Synopses & Reviews
In the sweltering New York City summer of 1841, Mary Rogers, a popular counter girl at a tobacco shop in Manhattan, is found brutally ravaged in the shallows of the Hudson River. John Colt, scion of the firearm fortune, beats his publisher to death with a hatchet. And young Irish gang leader Tommy Coleman is accused of killing his daughter, his wife, and his wife's former lover. Charged with solving it all is High Constable Jacob Hays, the city's first detective. At the end of a long and distinguished career, Hays's investigation will ultimately span a decade, involving gang wars, grave robbers, and clues hidden in poems by the hopeless romantic and minstrel of the night: Edgar Allan Poe.
Synopsis
During the summer of 1841, High Constable John Hays, New York City's first detective, finds himself investigating a series of brutal crimes, including the rape and murder of Mary Rogers, a young clerk at a Manhattan tobacco shop; the bludgeoning death of his publisher by John Colt, heir to the firearms fortune; and Irish gang leader Tommy Coleman, accused of killing his daughter, wife, and his wife's former lover. 20,000 first printing.
Synopsis
"Irresistibly seductive. Murder mystery, historical novel, portal to another time; is a masterpiece." —Anthony Bourdain
Synopsis
In the sweltering New York City summer of 1841, Mary Rogers, a popular counter girl at a tobacco shop in Manhattan, is found brutally ravaged in the shallows of the Hudson River. John Colt, scion of the firearm fortune, beats his publisher to death with a hatchet. And young Irish gang leader Tommy Coleman is accused of killing his daughter, his wife, and his wife's former lover. Charged with solving it all is High Constable Jacob Hays, the city's first detective. At the end of a long and distinguished career, Hays's investigation will ultimately span a decade, involving gang wars, grave robbers, and clues hidden in poems by the hopeless romantic and minstrel of the night: Edgar Allan Poe.
About the Author
Joel Rose is the author of Kill the Poor, Kill Kill Faster Faster, and New York Sawed in Half. He founded the literary magazine Between C&D and lives in New York City and on the Jersey shore.