Book 2 of the Overstreet Saga
The Burning Land follows the turbulent lives of Henry Overstreet and Katie Nash of coastal Maine through family tragedies and America’s bloodiest war—one fought to free a people and redeem the nation’s soul. Often separated, the lovers' quiet letters capture each other’s heart as Katie struggles to launch a teaching career and Henry serves in Maine’s legendary Twentieth Regiment. Rising to sergeant through furious battles at Fredericksburg and Gettysburg, Henry hurries home to marry on the Fourth of July, 1864, but their trials only multiply.
After Katie nurses Henry through a grisly battlefield wound, he rebels against settling back in their small town. Dreaming of new horizons, Henry uproots their young family for booming Chicago, but little goes right in the overnight metropolis, testing their love as never before.
"[S]urprising readers with unexpected twists and heartrending developments, [The Burning Land] is a rewarding experience. . . .For those wanting a true-to-life experience with indelible characters set during the Civil War -- and the transformative years after -- this fits the bill in spades."
--Washington Independent Review of Books
“An intimate, sweeping portrait of a country and couple divided, David O. Stewart’s The Burning Land does what all good historical fiction should do: gives us characters to root for and brings the past so vividly to life it feels like the present. I can’t wait to see how the rest of the trilogy unfolds.”
–Louis Bayard, author of Courting Mr. Lincoln and The Pale Blue Eye
"David O. Stewart has written many books, but this may be his best: a gripping Civil War novel."
-- Walter Stahr, author of bestselling biographies of William Seward, Edwin Stanton, and Salmon P. Chase
George Washington: The Political Rise of America's Founding Father
Amazon #1 Bestseller
"[A]n outstanding biography that both avoids hagiography and acknowledges the greatness of Washington's character. . . Mr. Stewart's writing is clear, often superlative, his judgments are nuanced, and the whole has a narrative drive such a life deserves."
Wall Street Journal
"David O. Stewart brings his characteristic grace and skill to this portrait of the political George Washington."
Jon Meacham
"An important new portrait of our first president. As Stewart demonstrates time and time again, with vivid prose and a wonderful sense of pacing, great leaders are also great learners. In this time of division and turmoil, this is the book we need.”
Nathaniel Philbrick
The New Land is Book 1 of the Overstreet Saga
The New Land
Seeking a new life on the Maine coast in 1753, the Oberstrasses find a frontier of swindlers, hostile French and Indians, killing diseases and bone-cracking cold. Father Johann tries to put aside his soldiering past, but war follows them -- first the French and Indian War, then the fierce fight for independence. The new land, comes at a high price.
"Great novels are filled with the nuances and contradictions of human history. So it is that Johann . . . determined to kill no more, has to use a bayonet [against] a Penobscot . . . That scene. . . will remain to haunt you."
Carl Rollyson, New York Sun
"A dazzling and wrenching novel of history . . . A story of immigration, the inheritance of violence, and the love of a father for his son, told in language that stings with salt and sawdust and gunpowder. . . . David Stewart is a master of history and the human heart that beats within it."
Kent Wascom
author of The New Inheritors
About David
As a bestselling writer of history and historical novels, David O. Stewart applies the storytelling and analytical skills honed by years in trial and appellate law practice. Critics have called him "an acknowledged master of narrative history" and "one of our best new writers of historical mysteries."
Interview: The First Presidential Impeachment Trial
Also by David O. Stewart
Histories
Historical Novels
Awards
• Washington Writing Award for Best Book of the year (Summer of 1787)
• Bloomberg View: Best Historical Mystery of the year (The Lincoln Deception)
• The William H. Prescott Award of the National Society of Colonial Dames (Madison's Gift)
• The History Prize of the Society of the Cincinnati (American Emperor and George Washington)
Book Award, Colonial Dames of America (George Washington).
Finalist, George Washington Award, Mount Vernon and Gilder-Lehrman Institute (George Washington).
Lifetime Achievement Award, Washington Independent Review of Books, 2023.