The year is 1859. The nation is divided over slavery, with abolitionists spearheading a relentless - and violent - plan of attack. And in Seneca Falls, New York, the federal crime of counterfeiting adds up to a deadly account of deceit, injustice, and murder. After a year in Springfield, Illinois, Glynis returns home with Emma, her shy, seventeen-year-old niece. Emma's only joy comes from sewing and playing the dulcimer - and little else since her mother died. Glynis hopes that a change of scene will help young Emma's spirits. But as their train journeys from Rochester to Seneca Falls, a passenger is fatally stabbed right before their eyes. Before he dies, the victim hands Glynis a pouch containing a signet ring, a crumpled bank note, and a twenty dollar gold eagle coin.
About the Author: Miriam Grace Monfredo lives in western New York State, the scene of her critically acclaimed Seneca Falls Historical Mystery Series. She is a historian and a former librarian. Monfredo's first novel, Seneca Falls Inheritance, Agatha nominated for Best First Mystery Novel 1992, is set against the backdrop of the first Women's Rights Convention held in 1848. Since then she has written eight more novels that focus on the history of America and the evolution of women and minority rights. Her latest book, Children of Cain, is the third volume of a Civil War trilogy set in Washington D.C. and Virginia, during the Union's 1862 Peninsula Campaign. Monfredo's Brothers of Cain was awarded the 2001 Herodotus as the year's Best Historical Mystery. She is the recipient of the 2000 Career Achievement Award for Historical Mystery Writing by Romantic Times. Her second book, North Star Conspiracy, was chosen for the statewide 2002 "Alaska Reads A Book" program; it was also chosen by the Alaska Association of School Librarians for the 2002-03 "Battle of the Books" motivational reading program . North Star Conspiracy was also chosen for the 2005 Brookline Reads The Same Book in Massachusetts, and by the 2005-2006 Central New York Reads Consortium. The Voice of Youth Advocacy selected her fifth book, The Stalking Horse, as one of 1998's best adult mysteries for young adults. She was the recipient of the 1996 Writing In Rochester Award presented by Writers & Books. Her short fiction has appeared in magazines and anthologies, including two Best of the Year collections, and she is the co-editor of two historical mystery anthologies. Monfredo occasionally teaches writing workshops at Rochester, NY's literary locus, Writers & Books. She lives on historic Irondequoit Creek with three dogs and two cats, and hosts a motley gang of itinerant mallard ducks.