Thank you PRH Audio for the ALC of The Gimlet Slip in exchange for my honest review.
Publisher: Penguin Random House Audio
Published: March 5, 2024
Summary:
A headstrong, fast-driving young woman gets pulled into a dangerous bootlegging scheme in this thrilling novella set in glamorous and gritty Prohibition-era New York City, written in an exciting collaboration between bestselling and critically acclaimed authors Fiona Davis and Greg Wands.
New York, 1933: America is in its second decade of Prohibition, and its citizens have never been thirstier.
Lydia Gardiner is the infamous queenpin of a criminal empire. From her penthouse in New York City’s ritzy Plaza Hotel, Lydia deals in all the city’s favorite vices—illegal liquor, drugs, women—ruling with an iron fist, a cold heart, and a knack for beating her coarse male counterparts at their own game.
Jo Hayes is an impulsive young woman determined to forge a life as an auto mechanic, but instead finds herself drawn into Lydia’s orbit following a disastrous car accident.
As Lydia takes Jo under her wing, they get pulled into a daring heist that just might bring down the city’s biggest bootlegger. That is, if they can escape the watchful eye of an up-and-coming NYPD detective with a score to settle. But as the two women flit between shady billiard halls and glitzy soirees, straddling New York’s highest society and seamiest underworld, they will soon learn that nothing is quite what it seems – and everyone has a hidden agenda.
My thoughts:
As soon as I saw this audiobook-only novella, I immediately requested it. I am a huge fan of Fiona Davis’s historical fiction novels and I love books about the prohibition era…so this could only be a win-win for me and it definitely delivered! And if I hadn’t seen this was written by two authors, I never would have guessed…well done Fiona and Greg!
A historical mystery set during prohibition, this one completely captivated me from the start! While of course, I would have loved this to have been longer, as I was so engaged with the story, I felt I really got to know each of the three main characters. Told from each of their points of view, we learn their motivations and how they are connected. This really was such a fun story with just the right amount of twists to keep it interesting and I found myself shocked at the end. I want more from these characters!!!
And let’s talk about the setting. Prohibition NYC really comes alive in this story. The sights, the sounds, the people – it was all there. There were even some nods to Fiona’s other books, which I loved!
This is an audio exclusive and it was narrated by Carolina Hoyos, Patty Mattson and Marco Pelaez. Each one did an amazing job with their respective parts and I really enjoyed listening to this one. It’s just under three hours and can easily be listened to in one shot.
