Braun’s narrative crackles with tension, delivering a fun and thrilling ride as Jessica orchestrates her counterplay: she will con her conman, who is eager to possess her. Enlisting a diverse and quirky squad—her long-lost brother Bayer, a séance mediator named Rebecca, and the burly circus strongman Boris—she attempts to outmaneuver Felix at his own game. Jessica evolves from a neglected child who grew up seeking love in all the wrong places into an independent and resourceful woman reclaiming her agency against patriarchal dominance. Her character is empowering, defying the stereotypical representation of how "every successful woman is a man telling her what to do," as Felix puts it, by proving herself a cunning architect of her own redemption.
The pacing flags during chapters focused on Felix’s indulgent drunken escapades, but Braun compensates with a layered portrayal of his character—a man with an "unlucky" past whose vulnerabilities are masked by his narcissism—rather than a one-dimensional villain. The novel is rich in fascinating and evocative historical detail, especially concerning the ethical ambiguities of the Gilded Age, like grave robbing in the name of medical progress. With its mix of clever and playful heists, eerie spiritual theatrics, and the seedy taverns and sinister graveyards of the Barbary Coast, readers will surely delight in this book.
Takeaway: Thrilling 1890s San Francisco heist story—and a woman’s journey of redemption.
Comparable Titles: Emma Donoghue’s Frog Music, Karen Joy Fowler’s Sister Noon.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: B
Marketing copy: A
