Velma Gone Awry - (A Brooklyn 8 Ballo Mystery) by Matt Cost (Paperback)

About the Book

"8 Ballo's mother was certain he was going to be born a girl, but when he comes out a boy, she writes down simply the number 8, as he has 7 older siblings. She meant to change it to a real name at some point but never got around to it. Now, in his mid-thirties, 8 is a college-educated man, a veteran of the Great War, jilted in love, and has his own private investigator business. He enjoys his friends, a good book, jazz music, and a very simple life. When he is hired to find the young flapper daughter of a German businessman, life suddenly becomes much more complicated"--

Book Synopsis

Award-winning author Matt Cost brings us back to Brooklyn in the Roaring '20s and introduces us to Hungarian PI, 8 Ballo, who is hired to find the daughter of a wealthy businessman. The search will lead him to cross paths with Dorothy Parker, Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald, Coleman Hawkins, Bugsy Siegel, Babe Ruth, and many more as he tries to uncover why Velma went awry.

8 Ballo's mother was certain he was going to be born a girl, but when he comes out a boy, she writes down simply the number 8, as he has seven older siblings. She meant to change it to a real name at some point but never got around to it.

Now, in his mid-thirties, 8 is a college educated man, a veteran of the Great War, jilted in love, and has his own private investigator business. He enjoys his friends, a good book, jazz music, and a very simple life. When he is hired to find the young flapper daughter of a German businessman, life suddenly becomes much more complicated.

Review Quotes

"Meet Detective 8 Ballo. [He's smart, tough, and relentless, which also describes the hugely entertaining new novel in which he makes his debut.] His beat is New York City in the 1920s, the Jazz Age, the era of speakeasies and flappers and bootleggers battling for turf. He's trying to find a girl named Velma. Before he does, he'll find a mountain of trouble, make plenty of enemies, and meet all the big names in town, from Dorothy Parker to Babe Ruth to Bugsy Siegel. Before you're done, you'll find a mountain of entertainment, a book filled with action, suspense, plot twists, and a sense that you're actually living back there in the fantastic world that author Matt Cost brings so vividly to life. Velma may have gone awry. But don't let her get away. Read the book."

-William Martin, New York Times Bestselling Author of Back Bay and December '41

"Readers won't anticipate the blend of historical and social inspection of the times that permeates Velma Gone Awry, but this strength is just one of the pleasing surprises of the vivid story... a powerful tale of intrigue, redemption, and discovery that comes full circle... Libraries looking for full-bodied mysteries that display equally captivating elements of historical and social intrigue will find Velma Gone Awry just the ticket for a more literary and complex inspection than a simple whodunit alone."

-Diane Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review

"Velma Gone Awry is a smooth, captivating, twist-y mystery from Matt Cost-blending his penchant for history, crime, and observations on changing social attitudes. Set in the 1920s in New York City and Brooklyn, the tale includes an intriguing mix of actual persons, historic events, and places as well as a series of conundrums that keep the reader guessing: Whodunit? What's at stake? What's the truth? 8 Ballo, the gutsy investigator, is a grand combo of brawn, intellect, empathy, and fast wit. He's a sleuth worthy of hire, and this reader is looking forward to his next adventure."

-Jule Selbo, screenwriter and author of five award-winning novels including the Dee Rommel Mystery Series (10 DAYS, 9 DAYS, and the upcoming 8 DAYS)