"I found ‘Chicago May’ an entertaining historical crime fiction with a decent romance tale throughout."
Escaping to the new world and lured in by the luxury and glamour of a smooth con-man, May Sharpe is determined to escape from her tortured past and live a life of respectible elegance and comfort. We see May’s character develop from a naive Irish farm girl, desperate to reach New York to a wiley lady with plenty of imaginative ideas for new money making schemes or getting herself out of a tight spot. Although not blameless throughout the plot I found May quite endearing, and even when she’s in the thick of a con, there’s a naivety there that makes the possibility of her redemption believable. Persistently hounded by a young upstart Cop, keen to stay clean from bribes and eager to save this mysterious young Irish girl from herself and the notorious ‘Society’ Eddie Young, Joe Perski matches May in her naivety and hopefulness, a contrast to the backdrop of prohibition New York and underground bribes and dealings. I found ‘Chicago May’ an entertaining historical crime fiction with a decent romance tale throughout. I liked the contrast in worlds that the author manages to demonstrate, sharing stories of May’s impoverished and brutal rural Irish upbringing and the rich opulence of 20s New York in all it’s Gatsby-esque glamour. There’s plenty of twists throughout the book to keep the reader guessing as to how this book will end: will May be caught in her cons? Will she do whatever it takes to hold on to the lifestyle Eddie offers? Or, will Eddie’s dealings put her and everyone she cares about at risk?
Charlotte Walker, A LoveReading Ambassador
| Primary Genre | Crime and Mystery |
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