The Orphanmaster by Jean Zimmerman

The Orphanmaster by Jean Zimmerman

In 1663 in the hardscrabble colony of New Amsterdam--today's lower Manhattan--orphan children are going missing and residents suspect a serial killer. The list of possible culprits is long and strange. Among those looking into the mystery are a shrewd young Dutch woman, Blandine van Couvering, and a dashing Englishman, Edward Drummond, whose newfound romance is threatened by horrible accusations.

In this spellbinding work of historical fiction, Jean Zimmerman relates the harsh realities of life in early Manhattan, re-creating the sights, smells, and textures of the rough settlement surrounded by wilderness and subject to political turmoil. Compulsively readable and filled with New York history, The Orphanmaster will delight fans of Caleb Carr, Hilary Mantel, and Geraldine Brooks.

Jean Zimmerman is the author of The Orphanmaster, her first novel. Love, Fiercely: A Gilded Age Romance; The Ladies of the House: How a Colonial She-Merchant Created a Mansion, a Fortune, and a Dynasty; and Tailspin: Women at War in the Wake of Tailhook are among Jean's nonfiction works concentrating on the changing status of women in America. Jean is the coauthor of Breaking with Tradition: Women and Work, the New Facts of Life, as well as Raising Our Athletic Daughters: How Sports Can Develop Self-Esteem and Preserve Girls' Lives, which she coauthored with her husband, Gil Reavill. Zimmerman resides in Westchester County, New York, with her family.