The Styx — Jonathon King

It is legend, the burning of the Styx. For over a hundred years, the destruction of a black community on the blossoming new island of Palm Beach has been folklore. Historic photos prove the Styx existed, but century-old memories muddle the truth of its demise. What happened to a ragtag collection of homes and rooming houses that once sheltered the great Henry Flagler s hotel workers at the turn of the 20th century? The legend is steeped in rumor, but the racism of the age, the uncommon wealth and privilege that came to the wilderness of Florida, and the greedy scramble to grab a piece of a new Eden are undeniable truths. Jonathon King s novel The Styx is a fictional story of what happened in the later years of the 1890 s, when the great migration to Florida changed the state forever. With deft descriptions of New York s Lower East Side, the Wild West towns and villages of a newly discovered Florida, and the majesty of Palm Beach s new Royal Poinciana Hotel, King tells a story of murder and cover-ups, power turned greedy, society women behaving badly, and good people doing what good people must always do to build a real civilization.