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The Boy in the Red Dress by Kristin Lambert

Young adult

The Boy in the Red Dress

Debut

We love supporting debut authors. Congrats, Kristin Lambert, on your first book!

by Kristin Lambert

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Quick take

Step inside a New Orleans speakeasy and buckle up for a twisty whodunnit with a cast of swoonworthy characters.

Good to know

  • Illustrated icon, LGBTQ_themes

    LGBTQ+ themes

  • Illustrated icon, Forbidden_Love

    Forbidden love

  • Illustrated icon, Teen

    Teens

  • Illustrated icon, Whodunit

    Whodunit

Synopsis

New Year's Eve, 1929.

Millie is running the show at the Cloak & Dagger, a swinging speakeasy in the French Quarter, while her aunt is out of town. The new year is just around the corner, and all of New Orleans is out to celebrate, but even wealthy partiers' diamond earrings can't outshine the real star of the night: the boy in the red dress. Marion is the club's star performer and his fans are legion—if mostly underground.

When a young socialite wielding a photograph of Marion starts asking questions, Millie wonders if she's just another fan. But then her body is found crumpled in the courtyard, dead from an apparent fall off the club's balcony, and all signs point to Marion as the murderer. Millie knows he's innocent, but local detectives aren't so easily convinced.

As she chases clues that lead to cemeteries and dead ends, Millie's attention is divided between the wry and beautiful Olive, a waitress at the Cloak & Dagger, and Bennie, the charming bootlegger who's offered to help her solve the case. The clock is ticking for the fugitive Marion, but the truth of who the killer is might be closer than Millie thinks...

Why I love it

In the last few weeks, governors and other municipal leaders have been calling off pride-related festivities in response to ongoing public health concerns around COVID-19. To which I say: um fine, but actually, pride can never be cancelled. Pride is not just a parade—it’s an ongoing celebration around LBGTQ+ lives and culture, and in my humble opinion, what better way to safely tap into that spirit than by diving into a fun and fantastic new queer read??

This YA murder mystery takes place in 1920s-era New Orleans, specifically in the boozy, shadowy world of speakeasies. Millie is a wisecracking teenager just trying to keep the party going smoothly at her aunt’s club, the Cloak & Dagger. Her friend Marion, a.k.a. the boy in the red dress, is the club’s star performer. When a young clubgoer is thrown off a balcony one rowdy night, local detectives are quick to pin the murder on Marion. Suddenly, it’s up to Millie to locate and bring the real killer to justice.

Between the late-night cemetery snoopings and the glitzy Gatsby-esque soirees, this book is a whole mood. Almost all of the characters are resplendently queer and, despite all her sleuthing, there’s even a little romance for Millie (oh hey, seductive co-worker Olive). Debut author Kristin Lambert has penned a glamorous, sexy, wild ride.

Member ratings (806)

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Young adult
View all
The Wild Huntress
Ruthless Vows
What the River Knows
As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow
Dragonfruit
The Reappearance of Rachel Price
Gwen & Art Are Not in Love
Check & Mate
Divine Rivals
Foul Lady Fortune
Anna K Away
I Must Betray You
A Wilderness of Stars
Warrior Girl Unearthed
Bloodmarked
Instructions for Dancing
The Boy in the Red Dress
Color Me In
Not So Pure and Simple
Throw Like a Girl
Frankly in Love
The Queen of Nothing
Wayward Son
The Stars and the Blackness Between Them
Anna K
Patron Saints of Nothing
The Kingdom of Back
Yes No Maybe So
Permanent Record
Full Disclosure
Oasis
Where the World Ends
I Have No Secrets
Song of the Crimson Flower
When the Stars Lead to You
All the Bright Places
Saving Zoë
Symptoms of a Heartbreak
All of Us with Wings
The Boy and Girl Who Broke the World
Past Perfect Life
There's Something About Sweetie
Again, But Better
Sky Without Stars
How (Not) to Ask a Boy to Prom
Night Music
Shout
The Deceivers
Top Ten
A Million Junes
And We're Off
Salt to the Sea