The Cold Millions

'A beautiful, lyric hymn to the power of social unrest in American history. Jess Walter is a national treasure' - Anthony Doerr, author of All the Light We Cannot See


It is 1909 in Spokane, Washington. The Dolan brothers are living by their wits, jumping freight trains and lining up for work at crooked job agencies. While sixteen-year-old Rye yearns for a steady job and a home, his dashing older brother Gig dreams of a better world, fighting alongside other union men for fair pay and decent treatment. When Rye finds himself drawn to suffragette Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, her passion sweeps him into the world of protest and dirty business. But a storm is coming, threatening to overwhelm them all . . .

The Cold Millions is an intimate story of brotherhood, love, sacrifice and betrayal set against the panoramic backdrop of an early 20th century America. Jess Walter offers a stunning, kaleidoscopic portrait of a nation grappling with the chasm between rich and poor, dreams and reality, in a sensational tale that resonates powerfully with our own time.


'A work of irresistible characters, harrowing adventures and rip-roaring fun . . . One of the most captivating novels of the year' - Washington Post

'Stunning' - San Francisco Chronicle

'Warm and deeply humane, this transporting novel is a staggering achievement from a landmark writer' - Esquire

'A vivid, propulsive, historical novel with a politically explosive backdrop that reverberates through our own' - USA Today