A sometimes-engaging spin on historical events that’s hampered by inadequate character development.
In Charns’ alternate-history novel, a sex worker accuses a U.S. Supreme Court justice of purchasing his services during the height of the 1960s “Lavender Scare.”
In 1966, imprisoned sex worker George Smith tells his attorney, Mitch “Puck” Pilsudski, that he “balled Abe Fortas,” the Supreme Court justice. That’s why he’s in jail now, he says, on false charges, because the government is trying to keep him quiet. Puck is skeptical but decides to look into the claim. It’s an era in which many people were fired from government service just because of their sexual orientation, and when Smith’s statement gets back to J. Edgar Hoover, the FBI director decides to use it to get something he wants from the Court—by blackmailing Fortas. Specifically, Hoover wants the Court to rule favorably on a surveillance case relating to union leader Jimmy Hoffa. At the same time, Puck writes a letter to Justice Fortas to ask for assistance on Smith’s behalf; the FBI intercepts the note and perceives it as a threat. Additional intrigue is afoot as well—one of Puck’s clients is tied to the Hoffa case, and Fortas’ gay clerk gets fired—and the potential for everything to go public is high. This is a compact novel, but it manages to include many intriguing details about its characters and time period. The narrative blends real events with speculation, and because the novel features so much plot exposition, most of the characters feel underdeveloped; the author seems to rely on readers’ prior knowledge of the various historical figures. Puck is probably the most fully formed character, but even he feels a bit hard to pin down; it’s sometimes difficult to tell if he’s being earnest or manipulative. The book also leaves the question ambiguous about whether the central mystery contained elements of truth or was all a faked plot to take down a liberal justice. A time jump at the end puts an intriguing button on the story.
A sometimes-engaging spin on historical events that’s hampered by inadequate character development.Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2026
ISBN: 9798242385139
Page Count: 193
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: Feb. 25, 2026
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An affecting portrait of a prickly woman.
A lifetime’s worth of letters combine to portray a singular character.
Sybil Van Antwerp, a cantankerous but exceedingly well-mannered septuagenarian, is the titular correspondent in Evans’ debut novel. Sybil has retired from a beloved job as chief clerk to a judge with whom she had previously been in private legal practice. She is the divorced mother of two living adult children and one who died when he was 8. She is a reader of novels, a gardener, and a keen observer of human nature. But the most distinguishing thing about Sybil is her lifelong practice of letter writing. As advancing vision problems threaten Sybil’s carefully constructed way of life—in which letters take the place of personal contact and engagement—she must reckon with unaddressed issues from her past that threaten the house of cards (letters, really) she has built around herself. Sybil’s relationships are gradually revealed in the series of letters sent to and received from, among others, her brother, sister-in-law, children, former work associates, and, intriguingly, literary icons including Joan Didion and Larry McMurtry. Perhaps most affecting is the series of missives Sybil writes but never mails to a shadowy figure from her past. Thoughtful musings on the value and immortal quality of letters and the written word populate one of Sybil’s notes to a young correspondent while other messages are laugh-out-loud funny, tinged with her characteristic blunt tartness. Evans has created a brusque and quirky yet endearing main character with no shortage of opinions and advice for others but who fails to excavate the knotty difficulties of her own life. As Sybil grows into a delayed self-awareness, her letters serve as a chronicle of fitful growth.
An affecting portrait of a prickly woman.Pub Date: May 6, 2025
ISBN: 9780593798430
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025
A dark and twisty look at just how far one woman is willing to go to find inspiration.
A struggling writer finds an unexpected muse when a mysterious man shows up at her cabin.
Petra Rose used to pump out a bestselling book every six months, but then the adaptation happened—that is, the disastrous film adaptation of her most famous book. The movie changed the book’s storyline so egregiously that fans couldn’t forgive her, and the ensuing harassment sent Petra into hiding and gave her a serious case of writer’s block. Petra’s one hope is her solo writing retreat at a remote cabin, where she can escape the distractions of real life and focus on her next book, a story about a woman having an affair with a cop. When officer Nathaniel Saint shows up at her cabin door, inspiration comes flooding back. Much like the character from Petra’s book, Saint is married, and he’s willing to be Petra’s muse, helping her get into her characters’ heads. Petra’s book is practically writing itself, but is the game she’s playing a little too dangerous? Does she know when to stop—and, more importantly, is Saint willing to stop? Hoover is no stranger to controversial movie adaptations and internet backlash, but she clarifies in a note to readers that she’s “just a writer writing about a writer” and that no further connections to her own life are contained in these pages—which is a good thing, because the book takes some horrifying twists and turns. Petra finds herself inexplicably attracted to Saint, even as she describes him as “such an asshole,” and her feelings for him veer between love and hate. The novel serves as a meta commentary on the dark romance genre—as Petra puts it, “Even though, as readers, we wouldn’t want to live out some of the fantasies we read about, it doesn’t mean we don’t enjoy reading those things.”
A dark and twisty look at just how far one woman is willing to go to find inspiration.Pub Date: Jan. 13, 2026
ISBN: 9781662539374
Page Count: -
Publisher: Montlake
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2025
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