City of Light - Softcover

An ingenious first novel ... it teems with arcane information and is alive with historical figures who mingle seamlessly with the fictional characters.' - New York Times Book Review A superbly crafted debut novel, a page-turning thriller - Telegraph Magazine Breathtaking in its achievement .. a remarkable blend of murder mystery, love story, political intrigue and tragedy of manners - USA Today' A compelling debut ... complete with dangerous liaisons, gorgeous descriptions of the Falls and a central character whose voice is irresistible to the last page of her tragic story - Publishers Weekly totally riveting ... a literary thriller whose refined period details remind you of Henry James - Publishing News Ambitious, vividly detailed and stirring ... A remarkably assured and satisfying first novel.' - Kirkus An excellent literary and historical thriller, well researched and narrated by a voice of heartbreaking gravity - The Times

Louisa Barrett, headmistress of a prestigious girls' school in Buffalo in 1901, is a forward-looking, independent young woman. But the secret of her past - which connects her to the highest echelons of US government - continually underlines the fragility of her position in the city's society.