#Review - The Canary Club by Sherry D. Ficklin #YA #Historical

Series: Canary Club # 1
Format: Paperback, 325 pages
Release Date: October 19, 2017
Publisher: Clean Teen Publishing
Source: Publisher
Genre: Young Adult / Historical

"Bad Luck" Benny is a boy from the wrong side of the tracks. Recently released from jail, he has vowed to keep his head down and stay out of trouble. But he also needs to care for his ailing sister and the rest of his struggling family, and he'll do anything to make that happen—even if it means taking a position with a notorious crime boss. He soon finds himself in over his head—and worse still—falling for the one dame on earth he should be staying away from.

Masie is the daughter of a wealthy gangster with the voice of an angel and gun smoke in her veins. Strong-willed but trapped in a life she never wanted, she dreams of flying free from the politics and manipulation of her father. A pawn in her family's fight for control of the city, and with a killer hot on her heels, she turns to the one person who just might be able to spring her from her gilded cage. But Masie is no angel, and her own dark secrets may come back to burn them both.

Two worlds collide in this compelling story of star-crossed lovers in gritty prohibition-era New York.

Perfect for fans of Beatriz Williams’ A CERTAIN AGE or Libba Bray’s THE DIVINERS, THE CANARY CLUB by Sherry D. Ficklin will entice Historical Romance fans of all ages. This Gatsby-era tale filled with dazzling speakeasies, vicious shoot-outs, gritty gangsters, and iridescent ingenues has also been compared to the television series Z: THE BEGINNING OF EVERYTHING and BOARDWALK EMPIRE.

The Canary Club, by author Sherry D. Ficklin, is the main installment in the authors Canary Club series. Other titles in the series include: Gilded Cage, All That Glitters, and Nothing Gold. This story takes place in 1927 New York City. It features two main characters: Benny Fleischer, and Masie Schultz. "Bad Luck" Benny spent 3 months in prison for not pointing the finger at others. He's trying to do what's right for his family which includes his mother who has been working double shifts, and siblings one of which, his sister, who is very sick. 

His best friend Richard "Dickey" Lewis (who was introduced in Nothing Gold) works for JD Schultz, son of Dutch Schultz. Prohibition has turned good people into criminals, criminals into modern gods. One of those Gods just happens to be Dutch Schultz. After working with Benny for a few days, he starts earning a bit of cash that goes a long way to help is sick sister get the treatment she needs. But when he ends up in the wrong place at the wrong place and takes a bullet for his trouble, Dutch is so grateful, that he makes Benny bodyguard for his daughter Masie.  

The moment the two meet, there are sparks of interest but with Dutch as a father, and one who sees his daughter as a chess piece to gain even more power, the likelihood of a happy ending isn't looking that good. He has to make a lot of tough decisions in order to keep everyone he loves safe, while not compromising his values. When Benny is given oversight of a brand new club called The Canary Club, Benny is hounded by corrupt individuals who want to bring Dutch down and take what they believe they are entitled to.

Masie is the flaxen-haired daughter of notorious boot-legger Dutch Schultz who was introduced first in Gilded Cage. Masie was born to violence like a fish born to water. In this world, women are considered to be soft targets and disposal. Women are pawns in a game they are not allowed to play. Women are to be coddled, protected, and mollified. But what the men around her don't understand is that Masie has a brain of her own, and she wants something else besides being part of a criminal organization until she is married off.

Maisie falls for naive Benny who get innocently drawn into the racket out of desperate need for money to help support his family fallen on hard times. Masie's best friend, and J.D.'s main squeeze is June West who was introduced in All That Glitters. With rival gangsters, Prohibition agents, and even a murderer in the mix, Masie and Benny may be pulled apart just as they’ve found each other. I feel as though the story was missing something. Like another sequel. The ending literally bypasses actually history when it comes to Dutch and his crew. The ending also leaves a whole lot of room for another Masie and Benny to have yet another adventure. At this point, things don't look so good. 

There are a boatload of actual characters who really did exist in this era including Lucky Luciano. The book should have a forward, telling the reader that some of these people did in fact exist, but that the author had taken literary license with the story, and written a "what if" instead. 

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