Set in turn-of-the-century America, a dazzling tale of intrigue, betrayal and a woman ahead of her time . . .
It is 1901 and the Great Lakes city of Buffalo stands poised for glory, as the power station at nearby Niagara Falls prepares to deliver electricity to the nation. Within its patriarchal society Louisa Barrett, the progressive, unattached headmistress of a girls' school, enjoys an unusually influential position. Only she knows how it is constantly threatened by a secret from her past.
Among Louisa' closes friends is Tom Sinclair, the widowed father of her beloved goddaughter and director of the Niagara Frontier Power Company. But when his chief engineer drowns in suspicious circumstances, Louisa's loyalties falter as she realises that those involved in the electricity business - from investors to the conservationists fighting the industrialists to Tom Sinclair himself - might not be all they seem.
Vividly evoking the culture, politics and social tensions of a major American city at a point of profound and exciting change, 'City Of Light' combines a riveting mystery with the story of a remarkable woman. A novel wrought with exceptional depth and intelligence, it is an astonishing debut.
