In the spring of 1863, the American Civil War rages. Gettysburg has not yet happened, Abraham Lincoln is unpopular, and New York City’s loyalties remain in question. Politicians and spies, human and fey, challenge each other in dark alleys and beneath bright chandeliers, manipulating truth and public opinion to see that their version of history prevails.

Sent to live with his great aunt, young Kit Drake arrives at Wallack’s Theater and quickly falls under its spell. He finds that his family is not who he thinks they are, and neither is he. As Kit’s story unwinds, giants of politics, literature, and the arts are introduced as confidants, antagonists, heroes, and heroines, intertwining historical fact with just enough fantasy to keep us wondering what will happen.

Review from Linda Kass

 Thank you for creating this fascinating world and inviting me to share.

 My first delight was purely physical: 1. The texture of the cover, a tactile delight.  2. The thickness of the pages, a rare entity these days. (Over exposure to flimsy tissue paper pages, so delicate and difficult to both hold and turn without destruction, causes me extreme anxiety and annoyance… reducing my enjoyment of any book! My private, very large, pet peeve!!!)  3. The brightness of the paper and the size of the font…PERFECT! How in the world did they create the neon white effect at the interior spine? Facinating!  4. The gorgeous cover illustration…a mystery6 quickly solved in the text but then layers…hmm…Clever Girl!

 Okay you!!! You don’t play fair! I had to take a break because when Kit decided to take the children to the theater, I broke down in tears.

 I am in awe of the obviously intense amount of research needed to put his work together in such a cohesive manner. I love and appreciate that you educate. Some books leave you wanting more. I do not like that, and I’ve just realized why. When you finish a story, you should be satisfied. The author should have filled in all the blanks, just like a good meal fills up your stomach just enough.

 With this story, start to finish, you have filled up my mind perfectly. I never once felt as if I had too much or not enough. Your research is obvious, but you have parsed it so that, as a reader, I don’t feel overwhelmed, only educated with just enough.

 You have infused me with the idea that if I want more, I am welcome to pursue the knowledge, but I don’t need to do that because your story is lacking. Lordy, I hope that makes sense.  Or perhaps not lacking. Perhaps, perfect!!!