Author: Martha Conway
Publisher: Noontime Books
Published Date: May 12th 2016
Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery
Page Count: 305
Format: Kindle
My Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Synopsis:
A New Mystery by Edgar-Nominated Author Martha Conway
In 1921, young jazz pianist Eve Riser witnesses the accidental killing of a bootlegger. To cover up the crime, she agrees to deliver money and a letter to a man named Rudy Hardy in Chicago. But when Eve gets to Chicago she discovers that her stepsister Chickie, a popular nightclub singer, is pregnant by a man she won’t name. That night Rudy Hardy is killed before Eve’s eyes in a brutal drive-by shooting, and Chickie disappears.
Eve needs to find Chickie, but she can’t do it alone. Lena Hardy, Rudy’s sister, wants to learn the truth behind her brother’s murder, but she needs Eve’s connections. Together they navigate the back alleys and speakeasies of 1920s Chicago, encountering petty thugs, charismatic bandleaders, and a mysterious nightclub owner called the Walnut who seems to be the key to it all. As they fight racial barriers trying to discover the truth, Eve and Lena unravel a twisted tale of secret shipments and gangster rivalry.
SUGARLAND mixes the excitement of a new kind of music—jazz—with the darker side of Prohibition in a gripping story with “real suspense for anyone who likes a good mystery.” (Kirkus Reviews)
Find SUGARLAND on Amazon and Goodreads!
Author BIO
Connect with Martha on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads and her website: www.marthaconway.com
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My Review:
"She knew what it would be like out on the circuit: some places they love the music and some places they don't. You get into a groove, then a waiter drops a tray and you lose it. Can't get your dresses cleaned properly, the man stiffs you on your pay, you take a break to eat lunch and can't find a resturant that will serve you. She knew what the life was like, but she was going to do it anyway. She had to, and she wanted to."
Eve riser is a young piano player that goes on a circuit
across the country with other musicians playing Jazz. One night when out with a
guy she witnesses something awful and because of that he sends her back to Chicago
with something to give to a man named Rudy.
Once she is back in Chicago and meets up with her sister
Chickie who has her own problems that play a pretty big part in the second half
of the story. But once these two sisters start working together and becoming a
team again everything seems like it will look up. That is until Rudy and his
sister Lena get added into the picture and more tragedy happens.
"She thought wearing men's clothes would make her feel free, but instead she was just wondering at every turn what she should do with her hands, her feet."
Lena is a young woman who has lost everyone close to her in
her family, and because of this she is willing to do what it takes to try and
find out what exactly happened, why it happened, and who did it. She gets help
from Eve and a cast of other characters that help her in a bunch of different
ways.
Overall I really liked this story. I found it to be a really
quick read and I loved the friendship that happened between Eve and Lena
despite the racial differences. This story is told in perspective of both Eve
and Lena (Chickie had a small part to) so we got to see how things were
different for both of them, and how they both felt towards each other and
how/why they wanted to help each other figure out what was going on. I also really enjoyed the musical parts and
how they were explained in a simple way that still made sense (I took piano classes
for 3 years, but sadly wasn’t ever really good at it) and helped the story go
along. I did occasionally get a few of
the male characters confused because they had similar names, but I think that
was just me not paying close enough attention at times.
If you want a quick, 1920’s story that involves music and friendship
then please read this book.
"This was all she wanted sometimes. To play her music and forget about everything else."
See other people posts from the blog tour.
Monday 5/9: TRUE BOOK ADDICT (http://www.truebookaddict.com/) confirmed for an excerpt & paperback giveaway post Tuesday 5/10: WAG THE FOX: GEF FOX’S DEN FOR DARK FICTION (http://waggingthefox.blogspot.com/) confirmed for a Q&A Wednesday 5/11: 100 PAGES A DAY… STEPHANIE’S BOOK REVIEWS (http://stephaniesbookreviews.weebly.com/) confirmed for a book review & paperback giveaway & excerpt Thursday 5/12: WORTH GETTING IN BED FOR (https://worthgettinginbedfor.wordpress.com/) confirmed for a book review & paperback giveaway Monday 5/16: BETH’S BOOK NOOK BLOG (https://drbethnolan.wordpress.com/) confirmed for an author Q&A post Tuesday 5/17: LOOKING FOR A GOOD BOOK (https://lookingforagoodbook.com/) confirmed for a guest post & possible book review Wednesday 5/18: JAY WHALES BLOG (http://authorjaywhales.wix.com/mid-western-stories#!blog/ zoom/mainPage/) confirmed for an author Q&A & paperback giveaway Thursday 5/19: I’M HOOKED ON BOOKS (https://imhookedonbooks.wordpress.com/) confirmed for a book review Friday 5/20: TONSANT WEADER REVIEWS (https://tonstantweaderreviews. wordpress.com/) confirmed for a book review Tuesday 5/24: LITERARY MARIE (http://www.literarymarie.com/) confirmed for a book review, author Q&A and excerpt
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