The second in a three-part trilogy, this book of fiction continues the story of merchants and miners in San Francisco during the California gold rush in 1851 and 1852, picking up the narrative after a fire in 1851. Residents formed the Committee of Vigilance to deal with criminals and arsonists, but corrupt government officials opposed it. The main characters, French immigrants Pierre and Manon Dubois, run a wharf-side canteen in a city filled with lawlessness, fortune hunters, and anti-immigrant sentiment. Manon desires to run a French restaurant that employs women chefs in a male-dominated field, and Pierre wants to establish a notary and private detective agency. Annotation 2015 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com)
