Synopses & Reviews
Review
"Talk about turning the ordinary into the extraordinary, Matthew Guinn nails turn-of-the-twentieth-century Southern history. Guinn captures the look and feel of Georgia perfectly. It's a whodunit with a twist...a heady mix of history, sizzle, punch, and danger. A definite keeper." Steve Berry, New York Times best-selling author of The Patriot Threat
Review
"Matthew Guinn makes the reader realize that the present is an extension of the past, and our predecessors are not our predecessors but are us. is a remarkable book and hard to put down." James Lee Burke, New York Times best-selling author of the Dave Robicheaux series and two-time Edgar Award winner
Review
" creates a nightmare, penetrates the darkness, and balances ever so nimbly between the surreal and the physical worlds. Yet there is hope, always hope, and you'll follow that light at the end of the tunnel to see where Guinn will take you." Michael Farris Smith, author of Rivers
Review
"Matthew Guinn is the real thing: a Southern literary craftsman who knows how to write a thriller. Do yourself a favor and read him." Greg Iles, New York Times best-selling author of Natchez Burning
Review
"Graphic gothic horror and 19th-century American caste politics meld with unsettling force in this (often literally) scorching whodunit...an intricately woven page-turner.... Imagine a sequel to as conceived, written, and directed by David Lynch. Too much of a stretch? Wait till you see who--or what--is behind the mayhem." Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
Review
"[A]n absorbing historical mystery filled with evocative period detail, a brooding atmosphere of corruption and pervasive evil, and compelling characters.... Readers will be reminded of Erik Larson's (2003) and the distinctly southern, melancholy tone of James Lee Burke's Robicheaux series." Booklist
Review
"Guinn has written an excellent sequel to the first novel (, 2013) in his series of mysteries set in the Reconstruction South. The author superbly portrays the evil that lurks along the streets of post-war Atlanta. His research of Atlanta after the war is impeccable, and the plot, with its twists and turns, is fast-paced, gripping, and compels the reader to turn each page. I highly recommend this mystery." Historical Novel Society
Review
"[S]uperior whodunit.... The richness of the characters and period detail make the prospect of a sequel welcome." Publishers Weekly, Starred review
Synopsis
After leaving Atlanta in disgrace three years before, detective Thomas Canby is called back to the city on the eve of Atlanta's 1881 International Cotton Exposition to partner with Atlanta's first African American police officer, Cyrus Underwood. The case they're assigned is chilling: a serial murderer who seems to be violently targeting Atlanta's wealthiest black entrepreneurs. The killer's method is both strange and unusually gruesome. On each victim's mutilated body is inscribed a letter of the alphabet, beginning with "M." The oligarchy of Atlanta's most prominent white businessmen the same men who ran Canby out of town, known more openly before Reconstruction as "the Ring" is anxious to solve the murders before they lose the money they've invested in both the exposition and the city's industrialization, even if resolution comes at the expense of justice.
After Canby's arrival the murders become increasingly disturbing and unpredictable, and his interference threatens to send the investigation spinning off in the wrong direction. As the toll of innocent victims rises, Canby must face down enduring racism, and his own prejudices, to see clearly the source of these bloody crimes. Meanwhile, if he can restore his reputation, he might win back the woman he loves.
With scrupulous attention to historical detail, Edgar Award finalist Matthew Guinn draws readers into a vortex of tense, atmospheric storytelling, confronting the sins and fears of both old South and new.
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Synopsis
A reckoning with the persistence of evil in post-Civil War Atlanta.
Synopsis
"It's a whodunit with a twist...a heady mix of history, sizzle, punch, and danger. A definite keeper." --Steve Berry, best-selling author of
About the Author
A native of Atlanta, Matthew Guinn holds degrees in English from the University of Georgia, the University of Mississippi, and the University of South Carolina, where he was personal assistant to the late James Dickey. His first novel, The Resurrectionist, was a finalist for the Edgar Award. He lives in Jackson, Mississippi.