Black Orchid Blues - Softcover

Walker, Persia

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1936070901 ISBN 13: 9781936070909

Publisher: Akashic Books, 2011

Synopsis

Lanie Price, a 1920s Harlem society columnist, witnesses the brutal nightclub kidnapping of the "Black Orchid," a sultry, seductive singer with a mysterious past. Price, a female 1920s version of Dominick Dunne, soon finds herself elbows-deep in a story in which everyone seems to be either lying or keeping a secret to die for. When hours pass without word from the kidnapper, puzzlement grows as to his motive. Then a gruesome package arrives at Price's doorstep and the questions change. Just what does this kidnapper want--and how many people is he willing to kill in order to get it?
Evil hides behind the genteel façades of affluent Strivers' Row and stalks the ballroom of one of Harlem's most famous gay parties. In a complex plot that keeps you tied to the page, Black Orchid Blues explores the depths of human depravity and the desperation of its victims.
"I fell in love with this book when I saw the cover. The gorgeous black dame with the gat in her hand harks back to the best of pulp fiction, but Black Orchid Blues, a historical novel set in 1920s Harlem, is better than any pulp I ever read. This is the (second) in the series starring journalist/society reporter Lanie Price and it's simply terrific." --The Globe and Mail

About this title

From the Publisher

Front Page meets Harlem Nights: a riveting and racy historical mystery set in 1920s Harlem.

From the Author

Hi Everyone,
I'm so happy to be bringing you the second book in the Lanie Price series. If you aren't familiar with Lanie, then get a copy of Darkness and the Devil Behind Me and get to know her. She's smart and classy, the kind of woman you'd want to be on your side when the going gets tough. She's has a nose for news and for liars and she never gives up.
The main "guest" attraction, of course, is the "Black Orchid." Wow, what a character! I've rarely had a character speak to me so clearly. The Black Orchid's story presented itself almost in a piece. Like Lanie, I found the Black Orchid someone I will never forget.
People always want to know where authors get their story ideas. The shortest, most honest response: I don't know. I do know that in each of my Harlem Renaissance books, I've tried to focus on some aspect of that era that has gotten less attention. Everyone knows about the jazz and liquor. But there is and more to life than that. (Yes, there is! :-)
In Harlem Redux, for example, the story touches on class prejudice within the black community during the 1920s. Darkness and the Devil Behind Me involves the relationships between black artists and their white patrons. Black Orchid Blues takes a look at the gay community.
One editor said that Black Orchid Blues reminded her of a cross between Harlem Nights and His Girl Friday. I think she hit the nail right on the head. This book is full of smart, sharp dialogue and fast-moving action. There are moments of high drama, but touches of comedy, too. I think you'll love it. I hope so.
Take care and thank you for buying my book!

About this edition

• Publisher: Akashic Books
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 1936070901
• ISBN 13: 9781936070909
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 320