The Good Silver

In 1847, a small band of idealists began a communal living experiment in a sleepy valley in New York, living in a grand mansion built on a Bible-based foundation of hard work, free love and controlled, eugenic breeding. Credited with starting what became the world s most recognized brand of silverware, the Oneida Community at first prospered, succumbing finally to the moral outcry that for decades clawed relentlessly at their lascivious door, conforming to worldly custom to preserve their livelihood and evade the lynching of their leaders. The great experiment that had fascinated and infuriated the entire country was over. Or was it? Acting on a anonymous tip alleging a rebirth of the utopian commune, New York Times reporter Melissa Gibson travels to Upstate New York to investigate, renting a room at the very mansion built over one hundred and fifty years ago. Days later, she is found dead, the local police ruling her death accidental. But her twin brother Michael, tormented by grisly premonitions he has never revealed, knows the authorities are wrong. He envisioned her strangulation just hours before it happened but did nothing to save her. Now, driven by guilt and the persistence of his sister s best friend, Jess Hartwell, an attractive beat cop from New York City, Michael launches his own secret investigation in a desperate attempt to unmask her killer. Together, they retrace Melissa s footsteps only to discover a little town full of dark secrets and more suspects than they ever could have imagined.