There are two interesting footnotes to this story. Ten years after Collis Huntington died in 1900, Henry Huntington divorced his wife, and three years afterward he married Arabella Huntington. Also, Cornelius Vanderbilt II eventually disinherited his son Neily, who married the banker’s daughter in spite of his father’s protests. They stayed married for the rest of their lives.
Mary Handley and Superintendent Campbell were also real people who worked on the Goodrich case together. She was the one who caught the Goodrich killer, proving that “even females” can be competent detectives, an undeniable fact that prompted me to send her off on more adventures.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
MY EDITOR, Sarah Bedingfield, has done an amazing job with her notes and positive guidance. Thank you, Sarah. I hope I always have someone as smart and as centered as you for my editorial champion.
My team at Random House: publicists Rachel Rokicki, Hanna Frail, and Dyana Messina, and marketing specialist Danielle Crabtree have been incredibly enthusiastic and have worked tirelessly. I greatly appreciate their efforts.
I’d also like to thank publicists Howie Simon and Amy Sisoyev for their wonderful enthusiasm and their efforts on my behalf.
My agent, Paul Fedorko, has been a great champion of my writing, and I can’t thank him enough for his belief in me and his counsel.
Paul’s assistant, Sammy Bina, has also been extremely helpful, and I thank her for it.
My wife, Fran, my son, Josh, and my daughter, Erin, have all been fantastic. Their support as I have ventured into novel writing has been unyielding and overwhelmingly positive. My love for them is boundless, and I am way beyond fortunate to have them.
Michael, Helen, and Adam Levy have also been tremendously supportive, and their actions have gone above and beyond anything that could possibly be suspected.
As a young boy, Roz and Elliott Joseph did everything they could to encourage my love of books, and I hope it shows here. Marilyn Lichterman was also a champion of my ventures into the arts, and I want to thank her.
My close friend David Campagna has always been extremely supportive and positive about any endeavor I’ve decided to tackle. This one was no different, and I want him to know how much I appreciate him.
My fellow writer David Garber and I have a habit of bouncing ideas off each other. I believe every writer needs a buddy like David, and I’m lucky to have him as a friend.
I’d also like to thank Nikki and Charley Garrett, Stan Finkelberg, and Lois Feller for reading early versions of this novel and encouraging me with their enthusiastic responses.
A READER’S GUIDE FOR BROOKLYN ON FIRE
IN ORDER TO provide reading groups with the most informed and thought-provoking questions possible, it is necessary to reveal certain aspects of the story in this novel. If you have not finished reading Brooklyn on Fire, we respectfully suggest that you wait before reviewing this guide.
1) The book opens with Alice B. Sanger becoming the first woman to work on the president’s staff at the White House. How does this give context to Mary’s achievements and struggles as a consulting detective in an all-male profession?
2) Arabella Huntington and Mary Handley appear to be direct opposites as characters. However, they’re both able to exert power over others in order to accomplish their goals. Considering the era, discuss the ways in which they both have carved a desirable space for themselves in New York City.
3) “Could it be that weeks with George, regularly experiencing the life of the privileged, had somehow seeped into her bones and made her dissatisfied with her situation?…Maybe the comforts of riches really were addictive, and she was getting hooked.” This is a pivotal moment for Mary. How would you describe her philosophies toward money—of having it and of not having it—up until this point? What do you think is at the root of her inner conflict in this moment? How do you think this struggle manifests in her relationship with George, before their breakup?
4) In learning of Shorty’s background at the beginning of the book, it’s clear that he’s had a difficult life. Does his background evoke sympathy in you as a reader? If so, does your sympathy toward him change throughout the course of the book? Do you feel sympathetic toward any of the other criminals in Brooklyn on Fire? Why or why not?
5) False accusations (whether made intentionally or not) happen throughout the book. Which seems the most unfair in this novel? This was an era where evidence available was limited; how do you think these accusations would have unfolded in the present day? How would Mary’s methodology and research be different today?
6) Compare Elizabeth Handley with Cornelius Vanderbilt and their respective relationships with Mary and George. They are both very protective and critical, and they do not seem to trust the decisions that Mary and George make. How are their aims similar and different? Despite their actions, do you think they both want the best for their loved ones?
7) How do Mary and Sean compete, professionally and at home? What characteristics do they share? What do you think is next for Sean at the police department?
8) Brooklyn on Fire takes us out of New York and into rural areas of the South. In what ways does this change the way Mary pursues her investigation?
9) What makes Lazlo a good sidekick for Mary?
10) How does danger play a role in Brooklyn on Fire? How does Mary handle danger? Do you think she’s brave? She puts her loved ones in danger, too; what are your thoughts on this?
11) Hugh McLaughlin and Collis Huntington are master manipulators in their own right. Who do you think was more powerful? Ultimately, who was more dangerous? Do you believe either of them had good intentions, in any capacity? If so, what were they, and could these motives have led them to handle things differently and possibly more fairly?
12) How has Mary changed since solving the Goodrich murder in Second Street Station? In what ways has she developed as a young woman and as a detective?
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Brooklyn on Fire Page 28