Passing Fancies, Marlowe Benn
Passing Fancies, Marlowe Benn
List: $42.99 | Sale: $30.10
Club: $21.49

Passing Fancies

Author: Marlowe Benn

Narrator: Sarah Zimmerman

Unabridged: 12 hr 15 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 06/02/2020

Synopsis

Julia Kydd returns in a new mystery set in the beguiling world of the Harlem Renaissance, where reckless revelry leads to devastating crimes.When stylish young bibliophile Julia Kydd returns to 1920s New York, she’s determined to launch her own private press. Julia’s aspirations take her into the heart of the Harlem Renaissance, a literary movement unlike any she’s known—where notions of race, sexuality, and power are slippery, and identities can be deceptively fluid.At a risqué soiree, Julia befriends singer Eva Pruitt, whose new book is rumored to reveal lurid details about the Harlem nightlife. But Leonard Timson, a local nightclub owner, is furious when he suspects he’s the inspiration for a violent character in the book. By morning, Timson is dead, and both Eva and her manuscript are missing.Julia finds herself immersed in a case as troubling as Jazz Age race relations. More questions than answers surface about Eva’s mysterious world, and powerful interests conspire to protect dangerous secrets. Still, no man can stand between Julia and the truth: appalled by violent injustice, she must use her wit and guile to find the killer.

About Marlowe Benn

Born near Boston, Marlowe Benn grew up in an Illinois college town along the Mississippi River. She holds a master’s degree in the book arts from the University of Alabama and a doctorate in the history of books from the University of California, Berkeley. A former editor, college teacher, and letterpress printer, Benn lives with her husband on an island near Seattle. Passing Fancies is the second novel in the Julia Kydd series.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Nancy on April 25, 2020

Passing Fancies features a remarkable protagonist in stylish, smart, and compassionate Julia Kydd, and I was riveted by her story and by the mystery that unfolds. Highly original characters and a fascinating time and place of Jazz Age New York pulled me in and kept me turning pages. Underlying socia......more

Goodreads review by Meg on July 03, 2020

If I had read this one first, I wouldn't have read the first book. Pretty transparent mystery.......more

Goodreads review by Liz on August 22, 2024

This was a dnf for me. I was looking for a mystery and just got a bit depressed about the discussions of race. It's not to say these mentions were poorly handled, just occasionally more tell than show. There were some good touches but ultimately I wanted an escape and not to think about how horribly......more

Goodreads review by Judy on June 26, 2020

This is second in the Julia Kydd series although I'm not clear whether there are more books about Julia coming or not. In any case, it's another interesting and atmospheric period mystery, this time primarily set in Harlem, with lots of black artists, authors, and musicians. Not an "own voice" story......more

Goodreads review by Karen ReadsALot on June 05, 2020

Thank you for this Goodreads Give away! White Priveledge during the beginning of the Harlem Renaissance was in the forefront with a mystery as secondary. Explicit narrative regarding fashion, architecture and the printing industry at that time.......more

Quotes

“Readers who enjoy mysteries set in the 1920s will enjoy the return of the spirited and independent Julia.” —Library Journal“Passing Fancies features a remarkable protagonist in stylish, smart, and compassionate Julia Kydd, and I was riveted by her story and by the mystery that unfolds. Highly original characters and a fascinating time and place of Jazz Age New York pulled me in and kept me turning pages. Underlying social issues evoke some strong parallels to today, making this a must-read novel.” —Nancy Bilyeau, author of The Blue and Dreamland“An intelligent, likeable heroine, New York City, and the Harlem Renaissance combine to add vibrancy and complexity to a finely wrought historical novel [written] with depth and style.” —Megan Chance, author of A Drop of Ink“A Jazz Age mystery with heart, depth, and sparkling glamour, Passing Fancies will utterly transport readers back in time with its crisp and elegantly wrought detail. In a time of glitz and glamour, heroine Julia Kydd seeks justice armed with brilliance and a style all her own.” —Lydia Kang, bestselling author of A Beautiful Poison

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