| Told by Annalisa Passarelli, a feisty young reporter, the novel paints a vivid picture of the post-Victorian city, from the gilded ballrooms of Nob Hill to the seedy bars of the Barbary Coast; from the slave ships in the bay to the front row seats of Enrico Caruso's sold out performance. At its center is an ongoing battle--fought even as the city burns--that pits incompetent and unscrupulous politicians against a coalition of honest police officers, newspaper editors, citizens, and a lone federal prosecutor. |