From the New York Times bestselling author of City of Light
comes a compelling, richly detailed tale of passion and
intrigue set in New York City during the tumultuous early
days of World War II.
Claire Shipley is a single mother haunted by the death of
her young daughter and by her divorce years ago. She is
also an ambitious photojournalist, and in the anxious days
after Pearl Harbor, the talented Life magazine reporter
finds herself on top of one of the nation's most important
stories. In the bustling labs of New York City's renowned
Rockefeller Institute, some of the country's brightest
doctors and researchers are racing to find a cure that will
save the lives of thousands of wounded American soldiers
and countless others—a miraculous new drug they call
penicillin. Little does Claire suspect how much the story
will change her own life when the work leads to an
intriguing romance.
Though Claire has always managed to keep herself separate
from the subjects she covers, this story touches her
deeply, stirring memories of her daughter's sudden illness
and death—a loss that might have been prevented by this
new "miracle drug." And there is James Stanton, the shy and
brilliant physician who coordinates the institute's top
secret research for the military. Drawn to this dedicated,
attractive man and his work, Claire unexpectedly finds
herself falling in love. But Claire isn't the only one
interested in the secret development of this medicine. Her
long-estranged father, Edward Rutherford, a self-made
millionaire, understands just how profitable a new drug
like penicillin could be. When a researcher at the
institute dies under suspicious circumstances, the stakes
become starkly clear: a murder has been committed to obtain
these lucrative new drugs. With lives and a new love
hanging in the balance, Claire will put herself at the
center of danger to find a killer— no matter what price she
may have to pay.