CITY OF BETRAYAL

As ratification of the 19th amendment approaches, there’s nothing opponents won’t do to keep women from getting the vote.

Elizabeth Miles Bates may come from a family of grifters, but she’s used her skills only for good since she married Gideon Bates, a respected New York lawyer. Along with the rest of the nation, she watches the massive push to get the amendment approved in Tennessee, the only state needed to get the suffragists to victory. To that end, Elizabeth, her husband, and his mother all head to Nashville to work for the cause. Much to her surprise, Elizabeth’s father, aka the Old Man, is there, too, working on a con in the city. Teams on the ground are trying to convince the legislators to vote yes, but opponents known as the Antis are pushing to defeat the bill. The Antis and the wealthy interests backing them, determined to keep women from the ballot box, are using every dirty trick they can think of: bribery, blackmail, fearmongering, and racist rhetoric, since they particularly don’t want Black women to get the vote. Although they have pledges from what they think are just enough men to pass the amendment, Elizabeth and company watch in horror and despair as a few defect to the other side and spend every minute fighting to change minds. Elizabeth can’t think of a con that will help, and the Old Man is busy with his own misdeeds. So while working in the soul-sapping heat, Elizabeth must use her brains to counter every attack the other side launches.

A fascinating exploration of the battle for suffrage, whose historical events drive an exciting thriller.