The Condor Passes — Shirley Ann Grau

Grau''s riveting story of one man''s rise to power in New Orleans - and the mystery, joy, sorrow, love, and death that shape his extraordinary life

Like many people in turn-of-the-20th-century New Orleans, Thomas Henry Oliver came to the city to escape a dull life - in his case, a childhood in the backwoods of the Midwest. But few New Orleans immigrants find as much prosperity as Oliver does amongst the city''s lively streets. By the time he''s 95, Oliver has amassed an enormous fortune built from brothels and speakeasies. But as his wealth grows, so does his family''s desire to control it. After a series of strokes, Oliver must choose an inheritor, even though his two entitled daughters and ambitious adopted son don''t always seem worthy of his legacy.

The Condor Passes is a simmering dynastic saga of three generations colliding in their battle to control an empire.