Author Description

Originally titled Elixir of the Incas, this novel, second book in the Baron & Brannigan series, is set in the 1890s, the Gilded Age. Young Billy Brannigan, handsome, venturesome and savvy, faces an uncertain future when fame on the vaudeville stages of New York becomes a shattered dream. He is more determined than ever to reach his goal of wealth and respect. But how? To begin his quest anew, he draws upon his abundant supply of charm and audacity honed by his teen-age years in Doc Noble’s medicine show. This time, the challenge is New York’s zany world of Tin Pan Alley with its odd assortment of songwriters, pluggers and music publishers. Once again, he teams up with his talented, younger pal, Daniel Baron, revives his romance with beautiful Lily Langford, renews his friendships with songwriter Monroe (Rosie) Rosenfeld and lovely Claire Noble, and mixes with popular celebrities of the Gilded Age including impresario Tony Pastor and composer Victor Herbert. The question is, can Billy's relentless thirst for fame and fortune conquer the calamities that befall him—lost love, failed friendship, intense emotional conflict, even a charge of murder? Billy will have to use all the skills and ballyhoo that Doc Noble taught him to finally reach his goal.