Orphaned and penniless in 1922 Baltimore, Maryland, 15-year-old Carl and 17-year-old Adam Matuski are forced to move across the continent to live with their Uncle Pete in Portland, Oregon. Almost from the beginning, homesick Carl desperately wants to return east with his brother, but his plans fall apart when Adam is sought by police for the theft of expensive jewels from his girlfriend's wealthy home. Carl is convinced that Adam is being fingered unfairly. He and his brother are Polish Catholics, and Portland is awash in anti-Catholic, anti-immigrant sentiment. Voters, in fact, are being asked to decide whether Catholic schools, indeed all non-public schools, should be outlawed entirely. Carl works at one such Catholic school. Fueled by the Ku Klux Klan and other unsavory groups, the campaign touches Carl personally as he strives to clear his brother's name and solve the mystery: Who really took the family jewels, and why?
"A riveting story of faith and betrayal against a background of bigotry. Touching and inspiring."
Mystery novelist Carolyn Hart, winner of two Agatha Awards, two Anthony Awards, and two Ma
"As a Catholic who grew up in an older city neighborhood made up of mainly eastern Europeans, I found this great book to be touching and highly informative. It painted a clear picture of the harsh conditions endured by immigrants of eastern European descent and captured the sensitivity of the people involved. I was unaware that that sort of bigotry took place in that part of the country."
Mary Sunday, Librarian, The Catholic High School of Baltimore
