In the late spring of 1847, from an Ireland torn by injustice and natural disaster, the Star of the Sea sets sail for New York. On board are hundreds of fleeing refugees, some brimming with optimism, many more desperate. Among them are a maidservant with a devastating secret, bankrupt Lord Merridith and his wife and children, an aspiring novelist, a maker of revolutionary ballads, all braving the Atlantic in search of a new life. But a killer is stalking the decks, hungry for the vengeance that will bring absolution. A novel as urgently contemporary in its preoccupations as it is historically revealing, this gripping and compassionate tale from the award-winning author of The Salesman and Inishowen builds with the pace of a thriller to an unforgettable conclusion.