Introduction

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER â?¢ A thrilling novel based on actual events, about the nature of genius, the cost of ambition, and the battle to electrify Americaâ??from the Oscar-winning screenwriter of The Imitation Game and author of The Sherlockian

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE WASHINGTON POST� AND THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER� â?¢� SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE STARRING EDDIE REDMAYNE

New York, 1888. Gas lamps still flicker in the city streets, but the miracle of electric light is in its infancy. The person who controls the means to turn night into day will make historyâ??and a vast fortune. A young untested lawyer named Paul Cravath, fresh out of Columbia Law School, takes a case that seems impossible to win. Paulâ??s client, George Westinghouse, has been sued by Thomas Edison over a billion-dollar question: Who invented the light bulb and holds the right to power the country?

The case affords Paul entry to the heady world of high societyâ??the glittering parties in Gramercy Park mansions, and the more insidious dealings done behind closed doors. The task facing him is beyond daunting. Edison is a wily, dangerous opponent with vast resources at his disposalâ??private spies, newspapers in his pocket, and the backing of J. P. Morgan himself. Yet this unknown lawyer shares with his famous adversary a compulsion to win at all costs.� How will he do it?

In obsessive pursuit of victory, Paul crosses paths with Nikola Tesla, an eccentric, brilliant inventor who may hold the key to defeating Edison, and with Agnes Huntington, a beautiful opera singer who proves to be a flawless performer on stage and off. As Paul takes greater and greater risks, heâ??ll find that everyone in his path is playing their own game, and no one is quite who they seem.

Praise for The Last Days of Night

â??A satisfying romp . . . Takes place against a backdrop rich with period detail . . . Works wonderfully as an entertainment . . . As it charges forward, the novel leaves no dot unconnected.â?â??Noah Hawley, The New York Times Book Review

â??This captivating historical novel illuminates a fascinating American moment.â?â??People

â??A fascinating portrait of American inventors . . . Moore crafts a compelling narrative out of [Paul]� Cravathâ??s cunning legal maneuvers and [Nikola]� Teslaâ??s world-changing tinkering, while a story line on opera singer Agnes Huntington has the mysterious glamour of� The Great Gatsby. . . . Moore weaves a complex web. . . .�  He conjures Gilded Age New York City so vividly, it feels like only yesterday.â?â??Entertainment Weekly

â??A model of superior historical fiction . . . Graham Moore digs deep into long-forgotten facts to give us an exciting, sometimes astonishing story of two geniuses locked in a brutal battle to change the world. . . . [A] brilliant journey into the past.â?â??The Washington Post

â??Mesmerizing, clever, and absolutely crackling, The Last Days of Night is a triumph of imagination. Graham Moore has chosen Gilded Age New York as his playground, with outsized charactersâ??Edison, Tesla, Westinghouseâ??as his players. The result is a beautifully researched, endlessly entertaining novel that will leave you buzzing.â?â??Gillian Flynn, author of Gone Girl

â??Itâ??s part legal thriller, part tour of a magical timeâ??the age of wonderâ??and once youâ??ve finished it, youâ??ll find it hard to return to the world of now.â?â??Erik Larson, author of The Devil in the White City

Editorial Review

An Amazon Best Book of August 2016: Great inventors take the stage in this historical fiction/legal thriller based on the lighting of New York City in the 1890s. The story is told by Paul Cravath, an attorney hired by George Westinghouse to take on Thomas Edison in a battle over lightbulb patents. The setup may sound dry, but Graham’s pacing keeps the story driving forward. There are crimes. There’s a mysterious woman. There’s a mad genius in the form of Nikola Tesla. And it’s all sets against the backdrop of the glittering Gilded Age. Every so often an historical fiction comes along that captures the imaginations of legions of readers. The Last Days of Night will join that elite group of novels. —Chris Schluep, The Amazon Book Review

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