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In this queer historical thriller from a New York Times bestselling author, society girls try to find a murderer in a city filled with secrets and stunted by shame. Perfect for fans of Last Night at the Telegraph Club.
It's 1927 and the strict laws of prohibition have done little to temper the roaring 20s nightlife, even in the nation's capitol. Everyone knows the booze has never stopped flowing, especially amongst the rich and powerful, and seventeen-year-old Gertrude and her best friends Clara and Milly are determined to get a taste of freedom and liquor, propriety be damned.
But after sneaking out of the Washington Female Seminary to visit a speakeasy, they return to discover that their controversial young headmistress, Mrs. Rose, has been murdered.
Reeling from the death of her beloved mentor, Gertrude enlists her friends in her quest to clear Mrs. Rose's reputation, while trying to keep her own intact. But in Prohibition Washington, it's difficult to sidestep grifters, bootleggers, and shady federal agents when investigating a murder. And with all the secrets being uncovered, Gertrude is finding it harder and harder to keep her attraction to her best friends hidden.
A proper, upscale life is all Gertrude has ever known, but murder sure makes a gal wonder: is all that glitters really gold?
"Talley (The Love Curse of Melody McIntyre) examines intense queer longing and self-discovery through a well-realized jaunt into Gilded Era high society, juxtaposing suffocatingly stiff etiquette with an undercurrent of misogyny and homophobia….tender explorations of Gertie's burgeoning awareness of her queer identity drive this glitzy murder mystery." ―Publishers Weekly
"A compelling mystery grounded in a well-developed setting." —Kirkus Reviews
"Everything Glittered is more than just a page-turning mystery that will keep you guessing; it is also a story of self-discovery, and a moving look at the struggle and resilience of queer subculture in the Roaring 20s. Another must-read from Robin Talley." ―Caleb Roehrig, author of The Fell of Dark
"Prohibition-era Washington DC springs to life in Everything Glittered, which shimmers with Gatsby-glamour and mysterious intrigue – you'll fall in love with Robin Talley's gorgeous, feisty girls." ―Ellie Marney, New York Times bestselling author of None Shall Sleep and The Killing Code
"An atmospheric thriller that shines a light on the enticing underbelly of the Prohibition era and the people who found freedom within it. Robin Talley expertly cloaks a heartfelt coming of age tale in secrets, scandals, and a very sharp knife." ―Rebecca Kim Wells, author of Briar Girls
This information about Everything Glittered was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Robin Talley (she/her) grew up in southwest Virginia and now lives in Washington, D.C., with her wife and their rambunctious kiddos. She is the New York Times-bestselling author of eight novels for teen readers, including The Love Curse of Melody McIntyre, Music From Another World, Pulp, and As I Descended.
Her books have been short-listed for the Lambda Literary Award and the CILIP Carnegie Medal, and have appeared on the Junior Library Guild, Amelia Bloomer Project, Kids' Indie Next, and ALA Rainbow lists.
If you liked Everything Glittered, try these:
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by Elizabeth Hand
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