The Expressman and the Detective

The story concerns Nathan Maroney, a station agent for Adams Express, who is suspected of stealing $50,000 cash from his employer in two separate thefts, in 1859. Maroney is a very clever criminal, and it takes a team of detectives several months to corner him. The cat and mouse game between Maroney and his wife, on the one hand, and Pinkerton's detectives and spies on the other, is interesting enough in itself. The book is also provides a fascinating look into daily life in the US in the mid-nineteenth century, including the cultural divisions between north and south, the way the genders interacted, social mores, what rail travel was like, etc. Although the author had no intention of creating a cultural document, he couldn't help but do so in telling a story that spans several months, so many locations, and such a large number of characters.