Also by William Martin
Harvard Yard
Citizen Washington
Annapolis
The Rising of the Moon
Nerve Endings
Back Bay
Critical Acclaim for William Martin’s Smash Bestseller
Cape Cod
“THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU WHETHER YOU’RE HEADING FOR CAPE COD, THE MOUNTAINS, ARUBA OR JUST UNDER A BACKYARD TREE. SUPERB… SHEER READING DELIGHT… FIVE STARS—FIVE GREAT BIG STARS!”
—The Dorchester Argus-Citizen
“ENTERTAINING… [AN] INVENTIVE FICTIONAL FORAY AMID HISTORICAL FACT, a salty sense of time and place, and a spanking pace, sails bellying with adventure.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“ENGROSSING… gives some of the high points of American history a human touch.”
—Orlando Sentinel
“A POWERFUL NARRATIVE… an historical novel with a capital ‘H’…. The excitement never flags.”
—Marlboro Enterprise/Hudson Daily Sun
“THIS HAS BLOCKBUSTER WRITTEN ALL OVER IT… Martin embraces the entire sweep of American history with unflagging relish for authentic detail and private moments.”
—Booklist
“JOHN JAKES MOVE OVER, YOU HAVE COMPANY… exquisite detail… one of the best fiction novels in many a year.”
—Morse-Press News
“STRONG, WELL-DEVELOPED CHARACTERS…. The story takes off and moves with the momentum of a snowball rolling down a steep hill.”
—Cape Cod Times
“ONE OF THOSE BOOKS TO BE TREASURED.”
—Copley News Service
“MARTIN IS A NATURAL STORYTELLER, JOHN JAKES AND JAMES MICHENER CAN ONLY DREAM ABOUT BEING THIS GOOD…. This may be the best historical novel set in New England since the heyday of Kenneth Roberts.”
—Flint Journal
“A BLOCKBUSTER TALE… A MASTER STORYTELLER…. Its characterizations are vibrant and robust…. If you enjoyed Back Bay you will delight in Cape Cod.”
—Bangor Daily News
“MASTERFUL… INTENSE… THE HISTORY OF CAPE COD COMES ALIVE…. The Hilyards and the Bigelows are so believable, one is tempted to check the original list of Mayflowerpassengers to make sure they weren’t aboard.”
—Dayton Daily News
“ASSEMBLED WITH GREAT CLEVERNESS….[Martin’s] smooth blending of past and present works like a pendulum, swinging back to the Pilgrims and forward to their descendants. As the book progresses the arcs between eras become smaller.”
—Journal (Edmonton, Alberta)
Contents
Cover Image
Welcome Page
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Map of Cape Cod
Bigelow Family Tree
Hilyard Family Tree
Map of the Bay Colony
Prologue: Strandings
Chapter 1: Old Men
Chapter 2: The Book
Chapter 3: The Glorious Fourth
Chapter 4: The First Encounter, The First Mysteries
Chapter 5: Murder on the Mayflower
Chapter 6: The Gravediggers
Chapter 7: Jack’s Island
Chapter 8: Witawawmut’s Head
Chapter 9: Husband and Wife
Chapter 10: For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge
Chapter 11: Indian at Aptucxet
Chapter 12: Papists Come to Plymouth
Chapter 13: Old Comers and New Buyers
Chapter 14: More True Faiths
Chapter 15: Town Meeting
Chapter 16: Bloodletting
Chapter 17: Iron Axe
Chapter 18: Serenity and the Pirate
Chapter 19: The Works of Serenity
Chapter 20: Comeuppance and Rebellion
Chapter 21: Billingsgate Shoals
Chapter 22: Sam and the Doctor
Chapter 23: The List
Chapter 24: The Story of Hannah and Sam
Chapter 25: Dead Letters and Greenheads
Chapter 26: Huoyan Jinqang
Chapter 27: Board Meetings and Floorboards
Chapter 28: Follow the Drinkin’ Gourd
Chapter 29: Polaroids
Chapter 30: Pilgrims’ Progress
Chapter 31: Mechanical Monsters
Chapter 32: Summer Stock
Chapter 33: House on Billingsgate
Chapter 34: The Pilgrim Portagee
Chapter 35: The Lost Log of the Mayflower
Chapter 36: Answers and Questions
Chapter 37: Connections
Also by William Martin
Critical Acclaim for William Martin’s Smash Bestseller
Copyright
Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Copyright © 1991 by William Martin
Introduction © 2012 by William Martin
All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher constitute unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at [email protected]. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.
Grand Central Publishing
Hachette Book Group
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First e-book edition: June 2012
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ISBN 978-1-4555-2372-6
Cape Cod Page 75