Even Though I Knew the End

This was another $5 cafe buy at Barnes & Noble. They’re hard to resist. Especially when they sound so good. Apparently my mom has the same weakness and brought me her copy. I passed it along before I read my own.

I don’t come across much in the way of good noir, even though it’s a favorite genre of mine. This book hit the mark and then made a few more to hit. As each surprise was revealed I fell deeper in love with this story.

There are gumshoe elements and fantasy rolled in, all blending together. I love genre mashups. I also love the sapphic inclusion and historical truth of life for queer women. Nothing heavy. Just normal life in 1940’s Chicago where magic was an organized practice and underground clubs used versions of “Shave and a Haircut”.

I only spent a couple of days between these pages, but this tale has secured itself in my reader’s soul where I’ll revisit the feel of it again and again.

My sister asked what I do with my books when I’m done. Without missing a beat, “I put them on my shelf like a trophy.” Which is exactly what I did when I got home. Right next to Sheer Madness: A Buffalo Steampunk Adventure by Laura Strickland, another excellent read that seeped into the same bit of my soul.