Dutton Girl

In January, 1915, John Nolan's life is in a shambles. A recent immigrant from Ireland, he wants nothing more than to bring his fiancée over too, but he is only a poorly paid private detective living in New York City in a tenement flat without running water or a bathroom. When the daughter of a wealthy real estate developer is kidnapped from her Manhattan apartment, the police are baffled. A $50,000 ransom demand puts the girl's father in fear for her life, so he hires Nolan in hopes that he can find her quickly. Early in his investigation, Nolan realizes the missing girl's family members are the main suspects. Her father gave her a small fortune in jewelry to avoid losing the pieces in court when he divorced her mother. Everyone in the family needs money, and they all knew where she kept the jewels hidden in her apartment. The case will bring Nolan up against police corruption, the Black Hand, and racist stevedores on the waterfront. And before he uncovers the truth, he must survive a biplane pursuit, a gun battle in the Tenderloin, and finally a deadly chase on the tracks beneath Grand Central Terminal. Book 1 in a new detective series featuring John Nolan.