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No. 10 Doyers Street: A Novel
“[A]n immersive historical novel in which social constructions of race impact politics on a grand scale.” — Foreword Reviews
“[A] descriptive, engaging thriller set in the dark alleys of New York’s Chinatown more than a hundred years ago.” — Asian Review of Books
New York City, 1907.
Archana Morley knows what it’s like to be an outsider. As a woman journalist from India making her way through the cutthroat world of tabloid newspapers, she’s always on the lookout for untold stories.
In the aftermath of a bloody shooting in Chinatown, Archana finds her most challenging subject—the dreaded gangster Mock Duck. But she realizes that things are not as they seem when the mayor declares Chinatown must be demolished, and the authorities raid Mock’s home and tear apart his family. She embarks on a quest for the truth that leads her from gritty alleys to the back-room politics of City Hall and beyond.
Inspired by real events, No.10 Doyers Street is a gripping novel of New York City on the cusp of modernity, as seen through a unique immigrant perspective.
“Radha Vatsal has impressed me with her precise and astute observations and rich detail for some time, and her upcoming book shows Vatsal at the top of her game.”
— CrimeReads
“[A]n engrossing read about the erasure of people and their homes and culture in the name of so-called progress.”
— Historical Novel Society
"This book begins with heartbreak and ends up being an extremely deft portrait of the way politics work ... Archie and the story of a bursting New York City is indelible." — Aunt Agatha's
“[A] descriptive, engaging thriller set in the dark alleys of New York’s Chinatown more than a hundred years ago.” — Asian Review of Books
New York City, 1907.
Archana Morley knows what it’s like to be an outsider. As a woman journalist from India making her way through the cutthroat world of tabloid newspapers, she’s always on the lookout for untold stories.
In the aftermath of a bloody shooting in Chinatown, Archana finds her most challenging subject—the dreaded gangster Mock Duck. But she realizes that things are not as they seem when the mayor declares Chinatown must be demolished, and the authorities raid Mock’s home and tear apart his family. She embarks on a quest for the truth that leads her from gritty alleys to the back-room politics of City Hall and beyond.
Inspired by real events, No.10 Doyers Street is a gripping novel of New York City on the cusp of modernity, as seen through a unique immigrant perspective.
“Radha Vatsal has impressed me with her precise and astute observations and rich detail for some time, and her upcoming book shows Vatsal at the top of her game.”
— CrimeReads
“[A]n engrossing read about the erasure of people and their homes and culture in the name of so-called progress.”
— Historical Novel Society
"This book begins with heartbreak and ends up being an extremely deft portrait of the way politics work ... Archie and the story of a bursting New York City is indelible." — Aunt Agatha's
- GenresHistorical Fiction
273 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 4, 2025
4 people are currently reading
146 people want to read
About the author
Radha Vatsal
7 books125 followersRadha Vatsal grew up in Mumbai, India, and came to the United States to attend boarding school when she was sixteen. Her fascination with the 1910s began when she studied women filmmakers and action-film heroines of silent cinema at Duke University, where she earned her Ph.D. from the English Department. A Front Page Affair is her first novel. Radha lives with her husband and two daughters in New York City.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
December 11, 2025
Enjoyed! Exciting to see something new from Vatsal. I'm still not sure how I feel about the "twist" at the end...
March 1, 2025
Archana “Archie” Morley is a journalist working in 1907 New York City. She’s a double outsider: she’s a woman, and she’s from India. Her physician husband, who has defied his family to marry her, is quite tolerant of her choice to don pants and traverse dangerous parts of the city looking for stories. And boy, does she find some. While her editor has her latched on to the notorious murder of Stanford White by Harry Thaw, Archie gets distracted by a gang style shooting in Chinatown and the gangster who may or may not be behind it, Mock Duck.
Mock Duck, Harry Thaw and Stanford White were all real people in turn of the century New York, but Mock Duck is the person Archie – and the novel – focus on. While the book definitely opens with a crime it’s less of a mystery than it is a straight up historical novel. Vatsal is deeply skilled at portraying the sounds, smells and people of New York, and the people of Chinatown, who are as outsider as it gets.
Chinese weren’t allowed to vote or become citizens though they were allowed to work, and work they did, creating their own community – a community the mayor of New York wants to rip down to create a park. So unimportant are the Chinese to New York “society” there’s no thought given to where the population of Chinatown might relocate were their entire community to be torn down. That’s the “meta” view.
The “micro” view is what draws you in as a reader, however. When Archie goes to report on Mock Duck at his home at No. 10 Doyers Street she finds a crowd inside his apartment. The city, in the form of what would now be called Child Protective Services, are there to take his daughter away. She’s an adorable six year old and the separation from her family is both abrupt and heartbreaking. Archie is witness to the bereft parents when their child is taken away from them, and later in court, to the ridiculous reason she was removed from the household.
The case of the daughter is only the starting point for Vatsal’s look at Chinatown as well as her examination of Archie’s unusual and happy marriage, which at times takes her into the upper echelons of society. It’s through these connections that Archie is able to interview the mayor and boost her career. Perceiving this, Mock Duck begins to appreciate Archie’s intelligence and see her as a tool he might be able to use. He does grant her some access, an access denied to other reporters.
While Archie is often “off the reservation,” as far as her boss is concerned, she does turn in some great stories, but she also ignores specific assignments, making the tension at her job (filled with male reporters who look down on her) more intense. This book begins with heartbreak and ends up being an extremely deft portrait of the way politics work. Both the heartbreak of Mock’s family and the political levers and the way they are used are pretty timeless. Vatsal’s portrayal of a city at a specific time, as it was growing and changing almost daily, is an adroit one. This is a book that makes an impression though I was hoping for a bit more resolution to the story she’s telling. While it may be realistic, it was on some levels unsatisfying. However the character of Archie and the story of a bursting New York City is indelible.
Mock Duck, Harry Thaw and Stanford White were all real people in turn of the century New York, but Mock Duck is the person Archie – and the novel – focus on. While the book definitely opens with a crime it’s less of a mystery than it is a straight up historical novel. Vatsal is deeply skilled at portraying the sounds, smells and people of New York, and the people of Chinatown, who are as outsider as it gets.
Chinese weren’t allowed to vote or become citizens though they were allowed to work, and work they did, creating their own community – a community the mayor of New York wants to rip down to create a park. So unimportant are the Chinese to New York “society” there’s no thought given to where the population of Chinatown might relocate were their entire community to be torn down. That’s the “meta” view.
The “micro” view is what draws you in as a reader, however. When Archie goes to report on Mock Duck at his home at No. 10 Doyers Street she finds a crowd inside his apartment. The city, in the form of what would now be called Child Protective Services, are there to take his daughter away. She’s an adorable six year old and the separation from her family is both abrupt and heartbreaking. Archie is witness to the bereft parents when their child is taken away from them, and later in court, to the ridiculous reason she was removed from the household.
The case of the daughter is only the starting point for Vatsal’s look at Chinatown as well as her examination of Archie’s unusual and happy marriage, which at times takes her into the upper echelons of society. It’s through these connections that Archie is able to interview the mayor and boost her career. Perceiving this, Mock Duck begins to appreciate Archie’s intelligence and see her as a tool he might be able to use. He does grant her some access, an access denied to other reporters.
While Archie is often “off the reservation,” as far as her boss is concerned, she does turn in some great stories, but she also ignores specific assignments, making the tension at her job (filled with male reporters who look down on her) more intense. This book begins with heartbreak and ends up being an extremely deft portrait of the way politics work. Both the heartbreak of Mock’s family and the political levers and the way they are used are pretty timeless. Vatsal’s portrayal of a city at a specific time, as it was growing and changing almost daily, is an adroit one. This is a book that makes an impression though I was hoping for a bit more resolution to the story she’s telling. While it may be realistic, it was on some levels unsatisfying. However the character of Archie and the story of a bursting New York City is indelible.
Read
July 10, 2025Set in 1907 New York, "No. 10 Doyers Street” is a richly layered historical fiction novel of power, identity, and belonging. At the heart of the story is Archie Morely, an Indian American immigrant woman navigating the turbulent world of early 20th-century journalism—rubbing shoulders with Manhattan’s elite and Chinatown’s underworld.
The novel begins in the aftermath of the 1905 shooting at the Chinese Theaters. Mayor George McClellan push to demolish Chinatown and replace it with a park, citing crime and poverty. Archie’s investigates the human stories behind the headlines driving this proposal. The violent tong wars between Mock Duck and rival Tom Lee are rooted in complex systems of power and survival. Mock Duck, despite his ruthlessness, is a grieving father fighting a custody battle he’s almost destined to lose—not because he’s a bad parent, but because the system was never built for someone like him to win. Radha Vatsal explores the demolition of Chinatown as a form of calculated erasure, echoing modern debates around gentrification and displacement. One of her most powerful choices is its juxtaposition of two court cases: Mock Duck’s quiet, tragic custody trial and the media circus of the Thaw murder trial. The racial and class disparities in their treatment are painfully clear, and still resonate today.
Vatsal’s writing is a love letter to a city in transformation. In “No. Ten Doyers Street,” New York is on the cusp of becoming the modern metropolis we know today, beginning with the Catskills aqueduct project and the inauguration of the subway system. Yet the author reminds us what lived before the cityscape: immigrant neighborhoods that were razed to make way for today’s beloved parks, and entire towns upstate were drowned to quench New York’s insatiable thirst. Vatsal smartly threads in nods to the Lenape people, the original inhabitants of Manahatta (the Lenape name for Manhattan), the first people to be displaced in the name of development.
Her research is meticulous; readers familiar with New York will discover nostalgic references in street names, landmark beginnings, and shifting skylines. The novel also explores urban development issues that persist today—immigration, gentrification, the politics of water, and ethnically segregated neighborhoods. These layers deepen the novel’s impact, though at times the narrative feels a bit overstuffed. Frequent switches in setting and storyline can slow the pacing, and attempts at period slang occasionally feel forced. Still, “No. 10 Doyers Street” is an ambitious, thought-provoking read that challenges us to reconsider what lies beneath the foundations of great cities.
The novel begins in the aftermath of the 1905 shooting at the Chinese Theaters. Mayor George McClellan push to demolish Chinatown and replace it with a park, citing crime and poverty. Archie’s investigates the human stories behind the headlines driving this proposal. The violent tong wars between Mock Duck and rival Tom Lee are rooted in complex systems of power and survival. Mock Duck, despite his ruthlessness, is a grieving father fighting a custody battle he’s almost destined to lose—not because he’s a bad parent, but because the system was never built for someone like him to win. Radha Vatsal explores the demolition of Chinatown as a form of calculated erasure, echoing modern debates around gentrification and displacement. One of her most powerful choices is its juxtaposition of two court cases: Mock Duck’s quiet, tragic custody trial and the media circus of the Thaw murder trial. The racial and class disparities in their treatment are painfully clear, and still resonate today.
Vatsal’s writing is a love letter to a city in transformation. In “No. Ten Doyers Street,” New York is on the cusp of becoming the modern metropolis we know today, beginning with the Catskills aqueduct project and the inauguration of the subway system. Yet the author reminds us what lived before the cityscape: immigrant neighborhoods that were razed to make way for today’s beloved parks, and entire towns upstate were drowned to quench New York’s insatiable thirst. Vatsal smartly threads in nods to the Lenape people, the original inhabitants of Manahatta (the Lenape name for Manhattan), the first people to be displaced in the name of development.
Her research is meticulous; readers familiar with New York will discover nostalgic references in street names, landmark beginnings, and shifting skylines. The novel also explores urban development issues that persist today—immigration, gentrification, the politics of water, and ethnically segregated neighborhoods. These layers deepen the novel’s impact, though at times the narrative feels a bit overstuffed. Frequent switches in setting and storyline can slow the pacing, and attempts at period slang occasionally feel forced. Still, “No. 10 Doyers Street” is an ambitious, thought-provoking read that challenges us to reconsider what lies beneath the foundations of great cities.
January 7, 2026
📚No 10 Doyers Street
✍🏻Radha Vatsal
Blurb:
“[A]n immersive historical novel in which social constructions of race impact politics on a grand scale.” — Foreword Reviews
“[A] descriptive, engaging thriller set in the dark alleys of New York’s Chinatown more than a hundred years ago.” — Asian Review of Books
New York City, 1907.
Archana Morley knows what it’s like to be an outsider. As a woman journalist from India making her way through the cutthroat world of tabloid newspapers, she’s always on the lookout for untold stories.
In the aftermath of a bloody shooting in Chinatown, Archana finds her most challenging subject—the dreaded gangster Mock Duck. But she realizes that things are not as they seem when the mayor declares Chinatown must be demolished, and the authorities raid Mock’s home and tear apart his family. She embarks on a quest for the truth that leads her from gritty alleys to the back-room politics of City Hall and beyond.
Inspired by real events, No.10 Doyers Street is a gripping novel of New York City on the cusp of modernity, as seen through a unique immigrant perspective.
“Radha Vatsal has impressed me with her precise and astute observations and rich detail for some time, and her upcoming book shows Vatsal at the top of her game.”
— CrimeReads
“[A]n engrossing read about the erasure of people and their homes and culture in the name of so-called progress.”
— Historical Novel Society
"This book begins with heartbreak and ends up being an extremely deft portrait of the way politics work ... Archie and the story of a bursting New York City is indelible." — Aunt Agatha's
My Thoughts:
The novel begins in the aftermath of the 1905 shooting at the Chinese Theaters. Mayor George McClellan push to demolish Chinatown and replace it with a park, citing crime and poverty A wonderful book that captures the history of the streets of New York City's Chinatown and City Hall in the 1900's and the gangster Mock Dock. Could not put this book down. A page turner. There are twists and turns that make the book almost like a mystery. The characters are all layered and nuanced- no one is the good guy or bad guy. The gripping court room drama gives the reader a very clear eyed look at the prejudices of those times. The story at the heart of it all is completely gripping.
Thanks NetGalley, Level Best Books-Historia and Author Radha Vatsal for the advanced copy of " No. 10 Doyers Street" I am leaving my voluntary review in appreciation.
#NetGalley
#LevelBestBooks-Historia
#RadhaVatsal
#No20.DoyersStreet
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✍🏻Radha Vatsal
Blurb:
“[A]n immersive historical novel in which social constructions of race impact politics on a grand scale.” — Foreword Reviews
“[A] descriptive, engaging thriller set in the dark alleys of New York’s Chinatown more than a hundred years ago.” — Asian Review of Books
New York City, 1907.
Archana Morley knows what it’s like to be an outsider. As a woman journalist from India making her way through the cutthroat world of tabloid newspapers, she’s always on the lookout for untold stories.
In the aftermath of a bloody shooting in Chinatown, Archana finds her most challenging subject—the dreaded gangster Mock Duck. But she realizes that things are not as they seem when the mayor declares Chinatown must be demolished, and the authorities raid Mock’s home and tear apart his family. She embarks on a quest for the truth that leads her from gritty alleys to the back-room politics of City Hall and beyond.
Inspired by real events, No.10 Doyers Street is a gripping novel of New York City on the cusp of modernity, as seen through a unique immigrant perspective.
“Radha Vatsal has impressed me with her precise and astute observations and rich detail for some time, and her upcoming book shows Vatsal at the top of her game.”
— CrimeReads
“[A]n engrossing read about the erasure of people and their homes and culture in the name of so-called progress.”
— Historical Novel Society
"This book begins with heartbreak and ends up being an extremely deft portrait of the way politics work ... Archie and the story of a bursting New York City is indelible." — Aunt Agatha's
My Thoughts:
The novel begins in the aftermath of the 1905 shooting at the Chinese Theaters. Mayor George McClellan push to demolish Chinatown and replace it with a park, citing crime and poverty A wonderful book that captures the history of the streets of New York City's Chinatown and City Hall in the 1900's and the gangster Mock Dock. Could not put this book down. A page turner. There are twists and turns that make the book almost like a mystery. The characters are all layered and nuanced- no one is the good guy or bad guy. The gripping court room drama gives the reader a very clear eyed look at the prejudices of those times. The story at the heart of it all is completely gripping.
Thanks NetGalley, Level Best Books-Historia and Author Radha Vatsal for the advanced copy of " No. 10 Doyers Street" I am leaving my voluntary review in appreciation.
#NetGalley
#LevelBestBooks-Historia
#RadhaVatsal
#No20.DoyersStreet
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
June 2, 2025
Archie (Archana) arrives in New York from India at the age of 19, sent by her father to absorb all she can in preparation for India’s eventual independence. But her plans are upended when she is orphaned soon after arriving. Instead of returning home, she marries an American doctor and carves out a career as a journalist.
Set in 1907, the novel explores Archie’s experience as a South Asian woman navigating the freedoms—and the daily microaggressions—of early 20th-century American society. Her marriage to a white American man further complicates her place in this world, and the narrative deftly portrays the tension between social progress and lingering prejudice.
While covering a story in Chinatown, Archie’s own feelings of otherness connect her to the struggles of Mock Duck, a real-life figure whose daughter is taken by authorities in a chilling episode. It's this sense of shared outsider status that draws Archie deeper into the community and its mysteries.
Blending real historical figures with fictional ones, author Radha Vatsal paints a vivid portrait of a rapidly changing New York. The city at the turn of the century is not just a backdrop but a character in itself—alive with transformation, danger, and opportunity. Vatsal’s decision to frame the story through Archie’s eyes gives readers a fresh and compelling perspective on a familiar era.
Most of the characters are richly drawn, though I found Archie’s husband disappointingly underdeveloped. Despite defying his family's wishes to marry her and apparently supporting her career, he fades into the background, lacking the depth and presence of other figures in the story.
Archie, by contrast, is a standout: feisty, intelligent, and driven. Through her, we are drawn into a web of intrigue. Will she uncover Mock Duck’s true identity? Will Chinatown be demolished for a new park? Is the mayor in danger for his controversial Catskills reservoir plan? And most importantly—will Archie get her scoop?
This is a gripping and immersive novel that offers both a thrilling narrative and a nuanced look at race, identity, and power in early 20th-century America.
Set in 1907, the novel explores Archie’s experience as a South Asian woman navigating the freedoms—and the daily microaggressions—of early 20th-century American society. Her marriage to a white American man further complicates her place in this world, and the narrative deftly portrays the tension between social progress and lingering prejudice.
While covering a story in Chinatown, Archie’s own feelings of otherness connect her to the struggles of Mock Duck, a real-life figure whose daughter is taken by authorities in a chilling episode. It's this sense of shared outsider status that draws Archie deeper into the community and its mysteries.
Blending real historical figures with fictional ones, author Radha Vatsal paints a vivid portrait of a rapidly changing New York. The city at the turn of the century is not just a backdrop but a character in itself—alive with transformation, danger, and opportunity. Vatsal’s decision to frame the story through Archie’s eyes gives readers a fresh and compelling perspective on a familiar era.
Most of the characters are richly drawn, though I found Archie’s husband disappointingly underdeveloped. Despite defying his family's wishes to marry her and apparently supporting her career, he fades into the background, lacking the depth and presence of other figures in the story.
Archie, by contrast, is a standout: feisty, intelligent, and driven. Through her, we are drawn into a web of intrigue. Will she uncover Mock Duck’s true identity? Will Chinatown be demolished for a new park? Is the mayor in danger for his controversial Catskills reservoir plan? And most importantly—will Archie get her scoop?
This is a gripping and immersive novel that offers both a thrilling narrative and a nuanced look at race, identity, and power in early 20th-century America.
May 16, 2025
Radha Vatsal expertly tackles several themes in this novel: bigotry, how immigrants settle into new communities and the prejudice against them, the role of professional women in the early 1900s, government corruption, and inequality and poverty. Vatsal sets her story in New York City in 1907 and uses both real and fictional characters to good effect. The female main character, Archana "Archie" Morley, is a woman journalist trying to be taken seriously in her profession and tracking down the true story behind murders in Chinatown, fights among different Chinese factions, and the city's plan to demolish the neighborhood. The setting is vividly drawn, and Archie's persistence as she faces obstruction and threats makes her a compelling character. Thanks to Level Best Books and NetGalley for the eARC.Radha Vatsal expertly tackles several themes in this novel: bigotry, how immigrants settle into new communities and the prejudice against them, the role of professional women in the early 1900s, government corruption, and inequality and poverty. Vatsal sets her story in New York City in 1907 and uses both real and fictional characters to good effect. The female main character, Archana "Archie" Morley, is a woman journalist trying to be taken seriously in her profession and tracking down the true story behind murders in Chinatown, fights among different Chinese factions, and the city's plan to demolish the neighborhood. The setting is vividly drawn, and Archie's persistence as she faces obstruction and threats makes her a compelling character. Thanks to Level Best Books and NetGalley for the eARC.
January 9, 2025
3.75 stars
This unusual story is as much historical insight as it is mystery. It gives a glimpse into several themes: New York City politics during the Tammany Hall era, racism against Chinese and Indian people, early female news reporters, public health, etc.
Reporter Archana (Archie) Morley came from Bombay, married an American doctor and is working as a reporter. She dresses in trousers rather than saris and faces bad attitudes and prejudice from most people. Her husband appears to be an extraordinarily enlightened man, particularly for that time. I would have liked to have heard more about their relationship which is affectionate and honest and equitable.
Dr. Morley works for the city and is a friend of the mayor, and he works to improve public health.
There is a lot of background on public administration issues of that time including milk pasteurization, clean water and the Catskills Aqueduct and so on. The other historical story running in the background is the infamous Harry Thaw murder trial but it was mostly a red herring.
Archie gets involved in an issue involving Chinatown and we get to watch the various threads she follows and where they lead. There is an epilog which lets us know what happened later which was gratifying. An offbeat and interesting look at those times. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This unusual story is as much historical insight as it is mystery. It gives a glimpse into several themes: New York City politics during the Tammany Hall era, racism against Chinese and Indian people, early female news reporters, public health, etc.
Reporter Archana (Archie) Morley came from Bombay, married an American doctor and is working as a reporter. She dresses in trousers rather than saris and faces bad attitudes and prejudice from most people. Her husband appears to be an extraordinarily enlightened man, particularly for that time. I would have liked to have heard more about their relationship which is affectionate and honest and equitable.
Dr. Morley works for the city and is a friend of the mayor, and he works to improve public health.
There is a lot of background on public administration issues of that time including milk pasteurization, clean water and the Catskills Aqueduct and so on. The other historical story running in the background is the infamous Harry Thaw murder trial but it was mostly a red herring.
Archie gets involved in an issue involving Chinatown and we get to watch the various threads she follows and where they lead. There is an epilog which lets us know what happened later which was gratifying. An offbeat and interesting look at those times. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
March 11, 2025
New York City 1907. A lot of change is coming but for women it is very slow going. Attitudes are archaic and women wanting a greater share of the action, wanting challenging work will find it hard getting recognition and more importantly the permission to do what they want. In this context Archana considers herself fortunate. A liberal father who allowed her to travel alone from India, a husband who accepts a working wife, and in a profession like journalism and however hard her colleagues are on her, she is grateful for the opportunities to report on current matters.
Chinatown has always been a sore point for what it represents. Most people associated it with opium dens, gang warfare and unhealthy tenements. A move by the Mayor to demolish Chinatown is the subject of much debate and Archana is designated to find the human angle. A plot to take away the daughter of one of its leaders was not on the cards . Uncovering this story which led to the inner workings of City Hall, the manipulation that goes behind the seemingly good schemes being promoted for the city are what captures Archana’s interest.
Combining fact - many of the characters are real life ones, and the history of the city and how it ticks forms the setting of the story with Mock Duck, the Thaw murder case and Stanford White being focal human figures. How Archana or Archie as she was known moved in the world of journalism whilst being a woman and a foreign one at that was memorable.
Chinatown has always been a sore point for what it represents. Most people associated it with opium dens, gang warfare and unhealthy tenements. A move by the Mayor to demolish Chinatown is the subject of much debate and Archana is designated to find the human angle. A plot to take away the daughter of one of its leaders was not on the cards . Uncovering this story which led to the inner workings of City Hall, the manipulation that goes behind the seemingly good schemes being promoted for the city are what captures Archana’s interest.
Combining fact - many of the characters are real life ones, and the history of the city and how it ticks forms the setting of the story with Mock Duck, the Thaw murder case and Stanford White being focal human figures. How Archana or Archie as she was known moved in the world of journalism whilst being a woman and a foreign one at that was memorable.
March 5, 2025
N°10 Doyers Street is partially based on true events that took place in New York City and gives the reader an engrossing account of how life was at the beginning of the 20th century. Archana was an immigrant, a reporter in a male dominated business, and had to fight prejudice all around her. She had to fight on account of her color, her place of birth, her disposition to work when women were supposed to only be housewives and support their husbands, she had a voice and made use of it as much as she could. She also was a meticulous observer of what went on around her, and understood and saw the machinations of politicians and people on positions of power not necessarily on elected roles. Two men with colliding dreams will fight to establish their take even at the price of separating a family, many will just be led by those two like a herd with opposing goals. But what really strikes me is that so much of the same continues to happen these days, prejudice still rampage through countries, immigrants are still being exploited, political games coninue to be played nowadays maybe more than ever. It seems like mankind haven't learned much or evolved, it just continues to be a sad, sad world. This book is beautifully written and is highly recommended!
I thank the author, her publisher, and NetGalley for this ARC.
I thank the author, her publisher, and NetGalley for this ARC.
March 22, 2025
An excellent read, extremely well-researched, that keeps the reader fascinated both with the goings-on of the Gilded Age and also the parallels between then and now. Because it's a period of particular interest of mine, I'd read about Mock Duck before, but always through the filter of the way he was perceived at the time. Reporter-narrator Archana Morley is an outsider herself, both as a woman and as someone from India, and she becomes the perfect point of view character to see through the narratives white New Yorkers have created for themselves. Reading about the origins of the dam that still supplies NYC with much of its water, getting a glimpse into Tammany Hall, and imagining the streets of Chinatown a century and more past are all among the rewards of this novel. Perhaps most importantly, Archie learns enough to uncover the twists and turns of the Ha Oi custody case, the potential destruction of Chinatown, and the dam in the Catskills, but she never fully understands Mock Duck -- thus giving the narrative a realism that's too often compromised in mysteries by the desire for a tidy ending. Highly recommended.
March 9, 2025
New York City in the first decade of the 20th century comes vividly alive in this novel. The protagonist, Archana Morley, is a Bombay-born journalist, working as a journalist in a time when bigotry was raging in New York and women had to fight to be accepted by newspaper bosses and colleagues. Archie is drawn into reporting in Chinatown after a shooting takes place and begins interviewing the people who live there. Her story takes her to No. 10 Doyers Street, the home of Mock Duck, who everyone says is a dangerous gangster. In this novel, Archana pushes to discover the truth about Mock Duck's power in the neighborhood while also digging into the callous government of the city toward families and a possible plan to tear down Chinatown altogether. It is a fascinating look at a little-known period in NYC history with a strong female MC.
Read
February 15, 2025This is an offbeat, fascinating, engrossing story set in New York City in the first decade of the 20th century. It is populated with a colourful and memorable cast of characters, many of them actual historical figures and some vividly imagined, and takes place against a background of actual events as the rough-and-tumble city grew, changed, developed and began to move towards its future as a modern mega-metropolis. The story tackles issues of gender, class and racial prejudice; civic corruption; community coherence; love of family; and longing for home. A most unusual and enjoyable book which I heartily recommend.
July 1, 2025
This is a well-researched, solidly plotted historical mystery with a journalist heroine, Archata, investigating her own private Chinatown in turn of last century New York. Her relationships are fascinating, her interests current, not least the role of women and immigrants in the supposed melting pot of America, and her actions brave and independent. To think this is the era of James' Washington Square and Catherine Sloper just a stroll away - how I wish those two women could have met up, perhaps in the sequel we may be denied.
September 5, 2025
Historical fiction is my favorite genre so it should be no surprise that this gem was a delight to read. As a huge fan of Sujata Massey, her ringing endorsement was proven to be prophetic. Magically transported back to 1907 NYC, the various neighborhoods come alive with Chinese gangsters, shady politicians and intrepid newspaper reporters looking for a scoop. Our heroine, Archana “Archie” Morley, an immigrant from India, is the narrator as she tries to satisfy her editor but keep her marriage healthy despite the dangers of doing her job.
The afterword is fascinating as well.
The afterword is fascinating as well.
October 1, 2025
I love everything related to the NYC Chinatown tongs, and so I really appreciated Vatsal's unique take on the Hip Sing tong...seen through the eyes of a female journalist from India. There was a bit too much exposition in the beginning, dumping tong info on the reader, and there was much political maneuvering rather than action. However, whether the book is categorized as a novel or mystery/thriller, it ultimately is a love story...a wonderful tribute to a difficult time for the Chinese in New York City history.
February 24, 2025
An unusual story set in New York city
A female news reporter investigates a murder trial.
There are real historical figures and the novel is well researched.
Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy
A female news reporter investigates a murder trial.
There are real historical figures and the novel is well researched.
Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy
April 18, 2025
A wonderful book that captures the history of the streets of New York City's Chinatown and City Hall in the 1900's and the gangster Mock Dock. Could not put this book down. A page turner. Go buy it and read it!
December 20, 2025
I really struggled to get through this book. There are a lot of names to keep track of that are very similar, and I know that is because this is based on real people with those names, but even with the guide at the beginning, I couldn't keep people straight, and it made it hard for me to read.
May 4, 2025
Excellent real life story about Mock Duck in Chinatown, NY. Great story and incredibly interesting.
May 15, 2025
Well researched
February 21, 2026
I met the author at a local literary group, where she was the featured guest reader. She read from this book. As a fan of history, and having a Chinese wife, I thought this work had promise. Indeed, it did… it’s excellent. It’s meticulously researched, well written, and original. It illuminates an little known but very revealing aspect of New York City history.
It’s based on Sai Wing Mock, a real-life turn of the century Chinatown gangster who went by the name Mock Duck. He’s often been accused of terrible crimes, but the State couldn’t actually convict him. But as later happened with Al Capone (who ultimately went down for tax evasion instead of all the violent crimes he committed), the City, it seems, had another way to go after Mock… by challenging his custody of the young adopted daughter he truly loved. That involved a court case based on historical events.
At the same time, Mayor George McLelan Jr. (son of Lincoln’s first Union civil war general) also figures prominently, as does his plans to bring clean drinking water to the city from upstate, and to raze Chinatown as part of an urban renewal effort and replace it with a big park.
The first person protagonist who leads us through all this is a young woman who emigrated on her own from India and marries an american doctor in NY, who is acquainted with the city leaders. That, and her work as a newspaper reporter, is how she gets, amd gives us, up close access to the key events and characters.
All in all, an engrossing and informative read!
It’s based on Sai Wing Mock, a real-life turn of the century Chinatown gangster who went by the name Mock Duck. He’s often been accused of terrible crimes, but the State couldn’t actually convict him. But as later happened with Al Capone (who ultimately went down for tax evasion instead of all the violent crimes he committed), the City, it seems, had another way to go after Mock… by challenging his custody of the young adopted daughter he truly loved. That involved a court case based on historical events.
At the same time, Mayor George McLelan Jr. (son of Lincoln’s first Union civil war general) also figures prominently, as does his plans to bring clean drinking water to the city from upstate, and to raze Chinatown as part of an urban renewal effort and replace it with a big park.
The first person protagonist who leads us through all this is a young woman who emigrated on her own from India and marries an american doctor in NY, who is acquainted with the city leaders. That, and her work as a newspaper reporter, is how she gets, amd gives us, up close access to the key events and characters.
All in all, an engrossing and informative read!
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