It’s a story of treason, espionage, and geopolitics; a family sundered by the conflict between the States, and of British capitalists lusting to dismember the United States for their own benefit. 

So how did a SEASHELL inspired Attorney turned Author Paul Stack to write THE LEVIATHAN: The Greatest Untold Story of the Civil War”?

We find out!

ABOUT THE LEVIATHAN: The Greatest Untold Story of the Civil War: 

The Leviathan was considered to be a marvel of engineering and the most advanced ship in the ocean. The shareholders who invested in the ship’s construction believed it would be the most profitable ship the world had ever seen. Better known as The Great Eastern, the Leviathan was perhaps the greatest engineering feat in the mid-19th century. It was designed to accommodate ten thousand troops and four thousand passengers. The ship’s hull was painted black, which made it appear sinister, and even larger than it was. The ship’s destiny to compromise the North if it ever reached the shores of The Chesapeake Bay, however, was thwarted by a complicated scheme to save the North from the ravages this massive ship could inflict.

In September 1861, on the cusp of a winter storm in the north Atlantic, three men altered the fate of the world by pulling off one of the greatest acts of American espionage. Lincoln’s election 10 months earlier guaranteed hostilities between the free and slave states, the seemingly inevitable march to war watched closely by the European powers. England stood alone as the first modern industrial nation, the birthplace of machines that revolutionized the world. The Leviathan was the largest of these ma-chines. It was a giant iron steamship with a ghastly history, a mechanical marvel 60 years ahead of its time but a financial failure, a ship that the Scientific Amer¬ican warned “could run down the whole of the largest steamers in any other fleet, one after another, without firing a single shot.”

The mission of the three Americans was to stop this Leviathan from entering a southern port without anyone knowing what transpired, ever. This is a story of treason, espionage, and geopolitics; a family sundered by the conflict between the States, and of British capitalists lusting to dismember the United States for their own benefit.

This book, based upon actual events, reveals a story that was never meant to be told. However, because of one cryptic clue found half a world away engraved on a trochus shell, Paul Stack has unearthed this riveting and true tale of espionage through meticulous historical sleuthing. No one has ever attempted to record this story. Other than one fictional character who Stack based on a mysterious, unknown person whom he believes might have carried out the incident that saved the Union from defeat, all of the major characters in the book are real. This masterpiece of meticulous research, combined with a riveting plot, ensures that THE LEVIATHAN will become a great addition to Civil War canon. It is a must-read for all Civil War enthusiasts, readers who relish great historical fiction, and those interested in naval and maritime books.
 
ABOUT PAUL STACK

Paul Stack has spent over 40 years practicing law in Chicago. Paul served on Mayer Harold Washington’s Advisory Committee on the design and construction of Chicago’s new Central Library (now the Harold Washington Library Center). He was reappointed to that position by Mayor Eugene Sawyer. He has also served in various elected positions, including Village President of Riverside, IL, the Board of Education of Riverside’s High School, a trustee of Riverside’s public library, and a Governing Member of the Chicago Zoological Society which operates the Brookfield Zoo. He has appeared on numerous television and radio programs. He resides in the Chicago area. THE LEVIATHAN is his first book. For more information, please visit http://www.theleviathan.info/index.php or www.september1861.com.