A well told story about how secrets have a habit of coming home to roost and how desperately we strive to keep them hidden. Youthful indiscretions and outright law breaking threaten to destroy the life Lena has built for herself.

Unfortunately, I DNFed this book at page 57.

Historical fiction is harder to write that people realize...especially when you're writing two different historic time periods. This authors does one of the biggest no-no's I have for historical fictions: she TELLS me about the historic time period rather than showing me. You have to suck me into this new world, not go yourself and then tell me about it second hand (if that makes sense). I also find it incredibly infuriating when there's different POVs and timelines in books that change each chapter yet each chapter doesn't specify the POV and time. It gets confusing and frustrates me immensely. 

I'm a massive fan of heists, cryptography, and WWII historical fiction.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the eARC!

Speakeasy is an intriguing story of a female bankrobber turned codebreaker. The story was interesting but the alternating viewpoints was a bit confusing.

I like histprical fiction but this story wasnt something that intrigue me.
Parts of it was interesting but the others weren't.

Speakeasy is an ambitious, historical novel. The title alone evokes images of a bygone era. A time when people with diverse backgrounds whispered of illegal bars where one could get a drink. Bars with music and dancing, a secret society away from prying eyes. What Speakeasy has going for it is the time period; or rather, two time periods. First, there is the confusion and desperation of the Great Depression and Prohibition. Think Bonnie and Clyde, The Public Enemy, or The Untouchables. Second, the heightened emotions of World War II. A time romanticized in movies like Casablanca, From Here to Eternity, or The English Patient.

Needless to say, there is so much to capture and the author does a fine job of imbuing her scenes with the conflicting emotions of the 1940s as well as the devil-may-care spirit of Prohibition. Speakeasy begins promising enough but unfortunately, quickly loses steam. The book lacks a cohesive story. To be fair, there are moments of fantastic writing; passages of intricate detail that draw you in. Yet, these moments are few and far between and are not enough to carry the book to its end. Simply put, the framework for an incredible story is there; however, the execution fails.

Speakeasy begins just before the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. It takes place primarily in Canada with a few stops on the West Coast. The story is in the first person. Lena introduces herself without a lot of fanfare. She portrays herself as calm and capable. That is, until the past comes roaring to her present. Now, her previous life as a criminal could undo everything, including her new career as a Navy code breaker. Unfortunately, Lena quickly becomes a nervous, fearful woman. I often thought she wanted someone to save her. Despite things picking up towards the end, she never really recovers from that characterization.

The flashbacks take place in the early 1930s. They tell the story of how Lena came to join a gang of bank robbers and fell for their leader, Bill Bagley. Oddly, the flashbacks are from the perspective of another character, Byron Godfrey.  Nicknamed 'By God' by Bill, he was also a member of the gang. It makes for jarring transitions between the past and present. The story of Lena and Bill’s romance is primarily from Byron’s perspective. Thus, their romance is skewed due to Byron’s own wants and desires. However, what I did like about Byron's perspective was the honesty. Byron holds nothing back, even as it relates to his own motives.

While there is an enormous amount of potential in Speakeasy, it never quite gets its footing. The plot was lost in a multitude of action scenes with painstaking detail.  Fans of 1930s bank heists and World War II history will enjoy (the well-researched history was truly the best part of the story). While I struggled through this book, I did enjoy the imagery. Author Alisa Smith conjured detailed settings for her characters. As a result, I think Speakeasy would do better on the screen. With a bit of revision, Speakeasy could be an interesting romantic limited series or made-for-TV movie.

WOW!!!!
This book was not at all what I expected; it blew my expectations out of the water.