Chicago police detective Dan Coughlin has stepped on the wrong toes while investigating the Whiskey Trust. Charged with a murder he did not commit, he will find that a solid alibi is no match for the forces gathered against him to protect the high-powered distillers and bring down his political clout in one dirty deal. Dan suspects that Alexander Sullivan had something to do with the killing, but Sullivan is the only friend he has. He knows he's a dead man if Sullivan can't save his neck. Opening in 1889, THE KING OF THE IRISH explores an actual murder trial that became a proxy fight between warring factions of the Clan na Gael, an Irish-American secret society that counts Dan as a vocal member. His effort to expose British infiltrators makes him a prime suspect when a member turns up dead, and Sullivan's enemies see an opportunity to grab control of the international organization by pressuring Dan to turn on Sullivan or risk hanging. Before the trial begins, Dan is painted as the ringleader by a bigoted, xenophobic press printing gossip and lies spread by his accumulated enemies. Too late, he discovers that the trial is rigged and his conviction is guaranteed. Behind the scenes, Sullivan will call in favors as he takes on an opposition that is blocking Coughlin's appeal, knowing that it is only a matter of time before Dan cracks. Sullivan will manipulate the Illinois General Assembly and the state courts to assure an acquittal and Coughlin's continued silence. The identities of those who orchestrated the assassination must be protected at all costs. The survival of the Irish nationalist movement, and Sullivan's personal survival, are riding on his success.