Raid on Cochecho: Book Three of The Puritan Chronicles by author Peni Jo Renner is a masterfully spun story recounting the historical events leading up to the tragic raid on Cochecho, in Dover, New Hampshire in 1689.
Initially, relations between the Pennacook people led by Chief Wonalancet and the English settlers was peaceful and amiable.
In a terrible act of betrayal in 1676, the relationship soured between the Pennacook and the newcomers. Adding to the resentment felt by the Pennacook people was the constant cheating and disrespect exhibited toward them by the settlers and in particular by Major Richard Waldron who ran the local trading post. As a result, Chief Wonalancet’s successor, Kancamagus harboured a deep resentment toward the settlers.
These turbulent undercurrents of bitterness and dislike festered and simmered, finally culminating in the brutal and horrific attack in 1689 led by Kancamagus.
Renner skillfully weaves both fictional and historical individuals into the story. The characters are three dimensional and believable.
The story begins with nine-year-old protagonist Grace Hampton in 1676 and ends in 1689 when she is a young woman, making a living as a cheese monger. The recounting of this historical narrative through the eyes of Grace “pops” history off the page, making it vivid, palpable and real.
For those who love historical fiction, I highly recommend this book and give it FIVE stars.
You can order Renner’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Raid-Cochecho-Three-Puritan-Chronicles-ebook/dp/B0943ZFGFW