Murray: A Novel

By Melanie Senn

Murray Hall lived in New York City during the second half of the 19th century. An immigrant from Scotland, he was known as a cigar-smoking, whiskey-drinking, poker-playing bon vivant. A Tammany Hall politician, Murray ran an employment agency and worked as a bondsman. He was married twice— his first wife mysteriously disappeared. His second wife had a daughter whom Murray adopted and doted upon. He loved being a father.

The death of Murray Hall on January 16, 1901, shocked many people, including his closest friends.

Murray, it turned out, had not been born a man.