The Great Bravura by Jill Dearman (with giveaway)

The Great Bravura
by Jill Dearman

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Just released: November 3, 2015
Publisher: She Writes Press
Genre: LGBTQ, Mystery, Romance, Thriller
Paperback: 256 pages
Rating: 5

First sentence(s):
She's got to be alive. And if she's not, brother, well, then you're looking at a dead woman.

Since adolescence, Bravura and salt of the earth Susie have been partners in magic and best friends, as well as occasional bedmates. But when the two performers hire the mysterious and alluring Lena as a third banana to jazz up the act, Bravura falls madly in love. Lena believes in magic—and not just the rabbit-out-of-a hat kind. She encourages Bravura to believe in her own supernatural powers, and when Susie balks, conflict ensues. Things really go south during the classic “Disappearing Box” act, when Susie disappears for real. With her pal presumed dead, and Bravura the prime suspect, the magician must act quickly to find Susie—hopefully alive! To prove her innocence, Bravura must uncover the holes in her own story—even if it means incriminating herself, and her precious Lena, in the process.

My two-bits:

Loved the feel of how this story was told. It had a magical and light noir vibe.

The characters were described with the grittiness of the 1940's stereotypes.

Got a sense of the life of performers and magicians of the times.

About the author:

Jill Dearman is the author of Bang the Keys (Penguin), a book for writers, as well as Queer Astrology for Men and Queer Astrology for Women (St. Martins), which will be reissued by MacMillan. She is a broadly published journalist and award-winning prose writer whose work has been published in New York Stories, North Atlantic Review, The Portland Review, Lilith, and numerous other publications. A native New Yorker, mystic-about-town, and lifelong film fanatic, she enjoys taking imaginative forays along the seedy side of the street. For more, visit www.jilldearman.com.

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* review copy courtesy of book tour sponsored by BookSparks. @booksparks

* SIGNUP to win this review copy (here).