New York: Scribner, (2021) dj. SIGNED hardcover first edition - A vivid historical novel set in 1906 San Francisco - "a city leveled by quake and fire - featuring an indomitable heroine coming of age in the aftermath of catastrophe and her quest for love and reinvention. Meet Vera Johnson, the resourceful fifteen-year-old illegitimate daughter of Rose, notorious proprietor of San FranciscoÕs most legendary bordello and ally to the cityÕs corrupt politicians. Vera has grown up straddling two worlds - the madamÕs alluring sphere, replete with tickets to the opera, and scant morality, and the violent, debt ridden domestic life of the family paid to raise her." SIGNED on the title page. 317 pp. ISBN: 978-1501157523.