A remarkable new historical thriller by New York Times notable mystery author Lawrence Goldstone that evokes the New York City of 1899.
In 1899, in Brooklyn, New York, Dr. Noah Whitestone is called urgently to his wealthy neighbor's house to treat a five-year-old boy with a shocking set of symptoms. When the child dies suddenly later that night, Noah is accused by the boy's regular physicianthe powerful and politically connected Dr. Arnold Friasof prescribing a lethal dose of laudanum.
To prove his innocence, Noah must investigate the murderfor it must be murderand confront the man whom he is convinced is the real killer. His investigation leads him to a reporter for a muckraking magazine and a beautiful radical editor who are convinced that a secret, experimental drug from Germany has caused the death of at least five local children, and possibly many more. Noah is drawn into a dangerous world of drugs, criminals, and politics, which threatens not just his career but also his life.
Goldstone weaves a savvy tale of intrigue and stunning twists that incorporates real-life historical figures and events while richly recreating the closing days of the nineteenth centurya time when American might was on the march in the Pacific, medicine was poised to leap into a new era, radical politics threatened the status quo, and the role of women in American society was undergoing profound change.