The Blackest of Lies V2: A Novel (1882)

Deliverance tells the story of a life and death struggle of a group of Jewish boys in pre-World War I Russia up through the Russian Revolution. They escaped to Turkey in 1920 aboard a smugglerA[a–a[s boat. In mid-voyage on the Black Sea, the crew turned on the passengers, stealing all their possessions and threatening to kill them. Relenting, the boys were set ashore on a desolate section of Turkey, far from their destination, Constantinople (Istanbul). Reaching Constantinople after a year, one boy contracted malaria during the trek. They were befriended by a restaurateur there who took them under his wing. The book follows their experiences in this strange country, including confrontations with Cossacks they had escaped from. Knowing that there was no cure for malaria, nevertheless a doctor was found who claimed to have one. The young man was miraculously cured, but the doctor disappeared.