Jack Santiago is famous for his investigative stories, for his ability to get under the skin of the rich and famous - and for his reporting on nuclear terrorism in New York. New York, he insists, is on the verge of an attack, an attack by nuclear materials, an attack so sudden and secret that none of the preparations will make any difference. He's obsessed with suitcase nukes, with tiny weapons concealed in bags, easily carried into the city. The only problem with Santiago is that he is dead. The other problem is that he made up the stories.
It is the night of the August 2003 blackout when Santiago is killed. August 14, when the lights go out up and down the US East Coast. And also the night that Artie Cohen, forever single, still regretting the loss of Lily Hanes who has left him, gets married to Maxine Crabbe. He wants a life, kids, a home; with Maxie, he's convinced himself, he can find it.
Santiago's death reveals a history of lies, deceit and falsified stories; Santiago has made up everything, including much of his own life. And in the course of uncovering who killed him, Artie also uncovers the ways in which information is corrupted and turned into propaganda . . . And then Lily returns . . .
