With release date coming soon, here's an excerpt from Fireflies at Dusk, due out November 27. Jonathan Gray is attending Princeton College in 1859 , and does a curious turn for his arch-nemesis, classmate Robert Parker.

But one day, Parker cheated in a Civics class taught by a full professor. Jonathan was in his assigned seat to Parker’s right. He angled his body away, as usual, so Parker couldn’t copy off his exam. A rustle of paper made Jonathan look up. The professor was on the far side of the room gazing the other way. Parker scanned some crib notes he had up his sleeve. He was getting away with it, too, until the professor turned around. Parker still had the piece of white paper in his hand. The professor hurried to Parker’s row, a scowl on his face. Parker let the paper slip from his hand and fall to the floor. It nosedived down and landed next to Jonathan’s foot, where it stayed.

Until Jonathan moved his shoe on top of it.

The teacher stood over Parker and accused him of cheating. He searched Parker’s shirt, sleeves, and surroundings, but came up with nothing. If he’d been caught, Parker could have been expelled, scandalizing his wealthy family and ruining any political prospects he might have had. The teacher moved off, glowering.

“Pencils down!”

Everyone passed their papers forward and collected belongings under the desks. Jonathan scooted his foot backward on the wood floor, leaned over for his books, and snatched the paper from under his shoe. He slipped it into his pants pocket and headed to work. As he left the classroom, Parker followed.

Jonathan sat at his work desk, and out of earshot of everyone else, Parker leaned over him. “Why’d you do it?”

“Do what?” Jonathan twiddled with a pencil.

“You know what!”

“Sorry, have to organize these piles of paperwork.” He was beginning to enjoy this now.

Parker stood with a blank look.

Jonathan kept working. Out of the corner of his eye, he could tell Parker was getting madder and madder by the way his fists clenched and unclenched.

Parker pinned one of Jonathan’s hands under his. “What the hell are you up to, Gray?”

Jonathan glanced up at his nemesis. “Not sure what you mean.” He yanked his hand free.

“You know what I mean! Why’d you hide the paper?”

“What paper?” Jonathan had him now.

“You know damn well what paper!”

Jonathan looked down at his notebook, scanning the list of things he needed to do. Parker was making it easy to drag this out.

“That paper I dropped and you covered with your foot. That’s what paper!”

“Huh. Under my foot you say?”

Parker hesitated. He stepped back. And stared. Jonathan wondered if he was going to come at him, fists flying. But Parker just studied him. He stood motionless for a moment, then left as other students trickled in.