During the very last leg of the American Revolutionary War’s 1779 Sullivan-Clinton campaign, in what is now central New York State, a battlefield incident occurred between opposing forces that involved members of the Freemasons. The campaign was ordered by General George Washington as an invasion into Iroquois Confederacy lands in retaliation for several brutal massacres by British Rangers and Iroquois warriors against American frontier settlements supporting the fledgling Continental Army. Washington wanted Iroquois villages and crops to be destroyed in a scorched earth policy. Sullivan executed his orders to the fullest, ultimately destroying 40 villages. But during the end of that campaign, as Sullivan’s army approached the Seneca capital of Genesee Castle, the British and Iroquois ambushed a scout detachment led by Lieutenant Thomas Boyd, a young courageous yet cocky Freemason. His troops were surrounded and decimated. One of three survivors the wounded Boyd was captured and feared for his life. When he saw Mohawk Chief Joseph Brant approach - a captain in the British Army and also a Freemason - Boyd gambled on the fraternity and gave the universal sign of a Mason in distress, asking for protection under the fraternity’s obligation to save a fellow Brother’s life. Boyd's gamble paid off and he did receive that protection by the Native American chief, but a day later he was betrayed by another Freemason, the British Colonel John Butler who gave him to the Seneca Indians to enact their revenge. Ultimately, Thomas Boyd was tortured and mutilated for hours before being decapitated in one of the most heinous acts of murder in the Revolutionary War.

Fellow Brothers, I hope this teaser grabs your attention as it is a mystery to this day as to what really happened between those three Freemasons, enemies on the battlefield. But it is the basis for my newly released mystery thriller novel titled Crown of Serpents - which one reader has described as National Treasure meets the DaVinci Code! I am the author Michael Karpovage, a Mason from Hobasco Lodge No. 716 in Ithaca, NY (but now living in Atlanta, GA) and I'd like to personally introduce this novel to you in order to pique your interest on a very entertaining read. Masons who have read Crown of Serpents have not only been thrilled and awed but educated throughout the story, based on the years of research I put into it and the myriad of subplots that will keep you on the edge. As a Mason myself I shed good light onto the Craft and hope to raise the public's awareness about us too! I invite you all to visit my book's website for a complete synopsis and reader reviews at www.crownofserpents.com

And without giving too much away, this is a present day murder mystery with the main character being a U.S. Army historian, Native American, and a Freemason himself. He suddenly finds himself reading the unearthed campaign journal of Lt. Thomas Boyd which was recently discovered at Old Fort Niagara. What he finds in cryptic Masonic code are clues that lead him on a hunt to find an ancient Iroquois shaman's artifact - the Crown of Serpents and ultimately to unravel the mystery behind Boyd's death.

Here's what one reviewer had to say: “Crown of Serpents is a bombshell of a book! Starring Jake Tununda, special forces officer turned field historian, it is a suspenseful mystery and high-fueled adventure all wrapped in one. The action never stops as the hero attempts to foil a corrupt, power-seeking Indian casino owner from obtaining an ancient Iroquois relic. Precise maps and historic manuscripts help lend credence to a compelling scavenger hunt that burns across the reservations of Western New York. If a major studio hasn’t turned this book into a summer movie release, they’d better get on the stick!”
- William P. Robertson, “Bucktail” novelist

Please visit www.crownofserpents.com to learn more!


Fraternally,

Michael Karpovage
Author and Mason

As a F&I living history fanatic and re-enactor, and a fledgeling Rev war reenactor, I shall look forward to the publicaiton
Thank you

Crown of Serpents was released in May of 2009. It is available at Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble.com or directly from www.crownofserpents.com

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