In 1840, Benjamin January enters the Republic of Texas to find his former pupil Selina Bellinger, who has been kidnapped and enslaved. He is nearly hanged before Valentina Taggart, wife of the owner of Rancho Perdition, intervenes to save him.
When Valentina is accused of murdering her husband, she calls on January to repay the debt. His investigation unfolds amid conflict among American settlers, Tejanos, Comanche communities and rival factions debating whether Texas should remain independent or join the United States, while January’s own freedom has little protection beyond the people willing to recognise it.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
24 books
Tracy Chevalier
9 books