An impressive evocation of a time and place.
Derring-do and skullduggery abound in Dureaux-Russell’s historical novel of the Jazz Age.
The year is 1925 and the setting is Daytona Beach. Elmer (Elm) Darrell was an aviator in the Great War—an ace, in fact. Humboldt (Bolt) Bratka, who did not serve, is making a name for himself in auto racing. Raw and taciturn Elm was a farm kid; darkly handsome (Gary Cooper, meet Rudolph Valentino) Bolt comes from faded aristocracy. They meet at an exhibition pitting plane against race car and are immediately, almost electrically, attracted to each another. The narrative then introduces Lady Veronica (Roni) Van De Vord (the aristocratic name says it all). She is also a race car driver, and a model as well—she’s a vixen and a spitfire who knows Elm and Bolt probably better than they know themselves. These three and their coterie are creatures of the Roaring ’20s, disillusioned and out for a good time. They carouse almost past human endurance, and to top it off, Bolt intends to set a new world speed record on the famous sands of Daytona Beach while Elm aims to set an altitude record. Of course, it’s the Prohibition era, so throw in rum-running and the mob. This is Dureaux-Russell’s debut novel and readers may hope for sequels (Elm and Bolt and Roni in Hollywood?). The author endeavors to make the story a believable period piece, including details of the planes and cars involved, and of the speakeasy scene, with its passwords, cross-dressing emcees, and gin drinkers gyrating to the Black Bottom. Some anachronistic expressions slip in (does the wisecracking formulation of “And this concerns me, why?” really go back 100 years?), but he makes good use of period songs that reflect the ongoing action. Roni pithily sums up the ethos: “The war is over and it’s damn time to have some fun!” It’s the philosophy of the moochers who show up at Gatsby’s wild parties, hangovers be damned.
An impressive evocation of a time and place.Pub Date: Oct. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9798218236649
Page Count: 322
Publisher: IngramSpark
Review Posted Online: June 16, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Have tissues ready as you read this. A small package will do.
A love story about a life of second chances.
In Nassau, in the Bahamas, casino detective Vincent LaPorta grills Alfie Logan, who’d come up a winner three times in a row at the roulette table and walked away with $2 million. “How did you do it?” asks the detective. Alfie calmly denies cheating. You wired all the money to a Gianna Rule, LaPorta says. Why? To explain, Alfie produces a composition book with the words “For the Boss, to Be Read Upon My Death” written on the cover. Read this for answers, Alfie suggests, calling it a love story. His mother had passed along to him a strange trait: He can say “Twice!” and go back to a specific time and place to have a do-over. But it only works once for any particular moment, and then he must live with the new consequences. He can only do this for himself and can’t prevent anyone from dying. Alfie regularly uses his power—failing to impress a girl the first time, he finds out more about her, goes back in time, and presto! She likes him. The premise is of course not credible—LaPorta doesn’t buy it either—but it’s intriguing. Most people would probably love to go back and unsay something. The story’s focus is on Alfie’s love for Gianna and whether it’s requited, unrequited, or both. In any case, he’s obsessed with her. He’s a good man, though, an intelligent person with ordinary human failings and a solid moral compass. Albom writes in a warm, easy style that transports the reader to a world of second chances and what-ifs, where spirituality lies close to the surface but never intrudes on the story. Though a cynic will call it sappy, anyone who is sick to their core from the daily news will enjoy this escape from reality.
Have tissues ready as you read this. A small package will do.Pub Date: Oct. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9780062406682
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: July 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2025
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
With captivating dialogue, angst-y characters, and a couple of steamy sex scenes, Hoover has done it again.
After being released from prison, a young woman tries to reconnect with her 5-year-old daughter despite having killed the girl’s father.
Kenna didn’t even know she was pregnant until after she was sent to prison for murdering her boyfriend, Scotty. When her baby girl, Diem, was born, she was forced to give custody to Scotty’s parents. Now that she’s been released, Kenna is intent on getting to know her daughter, but Scotty’s parents won’t give her a chance to tell them what really happened the night their son died. Instead, they file a restraining order preventing Kenna from so much as introducing herself to Diem. Handsome, self-assured Ledger, who was Scotty’s best friend, is another key adult in Diem’s life. He’s helping her grandparents raise her, and he too blames Kenna for Scotty’s death. Even so, there’s something about her that haunts him. Kenna feels the pull, too, and seems to be seeking Ledger out despite his judgmental behavior. As Ledger gets to know Kenna and acknowledges his attraction to her, he begins to wonder if maybe he and Scotty’s parents have judged her unfairly. Even so, Ledger is afraid that if he surrenders to his feelings, Scotty’s parents will kick him out of Diem’s life. As Kenna and Ledger continue to mourn for Scotty, they also grieve the future they cannot have with each other. Told alternatively from Kenna’s and Ledger’s perspectives, the story explores the myriad ways in which snap judgments based on partial information can derail people’s lives. Built on a foundation of death and grief, this story has an undercurrent of sadness. As usual, however, the author has created compelling characters who are magnetic and sympathetic enough to pull readers in. In addition to grief, the novel also deftly explores complex issues such as guilt, self-doubt, redemption, and forgiveness.
With captivating dialogue, angst-y characters, and a couple of steamy sex scenes, Hoover has done it again.Pub Date: Jan. 18, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5420-2560-7
Page Count: 335
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Review Posted Online: Oct. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2021
SEEN & HEARD
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
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