West of Hell

One hundred and fifty years ago, New York City was not the city it is today. It was a hellish metropolis, a machine fueled and controlled by political corruption, murder, violence, and extortion. A place where no life was sacred… a place not for the faint of heart.

West of Hell begins with Thomas, a seventeen-year-old blacksmith living in New York City, grappling with the sudden disappearance of his mother, Mary. His own distant guardian is an intriguing brothel owner known as the Madame who, along with her right-hand man Louis, provides Thomas with counsel and guidance. While straining to track his mother down, Thomas uncovers a series of letters from his long-lost father, Edward, and when they meet, Thomas chooses to return to England with him to pursue a new life.

Conversely, the Madame and Louis find themselves at the mercy of the notorious Tammany Hall, an organization backed by some of the most powerful men in New York City, including the infamous Richard Croker. When they discover Mary’s disappearance was no accident, there are bigger things than Mary’s life at stake, and the Madame is forced to make a deal with Croker to keep herself and Thomas alive.
Upon Thomas’ return to New York eight years later, he is reunited with the Madame and Louis, while he continues to thrive as a partner for his father’s shipping company. On the sly, Edward attempts to seek out the cold trail of Mary’s presumed death, which has unforeseen and terrible consequences for everyone involved.

In the meantime, the Madame struggles to hold onto her own power as Tammany Hall’s alliances and connections strengthen in the city, making the organization much the more menacing to deal with.

Through a series of twists and turns in the aftermath of tragedy, Thomas gains an unquenchable need for vengeance against Richard Croker and Tammany Hall. And with the guidance and training from his father’s old Master, Thomas intends to wreak havoc upon anyone who stands in his way.