Review by Booklist Review
In her debut historical mystery, Lyuzna takes readers to Harlem in New York City during the exciting Jazz Age. Ginny Dugan is a 23-year-old advice columnist who longs for more challenging assignments and who loves a night out. When she witnesses the kidnapping of a famous singer, Ginny finds herself propelled down a path leading to encounters with showgirls, lies, drugs, and violence. Ginny cons her way into working with a private investigator with his own secrets, hoping to rescue the singer and figure out what else is happening in Harlem that is causing so many deaths. Lyuzna's tale, quick-paced and action-packed from the start and full of Roaring Twenties slang, delves into queerness and forbidden, even illegal love, and portrays influential women, including the splendid Ziegfeld Follies showgirls. This is a fun and provocative foray into an intriguing time and place and Ginny is a gal readers will root for even when she makes mistakes. Historical fiction fans will enjoy the cultural references, while mystery fans will relish the intricate and dangerous web Ginny and her loved ones must navigate.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
A hard-drinking columnist sets out to find a missing musician in Lyuzna's vibrant debut. In 1920s New York City, Ginny Dugan lives with her showgirl sister and writes a tepid advice column for Photoplay magazine about fashion, makeup, and comportment. The advice Ginny dispenses runs counter to the way she lives her life, given her fondness for strong booze, casual sex, and pugnacious repartee. An evening out at one of Harlem's hottest nightspots hurls Ginny into a life-threatening adventure when she witnesses the kidnapping of celebrated jazz singer Josephine Hurston. Afterward, Ginny runs to her editors, hoping she can seize on the event to break into serious journalism. Given her good-time girl reputation, however, no one takes her seriously, so she continues to dig into the matter on her own. As more women disappear from Manhattan nightclubs, she unearths a netherworld of drugs, extortion, and murder. Ginny sits comfortably among the ranks of classic private eyes, with all the moral ambiguity and world-weariness noir fans could want--plus a welcome dash of queerness, courtesy of a sapphic romance subplot. Though the action occasionally feels overstuffed, Lyuzna's ambition impresses. A sequel would be welcome. Agent: Chris Bucci, Aevitas Creative Management. (Apr.)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A young but already hard-bitten advice columnist seeks to claw her way up the ladder by investigating a brazen kidnapping that's struck uncomfortably close to her in 1925 Harlem. RookiePhotoplay columnist Ginny Dugan and her friend,Photoplay secretary Mary Gliszinszky, have gone to the Eighty-Three club in hope of catching a performance by elusive singer Josephine Hurston. The rumor they've heard is accurate: Josephine's performing with her sweetheart, Billy Calloway, and his Rippling Rhythm band. But nobody warned them that the singer would be snatched from the club under the eyes of Ginny, who's put in a dangerous spot. Her editor doesn't see Ginny's story as a stepping stone to a more prestigious writing position. The only people who take her seriously are the kidnappers, who nearly manage to dispose of her at an early stage. As Mary angles for an audition with the Ziegfeld Follies, the dream of every aspiring New York dancer, Ginny resolves to track down the criminals and present the whole story on her own terms. Although her precocious criminal record indicates her willingness to break taboos, she'll cross several more bright lines during her quest, from sampling the "pep powder" that's widely available to juggling the relationships that suddenly pop up with both private detective Jack Crawford, who's bent on tracking down the cause for seven sudden deaths during recent performances of Rippling Rhythm, and investment banker Charlie Darby, who's engaged to Ziegfeld dancer Dottie Dugan, Ginny's sister, housemate, and financial supporter. Lyuzna lays on the period detail and springs surprises just where you don't expect them. A colorful period debut that's clearly laying the groundwork for a series. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
