The Boy in the Red Dress

May 1, 2020
This LGBTQ-themed historical mystery is far from a drag. 1930 rings in with calamity at the Cloak and Dagger, a queer speak-easy hidden in the French Quarter of New Orleans. And while drama may normally run high at the club, things boil over when 17-year-old drag headliner Marion Leslie is accused of murdering society's darling Arimentha "Minty" McDonough. Thankfully, Millie, who is Marion's best friend, de facto manager of the Cloak and Dagger, and the 17-year-old narrator, won't let her friend be railroaded for the crime based on his orientation. Aiding Millie in her hunt for the real killer are her potential love interests, the bronze-skinned waitress Olive and Italian American bootlegger Bennie. (Subplot: Which, if either, of the two will Millie ultimately choose?) As Millie uncovers clues and stumbles over red herrings, the book seamlessly interweaves themes of class, race, abuse, and privilege. Readers will get a taste of what life was like for queer people, albeit white queer people, of the time. Lambert plays fair with the clues, allowing savvy readers to keep pace with Millie. The book is a glittering tribute to the end of the Roaring '20s, and mystery aficionados of any sexual orientation will think it's the bee's knees. A hotsy-totsy read! (Mystery. 13-18)

COPYRIGHT(2020) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

August 21, 2020

Gr 9 Up-It's New Year's Eve 1929, and street-smart teen Millie Coleman is running her aunt's lowbrow speakeasy in New Orleans, ensuring the hooch is flowing and her customers are happy while watching her best friend, Marion, nee Robert, delight audiences with song when he takes the stage in a gorgeous red dress. When a wealthy debutante from Marion's past plunges to her death from the club's balcony, Millie springs into action to protect him and find the killer. With help from barmaid and sweetheart Olive, who has brown skin; Italian American friend Bennie; and her on-again, off-again mother, Millie uncovers the deceased's secrets and risks her own safety to save Marion. Lambert's debut YA mystery is a cohesive, fast-paced story that introduces readers to a unique time and place. Millie and Robert are white. VERDICT The book is replete with colorful swells, debs, and bootleggers, but Millie steals the spotlight as a resilient, independent young woman who is not afraid to scale a trellis or sneak into a Confederate cemetery seeking the truth.-Gillian D'Ambrosio, Rutgers Univ., NJ

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.