Imagine a world where Lincoln was assassinated too early, and a frantic Congress signed a grand compromise to end the Civil War: slavery could never be constitutionally outlawed, but individual states could outlaw it, and an emancipated state could never revert back to a slave state. Then fast forward to the modern day. Only four slave states remain: Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and the united Carolina. The rest of the country frowns on the so-called "Hard Four," but not enough to actually break the status quo.
Victor was once a slave, before he fled north. But he was caught. Rather than being returned to the farm that haunts his nightmares, he was blackmailed into working for the government, tracking and capturing other runaway slaves so that they could be punished or returned. But his latest case isn't like the others. Things just don't add up. And on top of it all, he keeps getting sidetracked by unexpected personal matters. Will Victor catch the mysterious runaway Jackdaw? Or will this be the case that finally breaks him?
This is equal parts a twisty thriller and a startling alternate history. Victor is a flawed but believable protagonist, and his offhand references to familiar-yet-different historical events will keep you reading even through the harrowing moments in his narrative. This is a must-read for fans of alternate histories or realistic sci-fi, like 11/22/63 or Station Eleven.
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