Golden Hill

RICHARD SMITH, a handsome young man of uncertain background straight off the boat from England in 1746, sprints from the dock to a counting house in the small town of New York at the bottom of Manhattan Island, gripping a bill for £1,000.

It is a sum that could bankrupt the payee and disturb the whole local economy. What does he want it for, and is he a conman, a spy, a seducer?

Rich in language and historical perception, yet compulsively readable, Golden Hill has a wildly twisting plot, and a puzzle at its heart that won’t let go until the final paragraph.

By Francis Spufford 

Published May 26, 2016 by FABER & FABER