by Jim Stovall (Author)
Washington D.C., 1884. A murder. A conspiracy. A nation at risk.
When prominent German-American newspaper editor Otto Riesler is found shot dead in an alley, Naval Intelligence Commander Nathan Tower suspects more than a simple robbery. His investigation uncovers the Frederick Alliance-a shadowy organization of brewers and businessmen led by Heinrich Schreiber, a dangerous Prussian immigrant with secrets buried in revolutionary Europe.
The Alliance has a plan that could change America forever.
They're backing Thomas Jackson, the unlikely mayor of Nashville, for the Republican presidential nomination, using bribery, blackmail, and murder to manipulate the 1884 election. Their goal: control American foreign policy and destroy Otto von Bismarck's grip on Germany. With the Republican National Convention just weeks away, time is running out to stop them.
Meet Sophie Baumann-Tower's most promising operative.
Following the much-reviewed and much-praised first novel in the series, The Death of the Admiral, we now follow Sophie Baumann, a brilliant German-American cryptologist working for Naval Intelligence in an era when few women had careers outside the home. Sharp-witted, fearless, and fluent in multiple languages, Sophie possesses an intuitive understanding of human nature that makes her invaluable in the dangerous world of espionage. But she's never faced a mission this personal-or this deadly.
Sophie's most perilous assignment yet.
Tower assigns her to go undercover as the leader of a national anti-suffrage organization, infiltrating the Alliance to expose their conspiracy before they steal the presidency. Posing as their ally while secretly working to destroy them, Sophie must navigate a world where one wrong word could mean death. But the mission becomes deeply personal when she discovers that Schreiber knew her parents during the failed 1848 revolutions in Prussia-and may have been the one who betrayed them to the authorities.
From Washington's elegant drawing rooms to Chicago's smoke-filled convention halls.
Working alongside reporter Meade Meadows and fellow agent Margaret Douglass, Sophie infiltrates the highest levels of political power during America's Gilded Age. As the Republican National Convention approaches and bodies pile up from Washington to Chicago, she realizes that German diplomat Conrad Klein is running his own deadly game, using the Alliance as pawns in a larger, more sinister plot that threatens the very foundation of American democracy.
When the conspiracy explodes, Sophie faces an impossible choice.
In a climactic confrontation on the fog-shrouded Chicago docks, she must choose between revenge and justice-a decision that could cost her everything she holds dear, including her life.
Praise for the Nathan Tower series:
"What I loved is that all the characters actually matter - everyone has secrets and their own agenda, so you're constantly guessing who to trust."
"Stovall weaves together setting, characters, and story in a fascinating look at Washington, DC in the late 1800s... The narrative is intellectually captivating, keeping the reader alert and in the thick of the plot."
"Stovall's writing never disappoints! It has been quite awhile since I've read a book this good."
The second thrilling novel in the Nathan Tower espionage series.
A masterful blend of historical detail and heart-pounding suspense, featuring unforgettable characters caught in a web of political intrigue, family secrets, and international espionage.
Number of Pages: 388
Dimensions: 0.86 x 8.5 x 5.5 IN
Publication Date: September 04, 2025
