Paul Ardenheim, the Monk of Wissahikon by George Lippard
Paul Ardenheim, the Monk of Wissahikon by George Lippard, first published in 1848 by T B Peterson, Philadelphia. This is a lengthy and ambitious work, set in the backwoods of Philadelphia around the Wissahikon river between the years 1774-1777, although there are flashbacks to previous centuries and different countries. The main plot of the book surrounds an ancient family cursed by patricide, with the spirit of an ancestor haunting the pages in various guises. The underlying themes are universal brotherhood and justice for the poor. Nothing and no-one in the book are as they seem. Every house has at least one secret chamber and the characters are not who they are made out to be. John, is actually Reginald, an English nobleman set on seducing a young orphan girl, until he discovers she is his long-lost sister, but then finds that she isn't. Isaac Van Behme is a wizard searching for the secret of eternal...