The Wicked City: A Novel - Book 1 in The Wicked City Series | Historical Fiction Thriller for Adults | Perfect for Book Clubs & Weekend Reading
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SKU:43758948
Product Description
From the New York Times bestselling author of A Certain Age, a deliciously spicy new Jazz Age adventure and the first book of a breathtaking new trilogy by bestselling author Beatriz Williams. Two generations of women are brought together inside a Greenwich Village apartment —a flapper hiding an extraordinary past, and a modern-day Manattanite forced to start her life anew.When she discovers her banker husband has been harboring a secret life, Ella Gilbert escapes her SoHo loft for a studio in Greenwich Village. Her charismatic musician neighbor, Hector, warns her to stay out of the basement after midnight, when a symphony of mysterious noise strikes up—laughter, clinking glasses, jazz piano, the occasional bloodcurdling scream—even though the space has been empty for decades. Back in the Roaring Twenties, the basement was home to one of the city’s most notorious speakeasies.In 1924, Geneva “Gin” Kelly, a quick-witted flapper from the hills of western Maryland, is a regular at this Village hideaway. Caught up in a raid, Gin lands in the office of Prohibition enforcement agent Oliver Anson, who persuades her to help him catch her stepfather, Duke Kelly, one of the biggest bootleggers in Appalachia.But Gin is nobody’s fool. She strikes a risky bargain with the taciturn, straight-arrow Revenue agent, and their alliance rattles Manhattan society to its foundations, exposing secrets that shock even this free-spirited redhead.As Ella unravels the strange history of her new building—and the family thread that connects her to Geneva Kelly—she senses the Jazz Age spirit of her exuberant predecessor invading her own shy nature, in ways that will transform her existence in the wicked city.
Customer Reviews
Wow! This book was was unexpectedly powerful and intensely exciting at times. I enjoyed this book, and I think that the book jacket blurb and book description do not, and could not, convey the essence of this book. This is one where the sum parts add up to something much more than could be expected.I greatly enjoyed the dual storylines of this book, both the historical prohibition era storyline and the modern (1998) storyline. Although the historical storyline took up a larger portion of the book and was the focus, I found the modern storyline added to the piece and was interesting. The way they were spliced together made for good climatic tension and created something more satisfying than a solo story.One of the best things about this book was the way the author strategically revealed important plot points and details about the characters. Plot twists were delicious and masterful. I have to say that this book did not immediately grab me and it took me awhile to appreciate the depth of the historical heroine in particular. However, I became more and more enmeshed in this book, and both storylines. At some point, this one became an absolute page turner for me.I want to point out that this book has some scenes of brutal violence. (It is the prohibition era and there is a criminal element to the story.) There is a true "bad guy" in this book, who does evil things. I found these things were important to the storyline, but they have the potential to be disturbing.To be fair, I need to say that this book left off with a bit of a cliffhanger and both storylines felt a bit incomplete. I have read other reviews that have indicated this is the first book in a new series involving these characters, and I desperately hope this is true. I need more of them and I need a resolution to some of the threads which were left hanging. I was also hoping for more of a supernatural element or more emphasis and explanation of the speak easy "ghosts" inhabiting the modern apartment complex.Characters and families from previous books, including the Schuylers, were incorporated into this book. Personally, I wish there was an official reading order to these books. Although I believe this could be read as a standalone, I have a sense that having a background knowledge of previous characters introduced in this book might add something to the story.Although this book left me wanting more, I found it very enjoyable, and at times thrilling, and I am hoping for fabulous sequels.
