“The Big Crowd is nothing short of a modern masterpiece. Kevin Baker brings the docks of New York and all their intrigue back to life in vivid detail, combining the historical and the human into a deeply affecting story that connects the past to the present in a way that many novels attempt but few manage.”
—Steven Galloway, author of The Cellist of Sarajevo

“With The Big Crowd, Kevin Baker earns the title of Best American Historical Novelist –heck, maybe best American novelist, period. This inspired, fun, serious, thought-provoking, page-turning book gives all the good, old pleasures: if you read it on the subway, be prepared to miss your stop. But Baker also raises the key questions about New York, about America, about who we are. Charlie and Tom O’Kane are characters for the ages.”
—Darin Strauss, author of Half a Life