Elixir of life

Blurb

A young man with grand dreams hustles to rise out of poverty and survive a plague-ridden New Orleans, in this historical novel from an award-winning author. 1853. Born on a Mississippi farm, John Samson Donnelly learned early on that he had no desire to toil the land in backbreaking labor like his forebears. Believing he was meant for greater things, John set out to become a doctor—not an educated man of medicine, but a peddler of potions of his own creation as cure-alls for ailments.  A better gambler than snake-oil salesman, John keeps himself out of the gutter by working in a casino and winning the occasional poker game. His recent lucky streak has won him the affections of Marie Cousins, a Creole of African lineage who invites John to share her home in nearby Carrollton where his money is more than welcomed by her father. John's good fortune runs out when he's sent back to New Orleans penniless just as yellow fever spreads across the city. Out of desperation, he makes deals with his landlady and his high-rolling employers to swindle the sick and naïve with one failed scheme after another, resulting in unexpected tragedy. And when one last opportunity for escape arises, John takes his greatest risk of all—playing for the highest stakes not only for himself, but for those who now depend on him.