Overview

 As the French Revolution gathered steam, the exact location of Jones’s grave—and, in fact, the exact location of St. Louis cemetery in Paris, where he was buried in 1792—was forgotten: information on his death and burial were destroyed in the Paris Commune and the few who had attended his burial had passed away. His body had, though, been preserved in a lead-lined coffin filled with alcohol; theoretically, if the coffin could be located, Jones could be returned to the United States for proper burial. The Admiral and the Ambassador details Porter’s long, unrelenting search for that coffin, first through scraps of archive material and written recollections of funeral attendees, and then beneath the rickety buildings that had been constructed over what he believed to be the graveyard. This book, the only full-length account of the search for and discovery of John Paul Jones’s body, offers a fascinating look into the charismatic, real-life characters who populated the first century of the United States of America.

Reviews

“Part detective story, part Indiana Jones, Martelle takes readers on a splendid and sometimes macabre journey. . . .” —Matthew Algeo, author of Harry Truman’s Excellent Adventure

“A delightfully creative slice of the American history pie.” —Dean King, author of Skeletons on the Zahara and Patrick O’Brian: A Life

“[A] fascinating history. . . .” —Nicholas Nicastro, author of The Eighteenth Captain: A Novel of John Paul Jones

"Martelle’s account of the efforts to find Jones’ body and of the man chiefly responsible for it, is fascinating and thorough.  He manages to incorporate many interesting anecdotes and historical details along the way, all of which add color and texture to the tale, and it’s a tale worth reading." —What Would the Founders Think

"[Martelle] effectively connects the dots between Jones’ naval career and somewhat star-crossed life and Porter’s solid military and political accomplishments. Using a “flashback”-type writing style, Martelle skillfully manages to introduce the reader to both men, giving us an understanding of each others’ strengths, weaknesses, and major life events." —Cannonball

"Really enjoyed the Hell out of this book. A fine read for history buffs and lovers of a good political mystery." —The Mystery Spot

"[W]hat we have is newspaper reporter Scott Martelle’s compact slice of American history wrapped in what newspaper editors like to describe as: “A darn good yarn.” That’s editor shorthand for an insignificant story that is highly entertaining – a good read." —Buffalo News

Author Biography

Veteran journalist Scott Martelle is the author of Detroit: A Biography, The Fear Within, and Blood Passion and currently writes for the Los Angeles Times.