Description

1918. Boston. A city in turmoil as soldiers return home from World War One, bringing with them an epidemic of Spanish influenza.

Danny Coughlin is the son of one of Boston’s most powerful police captains. An undercover cop, he is hunting for revolutionaries and anarchists who, in the aftermath of war, are pledged to overthrow the city’s ruling classes. But Danny soon finds his ideals compromised as, drawn into the conflict, his family starts to question where his loyalties really lie.

Luther Lawrence is on the run. Having survived a murderous confrontation with a crime boss, he lands a job in the Coughlin household. But it isn’t long before his dangerous past and his tenuous present are on a life-threatening collision course.

As the city goes into meltdown, Danny and Luther must confront the storm of violence that threatens to engulf them if each is to survive…

Publisher Review

This is a sprawling, enthralling novel... every sentence is a treat, every image vivid... an extraordinary freshness and vitality * Sunday Telegraph * This is a book with Big Ambition written all over it: a thick, doorstopping, compulsively readable epic * The Times * Wrenchingly suspenseful... A majestic, fiery epic [with] a rich, intricate story * The New York Times * The acclaimed author of Mystic River has produced a contender for the Big American Novel... not only a powerful, beautifully written novel, but the best kind of history lesson * Daily Mail * The Given Day stands in the great tradition of the American novel, setting an enthralling personal story against a great sweep of history. The result is epic, romantic and intelligent. I loved it -- KATE ATKINSON