Murder in the Time of Plague

Murder in the Time of Plague is a novel set during the summer of 1793 when Philadelphia is decimated by a yellow fever epidemic that infects nearly one half of its citizens and kills as many as 200 poor souls daily. During this time a second killer roams the streets, taking the form of a murderer who terrorizes the beleaguered nation's capital by stealing into his victims' homes and with unprecedented surgical technique harvests their organs, one at a time. Dr. Christian Maier, a former surgeon for the British Army during the war for independence, returns to the city of his youth as the repatriated medical examiner. In addition to helping the city deal with the yellow fever outbreak, Dr. Maier uses the most advanced scientific methods of the day to analyze and investigate the crimes in his quest to bring the young nation's first serial murderer to justice.