'Best book of the century.' Richard Osman'Just wonderful.' Jan Morris'A marvel.' Zadie Smith 'Every bit as superb as everyone says.' Sarah PerryWinner of the Costa First Novel AwardWinner of the RSL Ondaatje PrizeWinner of the Desmond Elliott PrizeShortlisted for the Walter Scott Prize for Historical FictionShortlisted for the Rathbones Folio PrizeShortlisted for the Authors' Club Best First Novel AwardShortlisted for the British Book Awards Debut Novel of the YearA SUNDAY TIMES TOP 25 NOVEL OF THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURYNew York, a small town on the tip of Manhattan Island, 1746.One rainy evening, a charming and handsome young stranger fresh off the boat from England pitches up to a counting house on Golden Hill Street, with a suspicious yet compelling proposition -- he has an order for a thousand pounds in his pocket that he wishes to cash.But can he be trusted? This is New York in its infancy, a place where a young man with a fast tongue can invent himself afresh, fall in love, and find a world of trouble . . .
