I enjoy historical fiction because the mist interesting stories are always the ones rooted in fact. That a real photo appeared in a newspaper, showing children for sale is both heartbreaking and scandalous. You just have to know more, right?
Back in the day (we’re talking depression era) families, apparently, fell on such hard times that they resorted to selling their children in an effort to scrape by. Not putting them up for adoption. Selling. When young reporter Ellis Reed sees one such family and prints their photo in the newspaper, his career skyrockets. But what about the children in the picture?
Overall, the concept is interesting and developed, but the beginning was a bit slow and the action was too action packed. By the end the author had pulled out all the stops, from mobsters to break-ins to mistaken identities. It was almost too much squeezed in there to keep it authentic. I love getting transported to another time – especially one where gangsters are involved – and I credit the author for giving me that excitement. However, it felt a bit hokey at times, like it was cut straight from the Newsies cloth.
3 out of 5 stars.
Peaches to Apples 