The Devil May Dance
A Novel
by Jake Tapper
This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.
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Pub Date May 11 2021 | Archive Date Aug 11 2021
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Description
Charlie and Margaret discover the dark side of Holllywood in this sequel to New York Times bestseller The Hellfire Club—a thrilling cocktail of corruption and ambition from CNN's Jake Tapper.
Charlie and Margaret Marder, political stars in 1960s Washington DC, know all too well how the tangled web of power in the nation's capital can operate. But while they long to settle into the comforts of home, Attorney General Robert Kennedy has other plans. He needs them to look into a potential threat not only to the presidency, but to the security of the United States itself.Charlie and Margaret quickly find themselves on a flight to sunny Los Angeles, where they’ll face off against a dazzling world of stars and studios. At the center of their investigation is Frank Sinatra, a close friend of President John F. Kennedy and a rumored mob crony, whom Charlie and Margaret must befriend to get the inside scoop. But in a town built on illusions, where friends and foes all look alike, nothing is easy, and drinks by the pool at the Sands and late-night adventures with the Rat Pack soon lead to a body in the trunk of their car. Before they know it, Charlie and Margaret are being pursued by sinister forces from Hollywood’s stages to the newly founded Church of Scientology, facing off against the darkest and most secret side of Hollywood’s power.
As the Academy Awards loom, and someone near and dear to Margaret goes missing, Charlie and Margaret find the clock is not only ticking but running out. Someone out there knows what they’ve uncovered and can’t let them leave alive. Corruption and ambition form a deadly mix in this fast-paced sequel to The Hellfire Club.
A Note From the Publisher
The sequel to the New York Times bestseller The Hellfire Club
Advance Praise
“Jake Tapper's deep inside knowledge of power, greed and politics fuels this riveting page-turner. Warning: Don't start this book late at night unless you have no plans the next day.” –Harlan Coben, author of The Boy from the Woods
“One helluva a mystery—bursting with early-‘60s luminarios from Bobby Kennedy to Frank Sinatra and his swinging gang. Tapper effortlessly blends a journalist’s sharp eye with a storyteller’s keen sense of suspense: The result is as bracing as the bourbon the book's Rat Packers knock back and as fizzy as the champagne the Hollywood stars swig. Raise a glass.” –Gillian Flynn, author of Gone Girl
“Frank Sinatra, Robert Kennedy and Charlie Marder — you can’t lose with this combination of characters in The Devil May Dance. Jake Tapper explores the thin lines between politics, pop culture and crime, and the story is always gripping, accurate and right on target when it comes to underlining that the past is prologue and politics are always played for keeps.” –Michael Connelly, author of The Law of Innocence
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9780316530231 |
| PRICE | $28.00 (USD) |
| PAGES | 352 |
Links
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Emily S, Educator
Many thanks to the continued approval from Little, Brown and Company and NetGalley for advanced copies!
This is the sequel to The Hellfire Club, which I read and greatly enjoyed. Charlie and Margaret find themselves in LA, where they are needed to investigate a threat to the security of the presidency and the U.S. Before long, they encounter the seedy underbelly of Hollywood in the 60’s meet foes from the stage to the Church of Scientology. The writing is clear and the fast-paced plot makes this easy and enjoyable to burn through. Jake’s deep knowledge of politics shines and I look forward to reading more from him.
chris f, Librarian
If you are from the Rat pack era you will truly enjoy this novel. Sinatra, Law ford, Dean, ,and the Kennedy's. A little of history and of course suspense. A few murders, sex trafficking, and Marilyn Monroe!! Very enjoyable!!!
Jenna B, Reviewer
💫 Book Review 💫
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐥 𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝐃𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 by 𝘑𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘛𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘳
𝘞𝘦𝘭𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘺𝘸𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝟷𝟿𝟼𝟶’𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥
⭐️ fame, money, power and murder
⭐️ The ‘rat pack’ of alpha males that dominated the scene in the 60’s.
⭐️ The blurred lines between Washington and LA.
⭐️ The movies, gossip and sex.
⭐️ The power that connections in politics gave them.
And a novel that leans heavily into blurring the lines of fact and fiction. I’m assuming a lot of background research went into this one, which was both fascinating and terrifying, and yet, has left me wondering if this is still true today....
If you enjoy mysteries or even grew up knowing the infamous ‘rat pack’, you’ll enjoy this one. Jake may have blurred the lines with history but what you’re left with is a darn good murder mystery.
“𝐁𝐚𝐝 𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬...”
𝗪𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐲𝐰𝐨𝐨𝐝
Thank you to @littlebrownandcompany and @netgalley for the gifted copy in return for an honest review
Librarian 57390
The Devil May Dance review
NY Congressman Charlie Marder and his wife Margaret are back in this thriller about Hollywood in the 60s. Attorney General Robert Kennedy needs information on corruption in Hollywood and pressures the couple into befriending Frank Sinatra and his celebrity friends who are known as the Rat Pack.
Charlie is on break from Congress and is provided with a job as an advisor on a Hollywood movie where Sinatra is working.
Soon Charlie and Margaret are socializing with the Rat Pack at Sinatra’s home in Rancho Mirage. Then the couple learns that Margaret’s teen niece has run away to Hollywood and Margaret sets out to find her.
This story explores historical facts about the Kennedys, the Cuban Missile crisis, the Church of Scientology and Hollywood icons. The author has done his research and shares some secrets kept for over 50 years.
I enjoyed this fast paced story. It took place between December 1961 and April 1962 and involves many events I vaguely remember.
I received this ARC from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Christina L, Reviewer
I’m a big fan of Jake Tapper as a news anchor, so I was happy to learn that this book, like his reporting, contains precise and accurate facts, biting wit, and a lot of intelligence. Historical fiction of the 50s is not my usual genre, but Jake completely held my interest with his tales of politics and the Rat Pack. Many of the historical facts are true. The trick is seeing where the fiction begins. (I have no trouble believing that Frank Sinatra’s diet and exercise plan did in fact consist of bourbon, cigarettes, and poker.) I did not read the first book in this series, The Hellfire Club, but that did not at all lessen my enjoyment of this intelligent and witty detective novel. Fans of politics, Rat Pack history, and old-fashioned mysteries will love this one. Like his news, the book is meticulously researched and shows a great deal of his charming and hilarious personality.
Thanks to Little, Brown, NetGalley, and Jake Tapper for this fun and original ARC.
Daphne M, Educator
Applauds to Mr. Tapper. A real student of modern history. A real behind the curtain look at life in Washington during the Kennedy era. You can almost feel the breath of fresh air the nation felt as this new era in politics burst upon the scene. Gone were the old guard and these young energetic Ivy League young men were in charge and taking no prisoners. Robert Kennedy the brother of the new President enlists the help of Charlie and Margaret Marder themselves Washington stars in their own right to do his ground work in Los Angeles. They need to assess the extent of mob ties to those who now want into the presidents inner circle. Here history and fiction intercept. Mr Tapper has an eye for history and a flair for how the world of politics and celebrity are conjoined. Happy reading
Erin M, Librarian
I enjoy a historical political thriller. This book hits the spot! Tapper has a distinct voice and this makes the book compulsively readable. This book combines Hollywood and politics and real historic events that seemed backed with decent research. I really enjoyed this book and I am looking forward to reading the first book in the series now.
Susan D, Reviewer
The Devil May Dance is an exhilarating ride through Hollywood, politics and blackmail Jake Tapper, with his keen eye of reporting fact brings his investigative talent into the lives of New York congressman Charles Marder and his zoologist wife Margaret as they become entangled with the Kennedy’s, Frank Sinatra (and the infamous Rat Pack), well known mobsters and L. Ron Hubbard’s Church of Scientology in an RFK fueled investigation of Sinatra and his ties to the mob.
This well researched quick paced romp has more twists and turns than the Hollywood hills and Tapper’s intelligence and wit shines throughout.
A highly recommended read and one that I hope will continue in Tapper’s next novel.
Thank you NetGalley, Jake Tapper and Little, Brown and Company for an ARC of this engaging book in exchange for an honest review.
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