The Blackmailer

1838 St. Petersburg, Russia’s Window to the West. Thirteen-year-old tomboy Rian Krieger has run away to Russia to help her uncle and cousin build a railroad for Tsar Nicholas I. But there’s a problem: Rian is posing as her uncle’s coachman, a boy. The Tsar takes note of Rian’s bravery and resourcefulness and asks her (meaning orders her, for a request from the Tsar of All the Russias is, in fact, a command) to spend her days in his palace as companion to Grand Duke Konstantin, his ten-year-old son.  Philadelphia, U.S.A, the “Workshop of the World.”  An economic depression has created massive unemployment and thrown the city into turmoil. Jules Freeman, who fled from slavery eighteen years ago, is a busy man. He struggles to keep his fledgling business afloat. He makes ends meet as foreman at Krieger Coach. His home is a station on the Underground Railroad. Then, he is asked to take on a huge task that intrigues and challenges him. Book 3 of Rian Krieger’s Journey immerses Rian, Jules, their families, friends, and enemies in a history that has been ignored for almost two centuries.  WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING: “If you think today’s world is complicated for an adolescent, try going back to the 1830s and being a girl pretending to be a boy; a coachman who also becomes a companion to Tsar Nicholas I’s ten-year-old son. The Blackmailer, Book 3 of Rian Krieger’s Journey, takes us on a wild ride through Russian history and winds its way to 1938 Philadelphia and The Abolitionist Movement. Roger A. Smith is a master at integrating history and fiction in this fast-paced, enjoyable, and informative series!”—Kathy Aspden, Multicultural fiction novelist, author of The Mala Beads and The Irishman Series. by Roger A Smith Page Count: 358 Trim Size: 6 X 9 Publish Date: March 26, 2024 Imprint: Milford House Press Genre: Historical FICTION / Historical / Civil War Era FICTION / LGBTQ+ / Transgender FICTION / African American & Black / Historical