Trenton - Tapa dura

1774. The revolution brewing in the American colonies is set to erupt in violent conflict. In Hopewell, near Trenton, New Jersey, the nearly lifeless body of an orphan girl is pulled from the Delaware River by a son of John Hart, a man whose passion for independence has brought down the wrath of the British Crown and its many local sympathizers.Thus begins an epic two-part saga in which the Harts become pivotal players in the cause of freedom, pitted against a powerful enemy alongside George Washington, Ben Franklin, and other patriots from throughout the colonies. John Hart becomes a hunted man, and young Edward Hart—deeply inspired by the writings of Thomas Paine—falls in love, enlists in Washington's ragtag army, and suffers tragic losses on and off the battlefield before victory at Trenton changes his life and alters the course of history.In the explosive second part, modern day Trenton comes into vivid focus as Luis Alma—son of Cuban immigrants, hero, and reluctant candidate for mayor—struggles to hold his family together. Against a backdrop of crime, corruption, and murder, a mystery unfolds linking the Alma family to the Harts of Hopewell, and a young man from the wrong side of the tracks discovers that the key to Trenton's future may lie in a secret from its past.

Born and raised in Trenton, New Jersey, John P. Calu (on right) left as a young man to pursue his muse in Santa Barbara, California, where he established SongFactory — a workshop funded by Jane Fonda that led to a critically acclaimed children's album. In addition to performing as a jazz singer and traveling throughout the Americas, he has been a California Artist in Residence, a Dramatic Arts Director for La Casa de la Raza, and a New Jersey Playwright through the Arts Council of Princeton. He currently resides in Lawrenceville, New Jersey.A lifelong Trenton area resident, David A. Hart (on left) received his Bachelor of Arts in history and political science from Rider College (now Rider University) where he also earned a master's degree in the school's graduate program for administrators. A published author and poet, he has won several national songwriting awards and other honors. In 1985, he organized the highly successful JAM For Hunger benefit concert held at Trenton's City Gardens with all proceeds going to famine relief. He lives in West Trenton, where he is an executive for a major New Jersey insurance company.Calu and Hart have enjoyed a productive collaboration as novelists since 2003. Their published work includes a contemporary adventure series featuring enigmatic Garden State sites, obscure local legends, and everyday mysteries along the Jersey Shore and in the Pine Barrens. They are currently at work on a novel set in historic Princeton, New Jersey