Pakistan, Jan. 16 -- George Washington faced some big problems as he tried to fortify New York City against British forces in the summer of 1776.His ragtag army was woefully short on weapons and battle experience. The British were assembling a massive expeditionary force to crush his army and snuff out the nascent revolution.

And one more thing: some of his own bodyguards were involved in a traitorous plot against him.

The First Conspiracy follows the shadowy plot that played out in and around Manhattan as Washington focused on the coming British attack. The odd assortment of characters involved in this cloak-and-dagger tale include a scheming gunsmith, would-be counterfeiters and some members of Washington's elite bodyguard detachment,...