Set in the 1950s, this Southern Gothic thriller by Edgar Award-winning author Lori Roy reimagines the life of Marilyn Monroe, tying her fate to a dreamy teenager whose boyfriend runs afoul of the mob. Desperate to break free of small-town Florida, Addie Anne Buckley dreams of following in the path of her glamorous aunt Jean--known to the world as Marilyn Monroe. When Aunt Jean plans a trip to Hollywood for Addie's eighteenth birthday, Addie sees her chance to escape. One thing stands in her way: her boyfriend. Truitt Holt is Addie's first and only love and will be joining her in California. But days before Addie's due to leave, Truitt does an about-face and gives her a painful ultimatum: stay and marry him, or they're through. Addie chooses her dream. Hurt and angry, Truitt unwittingly exposes the illegal bolita game he's been running in mob territory. Now the Tampa mafia is after him, and he has until midnight to cut a deal that will save his life and Addie's. What he doesn't know...his trouble with the mob has already found Addie and her family. She's already in a fight for her life.
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I just finished reading Lake County by Lori Roy - Narrated by Marli Watson; Aaron Shedlock
Addie Anne Buckley wants to follow in her aunt's footsteps... Aunt Jean has made a splash in Hollywood under the name Marilyn Monroe. When Jean comes to get Addie to take her on a trip to Hollywood, she sees it as her way out of her small town.
Truitt is angry, He wants Addie to stay and marry him. When she doesn't choose him he makes the kind of mistake that has the Tampa mafia after him. He has until midnight to come out of hiding or they will take it out on the people he loves.
This was definitely a nice historical fiction that takes Marilyn out of Hollywood and puts her in a more family orientated role. The book is told from Truitts and Addie's POV and it weaves a tale of two kids who love each other but have dreams that don't match up. One incident sets in motion things that neither of them are prepared for.
The narrators were decent, they did a good job of keeping the story going. I am always a fan of Historical thrillers and this one did a great job of adding some Hollywood style in a small town without anything being overshadowed. I really enjoyed the plot and the book is really well written. I did feel it was a bit padded in places and had about 30 pages been cut out, it would have been the best book of the year for me.
It definitely had some excellent moments and if you like historical thrillers, you have to pick this one up.
4 stars
Thank you @brilliancepublishing and @netgalley for my gifted ALC
