New York's first Jewish lawyer battles such challenges as corrupt Tammany politicians, evangelical preachers, and opium-smoking doctors in the years prior to the Civil War. Acclaimed historical novelist Swerling submits the latest installment in her series of fictional treatments of early American history, following City of Dreams (2001), Shadowbrook (2004), and City of Glory (2007). The time period in her new novel is the 1830s to the 1850s, and the narrative finds its location in the tumultuous New York City of poor immigrants in unsanitary neighborhoods, high-society matrons in luxurious mansions, and entrepreneurs in businesses growing wealthier by the day. As in previous volumes in the series, the author maintains a focus, within the maelstrom of New York life, on two related but competitive families with long ties to the city and its development. One flash point between the two families is a husband who attends to his Chinese mistress while neglecting his wife, the latter of whom, years later, goes on to marry across the family divide; the other flash point is the question of who from within the two families can capture control of Jacob Astor’s lucrative shipping business. The general issues of the day, which both families must deal with, to varying extents, include slavery and abolitionism, religious conflict, technological advancement, progress in health and medicine, and organized labor. In keeping with the series’ traditions, the plot here is long and involved but rich in period detail, with characters brought to vivid but not melodramatic color. Expect high demand. --Brad Hooper Beverly Swerling is a writer, consultant, and amateur historian. She lives in New York City with her husband.