First published 2021
Colonel Sellers dreams of striking it rich in the chaotic years after the Civil War. He spins grand tales of surefire investments and foolproof schemes while politicians like the corrupt Senator Dilsworthy wheel and deal in the halls of Washington. Speculators chase wild fortunes as the nation rebuilds itself through railroad deals and land grabs. Romance blooms and murders unfold against this backdrop of frenzied capitalism. Sellers embodies the blind optimism of an era drunk on possibility, even as his plans crumble around him. The novel captures Americans caught between their noble aspirations and their hunger for quick wealth, revealing how easily dreams of prosperity can turn into nightmares of greed.
Genres: american-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, american, 19th-century, political-thriller
Vibes: gritty, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: ambition, corruption, greed
Setting: Washington
Period: Post-Civil War, Reconstruction Era
618 pages · Paperback · Independently published