Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
From author Lara Elena Donnelly, a debut spy thriller as a gay double-agent schemes to protect his smuggler lover during the rise of a fascist government coup
Trust no one with anything especially in Amberlough City.
Covert agent Cyril DePaul thinks he s good at keeping secrets, especially from Aristide Makricosta. They suit each other: Aristide turns a blind eye to Cyril s clandestine affairs, and Cyril keeps his lover s moonlighting job as a smuggler under wraps.
Cyril participates on a mission that leads to disastrous results, leaving smoke from various political fires smoldering throughout the city. Shielding Aristide from the expected fallout isn t easy, though, for he refuses to let anything not the crooked city police or the mounting rage from radical conservatives dictate his life.
Enter streetwise Cordelia Lehane, a top dancer at the Bumble Bee Cabaret and Aristide s runner, who could be the key to Cyril s plans if she can be trusted. As the twinkling lights of nightclub marquees yield to the rising flames of a fascist revolution, these three will struggle to survive using whatever means and people necessary. Including each other.
Combining the espionage thrills of le Carre with the allure of an alternate vintage era, Amberlough will thoroughly seduce and enthrall you.
"Sparkling with slang, full of riotous characters, and dripping with intrigue, Amberlough is a dazzling romp through a tumultuous, ravishing world." Robert Jackson Bennett, winner of the Shirley Jackson Award and the Edgar Award
"An astonishing first novel " World Fantasy Award-winning author Ellen Kushner
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Synopsis
A double-agent sacrifices all his ideals in order to save his smuggler lover before a government coup takes over their decadent city in Lara Elena Donnelly's glam spy thriller debut
"Exploring the roots of hatred, nationalism, and fascism, while at the same time celebrating the diversity, love, romance, fashion, and joy the world is capable of producing." --Bookriot
In Amberlough, amidst rising political tensions, three lives become intertwined with the fate of the city itself.
The Smuggler: By day, Aristide Makricosta is the emcee for Amberlough City's top nightclub. By night, he moves drugs and refugees under the noses of crooked cops.
The Spy: Covert agent Cyril DePaul thinks he's good at keeping secrets, but after a disastrous mission abroad, he makes a dangerous choice to protect himself...and hopefully Aristide too.
The Dancer: Streetwise Cordelia Lehane, burlesque performer at the Bumble Bee Cabaret and Aristide's runner, could be the key to Cyril's plans--if she can be trusted.
As the twinkling marquees lights yield to the rising flames of a fascist revolution, these three will struggle to survive using whatever means -- and people -- necessary. Including each other.
"James Bond by way of Oscar Wilde." --Holly Black
"Sparkling with slang, full of riotous characters, and dripping with intrigue, Amberlough is a dazzling romp through a tumultuous, ravishing world." --Robert Jackson Bennett, winner of the Shirley Jackson Award and the Edgar Award
"Astonishing first novel " --World Fantasy Award-winning author Ellen Kushner