The Black Maria

Author Mark Graham masterfully evokes 19th-century Philadelphia with The Black Maria, his Edgar-nominated latest to feature Philly copper Wilton McCleary. While scouring the seedy section of town known as Shantyville at the height of the World’s Fair Centennial Exhibition, McCleary, who’s been lambasted in the press for his apparent botch of a well-documented kidnapping case, discovers the horribly mutilated body of a young girl; a strange-looking needle protrudes from her sickeningly damaged neck. McCleary is soon unofficially on the case, which his Cap, among others, is desperately trying to bury. Brilliantly envisioned and affecting, The Black Maria is a must for fans of dark, gritty, multilayered historicals. (Andrew LeCount)