Friday Focus: The Friday 56 & Book Beginnings on Fridays

I've been on hiatus since the middle of August, spending a lovely two and a half weeks with family in Ireland.  Now it's back to reality . . . and blogging.

It's Friday . . . time to share book excerpts with:

• Book Beginnings on Fridays hosted by Rose City Reader, where bloggers share the first sentence or more of a current read, as well as initial thoughts about the sentence(s), impressions of the book, or anything else that the opening inspires.  
• The Friday 56 hosted by Freda's Voice, where you grab a book and turn to page 56 (or 56% of an ebook), find one or more interesting sentences (no spoilers), and post them.

Today I'm featuring a recent read, The Silver Gun by L.A. Chandlar.  The excerpts shared are from the trade paperback version I borrowed from a friend.

  

Beginning:  Chapter 1
My father was skating up ahead, faster, faster; my mother and I were laughing, joyously racing to catch up.  Colors and sensations swirled like a dancer teasing the audience: the cold, gray day, the gentle snowflakes kissed my cheeks and coated my eyelashes, my mother's blue scarf, my father's scratchy mittens.

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Page 56:   He leaned in and brought his voice down to a low whisper.  "He's Danny Fazzalari.  More importantly, he's the hired gun and nephew of a mob boss.  Well, the mob boss.  Louie Venetti."

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My thoughts:  I was drawn to this novel for several reasons:  it's the first in a series; it has a strong female lead who is ahead of her time; and it's set in 1930's New York. The protagonist works for the legendary mayor, Fiorello LaGuardia, and finds herself dodging gangsters and corrupt public officials while juggling several love interests and trying to come to terms with her tragic past.

The series is definitely off to a good start, and book 2, The Gold Pawn will be released later this month, on September 25, 2018.  

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From Goodreads:   New York City, 1936. In the midst of the Great Depression, the Big Apple is defiantly striving toward an era infused with art, architecture, and economic progress under the dynamic Mayor LaGuardia. But those in City Hall know that tumultuous times can inspire both optimism and deadly danger . . . 

It's been six months since Lane Sanders was appointed Mayor Fiorello "Fio" LaGuardia's new personal aide, and the twenty-three-year-old is sprinting in her Mary Janes to match her boss's pace. Despite dealing with vitriol from the Tammany Hall political machine and managing endless revitalization efforts, Fio hasn't slowed down a bit during his years in office. And luckily for Lane, his unpredictable antics are a welcome distraction from the childhood memories that haunt her dreams and the silver gun she'll never forget. 

When Lane gets attacked and threatened by an assailant tied to one of the most notorious gangsters in the city, even the mayor can't promise her safety. The corrupt city officials seem to be using Lane as a pawn against Fio for disgracing their party in the prior election. But why was the assailant wielding the exact same gun from her nightmares? 

Balancing a clandestine love affair and a mounting list of suspects, Lane must figure out how the secrets of her past are connected to the city's underground crime network before someone pulls the trigger on the most explosive revenge plot in New York history . . .
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This Friday Focus: The Friday 56 & Book Beginnings on Fridays post was originally composed and/or compiled and published by Catherine for the blog, bookclublibrarian.com.  It cannot be republished without attribution. Sharing this original post on Twitter, Google+ and/or other blogs with appropriate recognition is appreciated.