by Lyndsay Faye
First published 2012
Timothy Wilde works as a bartender in 1845 Manhattan, dreaming of earning enough money to marry the woman he loves. A massive fire destroys downtown, leaving him scarred, jobless, and without a home. His older brother secures him a position with New York City's brand new police department. Timothy doubts this experimental law enforcement idea will work. The job gets worse when he learns his assignment covers the Sixth Ward, bordering the infamous Five Points slum. During a night patrol, he collides with a ten year old girl running through the darkness in her nightgown, blood covering her entire body. Timothy should deliver her to the House of Refuge, but something stops him. He brings her home instead. She tells him incredible stories about dozens of corpses buried in the woods beyond 23rd Street. Timothy questions whether to believe her wild tales. As he uncovers the truth, this reluctant police officer fights for justice in a battle that threatens his brother, his romantic hopes, and his survival.
Genres: american-fiction, historical-fiction, mystery, crime, police, 19th-century
Vibes: dark, emotional, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, fish-out-of-water, reluctant-hero
Setting: Manhattan, New York City, Sixth Ward, Five Points
Period: 1845
408 pages · Hardcover · Amy Einhorn Books/Putnam