Windy City Blues

The bestselling author of White Collar Girl and What the Lady Wants explores one woman s journey of self-discovery set against the backdrop of a musical and social revolution.
In the middle of the twentieth century, the music of the Mississippi Delta arrived in Chicago, drawing the attention of entrepreneurs like the Chess brothers. Their label, Chess Records, helped shape that music into the Chicago Blues, the soundtrack for a transformative era in American History.

But, for Leeba Groski, Chess Records was just where she worked...

Leeba doesn t exactly fit in, but her passion for music and her talented piano playing captures the attention of her neighbor, Leonard Chess, who offers her a job at his new record company. What begins as answering phones and filing becomes much more as Leeba comes into her own as a songwriter and befriends performers like Muddy Waters, Howlin Wolf, Chuck Berry, and Etta James. But she also finds love with a black blues guitarist named Red Dupree.
With their relationship unwelcome in segregated Chicago and shunned by Leeba s Orthodox Jewish family, Leeba and Red soon find themselves in the middle of the Civil Rights Movement and they discover that, in times of struggle, music can bring people together."

-The rise of the Chicago Blues scene fairly shimmers with verve and intensity, and the large, diverse cast of characters is indelibly portrayed with the perfect pitch of a true artist.---Melanie Benjamin, New York Times bestselling author of The Swans of Fifth Avenue
The bestselling author of White Collar Girl and What the Lady Wants explores one woman's journey of self-discovery and love set against the backdrop of a musical and social revolution.
Leeba Groski doesn't exactly fit in, but her love of music is not lost on her childhood friend and neighbor, Leonard Chess, who offers her a job at his new record company in the heart of Chicago. What starts as answering phones and filing becomes more than Leeba ever dreamed of, as she comes into her own as a songwriter and her path crosses with legendary performers like Muddy Waters and Etta James. But it's Red Dupree, a black blues guitarist from Louisiana, who captures her heart, and urges her to explore her talent and who she really is.
With their relationship unwelcome in segregated 1950s Chicago and the two of them shunned by Leeba's Orthodox Jewish family, Leeba and Red soon find themselves in the middle of the Civil Rights Movement and they discover that, in times of struggle, music can bring people together.
READERS GUIDE INSIDE

In 1960s Chicago, a young woman stands in the middle of a musical and social revolution. A new historical novel from the bestselling author of White Collar Girl and What the Lady Wants.

-The rise of the Chicago Blues scene fairly shimmers with verve and intensity, and the large, diverse cast of characters is indelibly portrayed with the perfect pitch of a true artist.-
--Melanie Benjamin, New York Times bestselling author of The Swans of Fifth Avenue

Leeba Groski doesn't exactly fit in, but her love of music is not lost on her childhood friend and neighbor, Leonard Chess, who offers her a job at his new record company in Chicago. What starts as answering phones and filing becomes more than Leeba ever dreamed of, as she comes into her own as a songwriter and crosses paths with legendary performers like Chuck Berry and Etta James. But it's Red Dupree, a black blues guitarist from Louisiana, who captures her heart and changes her life.
Their relationship is unwelcome in segregated Chicago and they are shunned by Leeba's Orthodox Jewish family. Yet in the midst of the Civil Rights Movement, Leeba and Red discover that, in times of struggle, music can bring people together.

READERS GUIDE INSIDE