To Pledge Allegiance
From the first pages of this engaging novel, readers are immersed in Chicago at the time of Woodrow Wilson’s declaration of war against Germany, the implementation of the Espionage Act, and the Spanish Flu. We see events unfold through the eyes of criminal defense lawyer Conor Dolan, an Irish-American who begins with a predictable distaste for the British but slowly rethinks his loyalties. He is surrounded by an appealing cast of characters, including his long-suffering wife Maureen, his adventure-seeking son Patrick, potential love interest Viviana, gangsters, cops, arms dealers, spies, and three newsboys whose skills lead them to additional activities. The plot centers around a burglary at a warehouse where chemicals are stored before they are shipped to Allied forces for the manufacture of explosives and ammunition. In the interest of a client, Conor investigates who was involved, and why.
Robert Smith excels at both setting and historical context. Characters move around Chicago neighborhoods using streetcars and the “L,” they brave windy weather by walking backwards, and they interact with people from the wide variety of backgrounds and social classes typical of the city. As they do so, they learn about the horrific war in Europe, face peace rallies that turn bloody, and encounter vigilantes who beat anyone rumored to be unpatriotic. Several of the characters who suffer through the violence of the times change their perspectives in a convincing manner.
Although Smith has written a riveting novel, his complicated plot is at times hard to follow. Characters who seem to be on one side of a calamity end up on the other side, or do they? But despite that caveat, readers will enjoy reading about Conor Dolan while they learn about a notable era in American history.
