The Conductors

by Nicole Glover

Overview

A compelling debut by a new voice in fantasy fiction, The Conductors features the magic and mystery of Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files series written with the sensibility and historical setting of Octavia Butler’s Kindred. Meet Hetty Rhodes, a magic-user and former conductor on the Underground Railroad who now solves crimes in post–Civil War Philadelphia.

As a conductor on the Underground Railroad, Hetty Rhodes helped usher dozens of people north with her wits and magic. Now that the Civil War is over, Hetty and her husband, Benjy, have settled in Philadelphia, solving murders and mysteries that the white authorities won’t touch. When they find one of their friends slain in an alley, Hetty and Benjy bury the body and set off to find answers. But the secrets and intricate lies of the elites of Black Philadelphia only serve to dredge up more questions. To solve this mystery, they will have to face ugly truths all around them, including the ones about each other.

In this vibrant and original novel, Nicole Glover joins a roster of contemporary fantasy writers, such as Victor LaValle and Zen Cho, who use speculative fiction to delve into important historical and cultural threads.
 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780358181798
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	03/19/2024
Series:	Murder & Magic Novels
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	499
Sales rank:	465,297
File size:	5 MB

About the Author

NICOLE GLOVER works as a UX researcher in Virginia. She believes libraries are magical places and problems seem smaller with a cup of tea in hand. Her life outside of books include bicycles, video games, and baking the perfect banana bread. The Conductors is her debut novel. She can be found at nicole-glover.com.
 
NICOLE GLOVER works as a UX researcher in Virginia. She believes that libraries are magical places and that problems seem smaller with a cup of tea in hand. Her life outside of books includes bicycles, video games, and baking the perfect banana bread. The Conductors is her debut novel. She can be found at nicole-glover.com.

Editorial Reviews

★ 11/23/2020

Inventively mixing mystery, magic, and alternate history, Glover’s nail-biting debut takes readers to Reconstruction era Philadelphia. Henrietta “Hetty” and Benjamin “Benjy” Rhodes—both adept at sigil magic that draws on the constellations—are famed conductors for the Vigilance Society, which shepherded enslaved Black people to freedom along the Underground Railroad. Stories of their trips into the South are legendary in their Philadelphia community even a decade after the Civil War. Now, Hetty and Benjy use their magical and analytical skills as detectives, dealing with missing person cases, murders, and other crimes the white police force chooses to overlook. But when one of their friends turns up dead and their suspicions fall close to home, they’ll need to work out who in their community is not who they say they are. The pace is relaxed but the tension steadily builds as Glover weaves each detail into a satisfying mystery. Frequent flashbacks to Hetty and Benjy’s thrilling exploits as conductors on the Underground Railroad reveal how Hetty’s tough choices during the Civil War led to her life today. Readers will be surprised but gratified by an ending that shows just how past actions inform the present in unexpected ways. Glover is a writer to watch. Agent: Jennie Goloboy, Donald Maass Agency. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

"The Conductors is a wildly inventive alternate history that combines compelling characters, a propulsive plot, and lots of intrigue. It is also radical as hell. Thought-provoking and powerful, Glover’s novel is a must-read." — Cadwell Turnbull, author of The Lesson

“Inventively mixing mystery, magic, and alternate history, Glover’s nail-biting debut takes readers to Reconstruction era Philadelphia . . . Glover is a writer to watch.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

From the Publisher

03/01/2021

DEBUT Set at the end of the Civil War, this magical first novel follows Hetty and Benjy, runaways who ferry people to safety from slavecatchers, as well as solve crimes, often with the aid of celestial magic. Chapters alternate between Hetty and Benjy's life in Philadelphia aiding people in finding lost loved ones, and Hetty's journeys on the Underground Railroad, with Benjy in tow, to find her sister Esther. When an acquaintance whom they previously rescued from slavery is found dead in an alley, the novel turns into a murder mystery. Glover's intricate writing succeeds in bringing Hetty and Benjy to life, and shines as members of their social circle become suspects. While later chapters are at times meandering, the story gains momentum as Hetty aims to uncover if this murder, and others that follow, is a coincidence or part of a pattern. Along the way, she discovers that Benjy has secrets of his own, as do several of her friends. Along with celestial magic, sorcery comes into play, often coming back to haunt Hetty and Benjy, especially at the suspenseful ending. VERDICT Blending historical fantasy and mystery, this fast-paced debut with predominantly Black characters will engage fans eager for a combination of each.—Stephanie Sendaula, Library Journal

Library Journal

Bahni Turpin’s versatile narration pulls together the many threads in Nicole Glover’s debut novel, a heady mix of historical fantasy, magic, and mystery set in post-Civil War Philadelphia. Hetty and Benjy Rhodes, once conductors on the Underground Railroad, now use their magical powers to investigate crimes in Philadelphia’s Black community. When one of their friends is found murdered, the two realize with horror that the murderer may be one of their own. Turpin’s considerable talents allow listeners to experience the vibrancy of Philadelphia’s Seventh Ward, brimming with busybody neighbors and puffed-up politicians. The intricacies of the case are fascinating, but it is Turpin’s portrayal of Hetty—who is strong, resilient, and forgiving—that raises the bar in this noteworthy production. S.A.H. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine

APRIL 2021 - AudioFile

Bahni Turpin’s versatile narration pulls together the many threads in Nicole Glover’s debut novel, a heady mix of historical fantasy, magic, and mystery set in post-Civil War Philadelphia. Hetty and Benjy Rhodes, once conductors on the Underground Railroad, now use their magical powers to investigate crimes in Philadelphia’s Black community. When one of their friends is found murdered, the two realize with horror that the murderer may be one of their own. Turpin’s considerable talents allow listeners to experience the vibrancy of Philadelphia’s Seventh Ward, brimming with busybody neighbors and puffed-up politicians. The intricacies of the case are fascinating, but it is Turpin’s portrayal of Hetty—who is strong, resilient, and forgiving—that raises the bar in this noteworthy production. S.A.H. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine

APRIL 2021 - AudioFile