A Criminal Magic

December 21, 2015
In Kelly’s nuanced tale of an alternate 1920s America, Prohibition outlaws magic, and “shine” is a potent and addictive spell-made drink that only lasts for one day after its creation. Joan Kendrick is so desperate to save her family that she hitches her magic to a rising star of the black market, gangster Harrison Gunn. Alex Danfrey is looking for redemption and revenge, so he becomes a federal spy in the Shaw Gang, which includes Gunn and Joan. When Joan creates a spell that can preserve shine eternally, a discovery that will rock the world, Alex has to decide whether to bring down the Shaws or rescue Joan and her family. Kelly excels at contrasts in her characters: the innocent who is increasingly willing to submit to darkness to protect her loved ones, the not-so-innocent climbing back from darkness through good acts, and their inevitable clash despite the bond between them. The dark underbelly of Washington, D.C., in Kelly’s arcane Jazz Age is the perfect shadowy setting for two young characters who think they are nobodies, but upon whom history will turn. This urban fantasy, always electric, reads like jazz itself. Agent: Adriann Ranta, Wolf Literary Services.

February 1, 2016
America in the 1920s. Prohibition is being rigorously enforced. Bootleggers and illegal street dealers are raking in huge profits. A man and a womanhe's an undercover government agent, she works for a crime ringmeet and, despite their seemingly insurmountable differences, feel an unshakable attraction. This is a solid, suspenseful, Prohibition-era crime story, with one rather large twist: in this version of the U.S., it's not liquor that's been made illegal, it's magic. Sorcery is now strictly regulated; dealers in illegal shine (a magical elixir) are rounded up and prosecuted; bootleggers traffic in illegal magic spells; sorcerers are highly sought after, both by the criminal element and by the government enforcement agency. The story is anchored in a recognizably real world, complete with Lucky Strike cigarettes and Sears catalogs, and its characters, for the most part, could have stepped out of a traditional 1920s thriller. Lee has clearly done her homework. This is a clever and very imaginative variant on a tried-and-true theme.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)