Sugar Pop Moon - (Jersey Leo Novels) by John Florio (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

The debut novel in a "riveting" Prohibition-era crime series "for readers who follow Kelli Stanley's Miranda Corbie series or Reed Farrel Coleman's Moe Prager books" (Library Journal).

On the streets of Prohibition-era New York, Jersey Leo is one of a kind. A biracial albino known as "Snowball," he makes his living as a bartender at a mob-run speakeasy. Abandoned by his White mother and frowned upon by his Black father, a former boxing champ, Jersey's about to discover why he was always warned against working at a dive bar owned by one of New York's most notorious gangsters.

Duped into purchasing counterfeit moonshine, or "sugar pop moon," with his boss's money, Jersey must go undercover to track down the bootlegger who took him in--before his boss does him in. The clues lead him to Philadelphia, where his attempt to lure out the cheat nearly gets him killed. With a price on his head, Jersey seeks help from the only man he can trust, his father. But as Jersey and his dad delve into the origins of the mysterious sugar pop moon, stunning secrets about Jersey's past come to light--truths that could pave the way to a very different future for Jersey. . . .

"Funny, poignant, and thrilling. A terrific read!" --Kevin Baker, bestselling author of Dreamland, Paradise Alley, and Strivers Row

"Harsh as a slug of 190-proof moonshine." --Rebecca Cantrell, New York Times-bestselling author of A City of Broken Glass

"Authentic period, savvy style, and memorable characters." --Kelli Stanley, award-winning author of City of Dragonsand City of Secrets

"Sure to appeal to fans of Mickey Spillane, Raymond Chandler, and . . . Robert Fate's edgy Baby Shark series." --Booklist

About the Author

John Florio is the author of the historical crime novels Sugar Pop Moon and Blind Moon Alley. With Ouisie Shapiro, he co-authored the nonfiction books One Nation Under Baseball and One Punch from the Promised Land, as well as the young adult books Doomed and War in the Ring. Florio has written for the New York Times, the New Yorker, the Atlantic, the Nation, and ESPN. He holds an MFA from the University of Southern Maine, an MA from New York University, an MBA from St. John's University, and is pursuing doctoral writing studies at the University of Glasgow. Florio is on the faculty of the Stonecoast MFA creative writing program at the University of Southern Maine; he and Shapiro are married and live in Brooklyn, NY.