Crabbe's third novel (after The Empire of Shadows
and Suspension
) links a pedestrian police investigation plot to New York City's worst pre-9/11 catastrophe, the 1904 fire aboard the steamship General Slocum
, which claimed more than a thousand lives. The city is in the grip of numerous gangs, but Det. Sgt. Mike Braddock, the son of a legendary police captain, manages to throw a monkey wrench into their operations by disrupting a smuggling operation in the East River. One of the smugglers dies with the word “bottler” on his lips, giving Braddock a lead to pursue. A less-than-compelling subplot centers on Braddock's love interest, Ginny Caldwell, a prostitute who's forced to find new work after a run-in with a customer. The climax disappoints, despite the inherent drama of the General Slocum
disaster. (June)
