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Dobson, New York, 1905.Detective Simon Ziele lost his fiancée in the General Slocum ferry disaster—a thousand perished on that summer day in 1904 when an onboard fire burned the boat down in the waters of the East River. Still reeling from the tragedy, Ziele transferred to a police department north of New York, to escape the city and all the memories it conjured. But only a few months into his new life in a quiet country town, he’s faced with the most shocking homicide of his career to date: Young Sarah Wingate has been brutally murdered in her own bedroom in the middle of an otherwise calm and quiet winter afternoon. After just one day of investigation, Simon’s contacted by Columbia University’s noted criminologist Alistair Sinclair, who offers a startling claim about one of his patients, Michael Fromley—that the facts of the murder bear an uncanny resemblance to Fromley’s deranged mutterings.But what would have led Fromley, with his history of violent behavior and brutal fantasies, to seek out Sarah, a notable mathematics student and a proper young lady who has little in common with his previous targets? Is Fromley really a murderer, or is someone mimicking him?This is what Simon Ziele must find out, with the help of the brilliant but self-interested Alistair Sinclair—before the killer strikes again.With this taut, atmospheric, and original story of a haunted man who must search for a killer while on the run from his own demons, Stefanie Pintoff’s In the Shadow of Gotham marks the debut of an outstanding new talent, the inaugural winner of the Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America Best First Crime Novel Competition.
Advance Praise for In the Shadow of Gotham“Pintoff's debut… will remind many of Caleb Carr at his best... The period detail, characterizations and plotting are all top-notch, and Ziele has enough depth to carry a series.”--Publishers Weekly (starred review)“The first winner of the Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Competition nicely contrasts academic theorizing with the reality of police detection set against the backdrop of a vividly depicted turn-of-the-century Gotham. Recommend to readers who enjoy historicals of this period, such as Caleb Carr’s The Alienist and Ann Stamos’s Bitter Tide.”--Library Journal (starred review)“Pintoff excavates a rich vein of early criminology… She also delivers a gripping detective story… Great for dexterous plotting and for New York atmosphere at the turn of the last century.”--Booklist“What a fabulous first novel… Pintoff’s fascinating historical mystery has believable multidimensional characters… The mystery is original and carefully planned.”--Romantic Times“Congratulations to Stefanie Pintoff on this outstanding debut novel! An appealing character, terrific suspense, and skillful interweaving of historical detail make In the Shadow of Gotham a winner.”--Marcia Muller, author of Burn Out"Stefanie Pintoff captures time and place expertly while displaying the procedures and challenges of police work at the dawn of a new age in forensics in this fine first novel. In The Shadow of Gotham will fascinate and educate even as it holds the reader in the suspense of a good mystery. That's a special package."--Michael Koryta author of Envy the Night
STEFANIE PINTOFF is the winner of the first Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America Best First Crime Novel Competition. A graduate of Columbia University Law School, she also has a Ph.D. in literature from New York University. Pintoff lives with her husband and daughter in Westchester County, New York. Visit her Web site at www.stefaniepintoff.com.
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