Take a walk through the tense and seamy underbelly of New York City 1803, mingle amidst the Black, Irish, and Nativist gangs, all fighting for control of this expanding city - a place where lack of sanitation means cholera outbreaks are a regular occurrence, and where treachery, political conspiracy and violence are just a part of daily life.
In a dark and filthy alleyway frequented by prostitutes, and used by men with a belly full of beer who wish to relieve themselves, a young black girl lays dying, and breathes her last amidst the stench and decaying detritus.
The victim has been butchered, there’s no other way to describe what her killer has done. She’s discovered by school teacher Kerry O’Toole, who sends for her friend and ally Mayor’s Marshal Justy Flanagan to investigate.
Justy reckons the victim was no older than 13 or 14 years old, and yet no one comes to claim her - nobody knows her identity. One thing’s for sure, this was no common prostitute, her clothes and shoes are of the finest material, worn only by the wealthy, and her hands show no sign of calluses that one would expect to see on a slave or housemaid.
Justy and Kerry are determined to bring this killer to justice, but decide to go their own separate ways. Justy also needs to find out who the victim was, and why no one has come to claim her body for burial. Their investigations lead them separately to a high walled compound on the outskirts of the city, a community of which little is known - and that’s how it’s inhabitants intend to keep it, but for both Justy and Kerry this will be an extremely dangerous assignment, and they will have to fight to save themselves , as well as New York City itself.
New York in 1803 was run by racketeers via means of violence and intimidation, with little in the way of law enforcement officers. Against this background Justy and Kerry have to face up to some extremely dangerous individuals who appear to have no moral compass, and to whom human life has little or no value.
This was a tense, violent, yet atmospheric historical crime thriller, and (thanks to meticulous research) managed to vividly capture New York as it would have been in the very early 19th century. Though the narrative focuses on Justy and Kerry, it also introduces secondary characters who are equally as interesting. The pair of them manage to uncover many secrets, leading to some truly action packed scenes later in the book - scenes that left me breathless, and wishing I could read at twice the speed! Very enjoyable and entertaining, with a useful glossary at the end to explain certain words and phrases.
In a dark and filthy alleyway frequented by prostitutes, and used by men with a belly full of beer who wish to relieve themselves, a young black girl lays dying, and breathes her last amidst the stench and decaying detritus.
The victim has been butchered, there’s no other way to describe what her killer has done. She’s discovered by school teacher Kerry O’Toole, who sends for her friend and ally Mayor’s Marshal Justy Flanagan to investigate.
Justy reckons the victim was no older than 13 or 14 years old, and yet no one comes to claim her - nobody knows her identity. One thing’s for sure, this was no common prostitute, her clothes and shoes are of the finest material, worn only by the wealthy, and her hands show no sign of calluses that one would expect to see on a slave or housemaid.
Justy and Kerry are determined to bring this killer to justice, but decide to go their own separate ways. Justy also needs to find out who the victim was, and why no one has come to claim her body for burial. Their investigations lead them separately to a high walled compound on the outskirts of the city, a community of which little is known - and that’s how it’s inhabitants intend to keep it, but for both Justy and Kerry this will be an extremely dangerous assignment, and they will have to fight to save themselves , as well as New York City itself.
New York in 1803 was run by racketeers via means of violence and intimidation, with little in the way of law enforcement officers. Against this background Justy and Kerry have to face up to some extremely dangerous individuals who appear to have no moral compass, and to whom human life has little or no value.
This was a tense, violent, yet atmospheric historical crime thriller, and (thanks to meticulous research) managed to vividly capture New York as it would have been in the very early 19th century. Though the narrative focuses on Justy and Kerry, it also introduces secondary characters who are equally as interesting. The pair of them manage to uncover many secrets, leading to some truly action packed scenes later in the book - scenes that left me breathless, and wishing I could read at twice the speed! Very enjoyable and entertaining, with a useful glossary at the end to explain certain words and phrases.