At South Carolina Medical College, Dr. Jacob Thacker is on probation for Xanax abuse. His interim career--working university public relations--takes an unnerving detour into the past when the bones of African American slaves are unearthed on campus.
In a parallel narrative set in the nineteenth century, Nemo (no man), a university slave purchased for his unusual knife skills, becomes an unacknowledged member of the surgical faculty by day--and by night, a resurrectionist, responsible for procuring bodies for medical study. An unforgettable character, by turns apparently insouciant, tormented, and brilliant, Nemo will seize his self-respect in ways no reader can anticipate.
With exceptional storytelling pacing and skill, Matthew Guinn weaves together past and present to relate a Southern Gothic tale of shocking crimes and exquisite revenge.
A 2014 Edgar Award Finalist for Best First Novel.