by
Annette Oppenlander
ADULT title
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Genre:
Historical Fiction
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
A chance encounter between a penniless young woman in search of her
missing brother and a hobo burdened with a big secret takes both on a journey
to Chicago's glamorous yet crime-ridden 1920s, where prostitution, bootlegging,
and corruption rule. Separated by fate and reunited by chance, WHERE THE NIGHT NEVER ENDS is an unforgettable tale of courage and perseverance, a tribute to
the triumph of hope and love against all odds.
When
feisty and headstrong Samantha Bruno loses her mother in a freak accident, she
decides to search for her brother, Angelo, who didn't return from a business
trip to Chicago seven months earlier. It is the year 1924, the height of
prohibition, and the city of Cincinnati is in the midst of a deep recession.
Narrowly escaping a band of thugs, Sam meets Paul, a mysterious hobo with a big
secret. Together they embark on a harrowing journey to Chicago, where Al Capone
is building an empire.
Just when
it seems their friendship is blossoming into something more, a raid tears Sam
and Paul apart. Sam is sold into a brothel while Paul is arrested. Trapped
without money and desperate to escape her new profession, Sam realizes she is
on her own. Not only to free herself and search for her brother among Chicago's
three million residents, but also to do the impossible--find Paul.
During
his hearing, Paul learns that his father, a wealthy Chicago inventor, is on his
deathbed. The judge, an old family friend, gives Paul an ultimatum. See your
father or go to jail. Reluctantly, Paul returns home, where he finds that his
decision to run away seven years earlier was based on a terrible mistake.
Narrated
in alternating chapters by Sam and Paul, with rich historical detail, complex
characters, and stunning prose, award-winning author Annette Oppenlander once
again delivers a touching novel that lets us imagine what it was like to live
and love during the roaring 1920s.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT
Sam
I
awoke in the early morning, my bones chilled as if they could fracture. I
stomped back and forth in the abandoned lot until an inkling of warmth returned
to my feet and hands. Remembering the sack from yesterday, I pinched my nose
and took a drink from the whiskey. I shook myself as the liquid edged a fiery
trail down my throat and gathered heat in my middle.
I’d
made up my mind to leave.
What
about Papa’s favorite cooking pot made from cast-iron? And his knife used for
cutting ingredients, Mamma’s quilt that carried her scent? Should I return and
check? Visit my girlfriend, Helen, who lived on the same block? We’d gone to
school together, but Helen worked in a canning factory six days a week because
her father worked there too.
No,
I couldn’t risk it. Talbott had no doubt taken over my apartment and everything
in it. Or he was lying in wait. There was no telling what he’d do if he caught
me.
Straightening
my achy knees, I stumbled onto the street and turned south. Frost covered the
muddy trail and puddles. I filled my lungs because the air was almost bearable
this morning, not yet soiled with manure from the daily herding of pigs to
slaughter and the neglected dirty skin of men out of work.
I’d
go search for my brother. He was bound to be in Chicago and he had to be alive.
I was sure of it. Why else had there been that mysterious Chicago Tribune
newspaper in the mailbox? It had only happened once—it couldn’t be a
coincidence. But for some reason Angelo had chosen not to return, not even
write. Something big had to have happened, something that had scared Angelo
into abandoning mighty George Remus, abandoning Mamma and me. If there was any
chance he was still there, I had to find him.
Only
when the rail yard came into view did I realize I knew nothing about traveling
on trains. In my cluttered brain, I’d figured to catch a free train north. How
else was I going to get there without money? Buses required tickets. Walking
took weeks and provisions I didn’t have.
Hundreds
of cargo wagons stretched in every direction, seemingly parked helter-skelter along
miles of rails. Where they went was anybody’s guess. There was a chill in the
air, a frigid wind whistling along the tracks. It carried none of the filthy
odor I knew from my neighborhood, but something unfamiliar and hostile. I
tucked my coat around me, the shotgun a comfortable weight beneath my armpit.
I’d fashioned a loop into the lining, the butt of the gun resting in the inner
seam of my coat.
Angelo’s
blue eyes, so much like my own, appeared in my vision. I angrily wiped a sleeve
across my face and climbed over the first rails.
I’d
heard of hobos, men crisscrossing the country in search of jobs. Surely one of
them knew how to find Chicago. I’d simply ask directions.
“Look
what we gots here,” a voice snickered.
“Is
the girly lost?” another chimed in.
“She
needs a fella to help her out,” a third voice said as the man attached to it
stepped into my way. “Where to, doll?” His grin exposed a graveyard of foul
teeth. There was no telling how old the man was, his face hidden behind a
jungle of beard and month’s worth of grime.
I
stopped abruptly, hugging the sack with my remaining supplies to my chest.
Unless I threw everything down and had space and time to wrestle out my
shotgun, I didn’t stand a chance.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and
Links:
Oppenlander’s
bestselling true WWII story, Surviving the Fatherland, won multiple awards,
including the 2017 U.S. National Indie Excellence Award. Her historical
time-travel trilogy, Escape from the Past, takes readers to the German Middle
Ages and the Wild West. Uniquely, Oppenlander weaves actual historical figures
and events into her plots, giving readers a flavor of true history while
enjoying a good story. Oppenlander shares her knowledge through writing
workshops at colleges, libraries, festivals and schools. She also offers vivid
presentations and author visits. The mother of fraternal twins and a son, she
recently returned to her home, Solingen, Germany where she lives with her
husband and old mutt, Mocha.
Contact
GIVEAWAY
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The tour dates can be found here
**********************
My review:
3.75 out of 5 stars
Where the Night Never Ends: A Prohibition Era Novel by
Annette Oppenlander follows the adventures of Samantha (Sam) Bruno, a young
woman who is buffeted by a series events that prompt her to seek her missing
brother in Prohibition Chicago. A rescue by a hobo named Paul McKay is only the
first of the events that completely change her life as she struggles to
survive in a society replete with lawlessness and graft, and the series of men
she meets each shape her future, and not all of them have her best interests at
heart.
This historical fiction tale gives a glimpse of the
challenges of being an unprotected and virtually unskilled woman in the gritty
society that formed during Prohibition. There are plenty of dark elements that
are included, including alcoholism, abuse, graft, extortion, and other illegal
activities, but there are also inspirational elements as Sam finds a way to
survive, no matter what obstacles life throws at her. There are some elements
that seem a little forced to me, and although I admire Sam’s tenacity, she was
also frustrating with her headlong rush into situations she couldn’t really
handle. I like the way well-known figures of the time and place have small
roles in the story, with different perspectives given into their personalities,
but I didn’t form a strong rapport with any of the characters and I think some
things are tied up almost too tidily. Despite this, the story is a fascinating
look at the lives and times affected by the introduction of the Volstead Act
and the story is nicely enriched by the many historical details included.
A copy of this title was provided to me for review
