The Devil's Half Mile

LoveReading Says

Historical Murder Mystery set at the birth of the New York stock market, where no one can be trusted. The birth of the American stock market, an intriguing time between the War of Independence and the Civil War. Slavery still exists but blacks are free in New York, warring with the immigrant Irish for work. The situation is exacerbated by the Ripper-like murders of black prostitutes and the suspicious deaths of Wall Street business men. Every character is part of a conspiracy or hiding a dark secret, everyone is lying and nothing is what it seems. As soon as one plot twist is resolved, along comes another, leaving the reader dizzy and begging for more. There is a helpful dictionary of Irish and slang terms at the back, but most of the unfamiliar words make sense in context. It’s blood-thirsty, gritty and enjoyably confusing, a proper novel of action, intrigue and suspense. The author is a noted historian who began this as a work of non-fiction about the founding of Wall Street but discovered that writing a murder mystery was much more fun! I look forward to more; perhaps a series to rival James McGee’s Hawkwood which began with Ratcatcher. 

Sarah Broadhurst

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