4.5 stars. 
 I'm a sucker for historical mysteries, and found this novel completely satisfying. It alternates between the present (where Lina, an overworked young attorney is assigned to find a plaintiff in a slave-reparations case) and the past (where Josephine, the house girl, is plotting her escape). Others on this site have found the mix of the two stories to be unsatisfying, but I disagree. Each story, I felt, was worthy on its own, but the combination of the two made for a compelling read. 
 I'm a fan, and can't wait to read what Conklin writes next.