinging the 1864 election against President Lincoln and ultimately triggering a settlement that would end the war and recognize the Confe......more

Goodreads review by Kristie on November 10, 2024

When I found out Tim Wendel was writing a fictional account of real events that took place during the Civil War, I was psyched. I will read almost anything, but I have a deep love for historical fiction and the Civil War is one of the periods I enjoy visiting the most. Knowing that Wendel is a terri......more

Goodreads review by Leslie on February 11, 2025

Momentous actions in the past are often lost in the study of history, and the story here is an example of that. Based on the true story of Confederate activity on the northern border of the U.S., this is seen through the eyes of a fictional character, Rory Chase, who is friends with the (real life)......more