First published 2007
Benjamin Knowles flees his aristocratic English life in 1848 and lands in chaotic New York City. He quickly befriends three Americans: Timothy Skaggs, a journalist and photographer who chases pleasures and stories; Duff Lucking, a damaged Mexican War veteran turned fireman; and Polly Lucking, Duff's actress sister who works part-time as a prostitute. Ben falls for the strong-willed Polly. When gold fever strikes California, all four head west on a transcontinental journey toward fortune and new lives. They race across America during its most explosive moment of growth, surrounded by photography, telegraphs, railroads, newspapers, and wild speculation. But a vengeful killer follows their trail, hunting them as they chase their dreams. The friends navigate murder, rebellion, overnight fortunes, and moral crusades while America itself transforms around them. Their adventure unfolds against the backdrop of the Mexican War's end, the California Gold Rush's beginning, and European revolutions that send emigrants flooding to American shores.
Genres: romance, american-fiction, historical-fiction, american, adventure, 19th-century
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: California, England, New York City
Period: 1848, California Gold Rush, Mexican War
622 pages · Paperback · Random House Publishing Group
Content warnings: violence