The Improvisers: A Murder and Magic Novel: A Thrilling Jazz-Age Urban Fantasy, Perfect for Fall 2024, Embark on a Magical Journey Across Prohibition Era America by Nicole Glover (Paperback) (PREORDER)

Fiction - Fantasy - Historical - Mystery & Detective - Alternative History - African American & Black

Published: 11/5/2024 (WILL SHIP DIRECTLY FROM OUR SUPPLIER'S WAREHOUSE)

For fans of Nghi Vo, P. Djèlí Clark, and Alix E. Harrow: a new stand-alone set in the world of the critically acclaimed Murder and Magic series during Prohibition. The Improvisers is the tale of Velma, a barnstorming pilot and former magic bootlegger, who pursues dangerous enchanted items and a mystery that crosses the US and cuts through time—right to the heart of her family’s past and present.

Velma Frye is many things. A pilot, a former bootlegger, a well-seasoned traveler, a jazz pianist…and a wielder of celestial magic. She’s also a member of the mystical Rhodes family as well as an investigator for arcane oddities for a magic rights organization, dealing with both simple and complicated cases. And when a pocket watch instigates a magical brawl after one of her flight shows, things become very complicated.

In 1930s America, enchanted items are highly valuable, especially in the waning days of the magical Prohibition. As Velma digs deeper, she discovers the watch is part of a collection of dangerous artifacts manipulating people across the country—and in some cases, leading to their deaths. Something about all this is tickling Velma’s memories, and the more she discovers, the more these seemingly isolated incidents feel as if they’re building to something apocalyptic.

Connecting the dots isn’t easy, though, and further complicating her work is journalist Dillon Harris. He hounds her steps, and while not actively sabotaging her investigation, he also clearly knows more than he lets on. Whether it’s his presence that she finds so vexing or his easygoing charm, that’s a mystery she isn’t interested in solving. Because someone is out there seeding cursed objects with the intent on wreaking havoc, and Velma will have to use every trick in her tool kit, including some well-placed magical improvisation, to win the day.

Focusing on a new generation of the Rhodes family, The Improvisers brims with charming magic, intriguing mystery, and high-flying adventure seeking new heights.

AUTHOR BIO:

Nicole Glover is the author of The Conductors and The Undertakers as well as The Improvisers in the Murder and Magic series. She works as a UX researcher in Virginia. She believes that libraries are magical places and that problems seem smaller with a cup of tea in hand. Her life outside of books includes bicycles, video games, and baking the perfect banana bread.

"A rich, fantastical rendering that will leave readers clamoring for more." -- Justina Ireland, New York Times bestselling author of Dread Nation

"A spritely page-turner with depth and vision. Velma Frye is a talented, powerful hero in a cracking great mystery adventure, but it's the world--and Velma's place within it--that really grabbed my heart." -- Nebula Award-winning author C.L. Polk