But the secrets and intricate lies of the elites of Black Philadelphia only serve to dredge up more questions. When they find one of their friends slain in an alley, Hetty and Benjy bury the body and set off to find answers. Now that the Civil War is over, Hetty and her husband, Benjy, have settled in Philadelphia, solving murders and mysteries that the white authorities won’t touch. In the proud tradition of Victor LaValle and Zen Cho, Nicole Glover speaks truth to history in the language of the fantastic.Īs a conductor on the Underground Railroad, Hetty Rhodes helped usher dozens of people north with her wits and magic. A clever, cold-blooded killer is on the prowl, and as death draws near, testing their magic and placing their lives at risk, Hetty and Benjy will discover how little they really know about their neighbors. But when an old friend is murdered their investigation stirs up a wasp nest of intrigue, lies, and long-buried secrets-and a mystery unlike anything they’ve handled before. In the heart of Philadelphia’s Seventh Ward, everyone knows that when there’s a strange death or magical curses causing trouble, Hetty and Benjy are the only ones that can solve the case.

With the war over, those skills find new purpose as they solve mysteries and murders in their community that white authorities would otherwise ignore. Hetty Rhodes and her husband, Benjy, were Conductors on the Underground Railroad, ferrying dozens of slaves to freedom with daring, cunning, and magic that draws its power from the stars. Publisher: Del Rey/ Penguin Random House UKįrom a bold new voice comes a vibrant historical fantasy of magic and murder set in the aftermath of the Civil War.Publisher: Mariner Books /HarperCollins.

The Undertakers by Nicole Glover