Oh, it is fabulous to return to the world of Glover's alternate history Philadelphia, circa 1871. We are back with the amazing Hetty and Benjy Rhodes, aka Sparrow and Finch, detectives and Celestial magic users extraordinaire. Darlene and George, Penelope and Oliver and Thomas are also here to lend their energy and skills to the tale.

Raimond Duval has died under mysterious circumstances, a victim of magic resistance fire which many think has to do with a fire company targeting black homes. Hetty and Benjy investigate and that leads to discovering a plethora of mysterious tunnels: some leading nowhere and others used in the Underground Railroad. As in the previous novel, The Conductors, nasty magic is afoot. Of course, there's more to the mystery than Duval's death---there's a fabulous treasure that several nefarious folks are trying to track down. A small hard to find pamphlet called the Clark Cypher contains clues, but those who have seen the elusive pamphlet haven't been able to decode it. Benjy and Raimond had been working on deciphering a copy.

And then, Valentine, Duval's son is also murdered and tension ratchets up as Hetty and Benjy try to solve the arson cases, the murders and provide a memorable service and internment from their fledgling funeral home. Around all these events intrudes Nathan Payne a nasty piece of work who really has it out for Hetty. He lurks on the edges, poisoning her life with his presence and working dirty magic wherever he can. And what might he have to with the fires and the deaths of the Duvals?

A menace to black society in general. Berenice Tanner, a blind crafty dame of black society decides to give what should be an opulent ball and unexpectedly, Hetty and Benjy are invited. And what better place to have the threads of the story come together than amidst the glittering affair.

I love Gordon's characterizations, the wonderful eccentric touches she gives to Hetty and Benjy's life like a murder of crows constantly flocking about their house as indicators of changes. There are baseball games and artist's lofts, potion making, gardening and of course, travels through those mysterious tunnels

And how Glover pulls it all together is terrific! Like the previous book, it’s very hard to put down. And there's definitely a hook for the next novel. ~~ Sue Martin

For more titles by Nicole Glover click here