This manuscript benefitted greatly from the close and sympathetic readings of my sister Lara Putnam, my college roommate Joshua F. Thorpe, and my writing group partners Michael Bergmann and Christin Brecher. When each of them first agreed, many years ago, to read an early draft of my original story, I’m pretty sure none realized that they had signed up for a lifetime—albeit unpaid—appointment. I am very thankful for their input.
A number of the chapters of this book were first written as part of a writing group in which I participated at the incomparable New York Society Library. I thank my fellow NYSL writers Jamie Chan, Lillian Clagett, Susan Dudley-Allen, Janet Gilman, Hurd Hutchins, John Koller, Jane Murphy, Alan Siegel, Helena Sokoloff, Victoria Reiter, and Mimi Weisbond for their advice and support. And I am especially grateful to the head librarian of the library, Carolyn Waters, for providing immeasurable resources and support to my writing life from its very inception.
I conducted substantial original and on-site historical research as part of the development of this story. I want to acknowledge in particular the assistance of my old college pal Jessica Dorman and her colleague Erin Greenwald, both of the Historic New Orleans Collection, for their help in accessing narrative accounts of the lives of African Americans, both free and enslaved, along the Mississippi River in the 1830s. The curatorial staff at Oak Alley Plantation in Vacherie, Louisiana, provided many insights and resources regarding life on a Southern antebellum plantation. Jana Meyer and Jim Holmberg at the Filson Historical Society in Louisville helped me locate original correspondence from and to Joshua Speed and other members of the Speed family.
For my research in Alton, Illinois, I am indebted for their assistance to Miriah Haring of the Alton Visitors Center and to Ann Badasch, the owner of My Just Desserts. For the research I conducted in St. Louis, I am grateful for the generous insights provided by Michael Brown at the Lewis & Clark Confluence Tower and Charles E. Brown and Julie Dunn-Morton at the St. Louis Mercantile Library.
My many friends and colleagues at the international law firm of Kirkland & Ellis LLP continue to be remarkably supportive of my writing career. I am grateful for their support, tolerance and—not least—teaching me everything I know about being a trial lawyer.
My editor and publisher, Matt Martz of Crooked Lane Books, provided fantastic support for my project as well as invaluable notes that strengthened the manuscript at every level. I am grateful as well to Sarah Poppe and the rest of the crackerjack staff at Crooked Lane. Dana Kaye, Julia Borcherts, and Heather Boak provided superb help on the publicity front. My incomparable agent Scott Miller remains an unerring guiding light.
I want to thank the following additional people for their support, encouragement, and assistance: Robin Agnew, Nancy Almazar, Shannon Campbell, Joel and Carla Campbell, Adam Carnese, Stephanie Altman Dominus, Andrew Dominus, Eric Dusansky, Steven Everson, Gavin Everson, Shelby Everson, Shiva Farouki, Andrew M. Genser, Donna Gest, Tom and Julie Gest, Marc Goldman, Julie Greenbaum, Erik Gustafson, Atif Khawaja, Laura Kupillas, Laura Lavan, Mario Perez, Miriam Perez-Putnam, Gabriel Perez-Putnam, Alonso Perez-Putnam, Robert and Rosemary Putnam, Mark Pickrell, Jane and Joel Schneider, Joseph Serino Jr., Mark Stein, Ed Steinfeld, Lee Ann Stevenson, David Thorpe, Megan Tingley, Alina Tugend, Caroline Werner, Doug Wible, and Dan Zevin.
This book is dedicated to my three sons, Gray, Noah, and Gideon Putnam. I am so proud of the young men that Gray and Noah have become and that Gideon is becoming. I can’t imagine making a success of my writing career without their enthusiastic and loving presence at every step along the way.
Finally, nothing would have been possible without my wife, Christin Putnam. She is the first and last reader of every word I write and remains an endless source of love, understanding, good cheer, and plot points. I am incredibly lucky to have her as my partner and my divine muse.