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Set in the 1950s, this Southern Gothic thriller by Edgar Award–winning author Lori Roy reimagines the life of Marilyn Monroe, tying her fate to a dreamy teenager whose boyfriend runs afoul of the mob.

“Lake County is a unique and imaginative page-turner that examines the difference between power and strength. In this thriller that races toward the end, Lori Roy's voice is so entrancing you can almost smell the orange blossoms and blood. I loved it.”
—Michael Connelly, #1 New York Times bestselling author

Lake County is an irresistible slice of Florida Noir fashioned of great American mythmaking. James M. Cain meets Harper Lee. The story excels as both an exciting crime novel and a fine example of Southern literature.
—Ace Atkins, New York Times bestselling author of Don't Let the Devil Ride
“Suspenseful, atmospheric, and surprising, Lake County pulls you and slowly ups the tension until you’re holding your breath. Another remarkable crime novel from Lori Roy.”
—Meg Gardiner, #1 New York Times bestselling author

"LAKE COUNTY is the best book yet in Lori Roy's remarkable career, a beautifully written blend of suspense and heartache, where Hollywood longings intersect with Florida crime syndicates in an ever-intensifying squeeze. An atmospheric, haunting read."
-- Michael Koryta, New York Times bestselling author of An Honest Man

"Roy’s latest is a sensual speculative thriller ... [She] is as adept as ever at bringing the South’s beauty and soft-edged dangers to life. In this complex tale, fierce family love is pitted against ambition, obsession, and contested power." -- Booklist

 

Desperate to break free of small-town Florida, Addie Anne Buckley dreams of following in the path of her glamorous aunt Jean―known to the world as Marilyn Monroe. When Aunt Jean plans a trip to Hollywood for Addie’s eighteenth birthday, Addie sees her chance to escape.

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One thing stands in her way: her boyfriend. Truitt Holt is Addie’s first and only love and will be joining her in California. But days before Addie’s due to leave, Truitt does an about-face and gives her a painful ultimatum: stay and marry him, or they’re through. Addie chooses her dream.

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Hurt and angry, Truitt unwittingly exposes the illegal bolita game he’s been running in mob territory. Now the Tampa mafia is after him, and he has until midnight to cut a deal that will save his life and Addie’s. What he doesn’t know…his trouble with the mob has already found Addie and her family.

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She’s already in a fight for her life.

Synopsis

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