Murder at the Wham Bam Club - by Carolyn Marie Wilkins (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

As Prohibition era speakeasies and Jazz Age excitement reign supreme throughout a deeply divided country at the height of the Roaring 20s, a young psychic in small town Illinois helps the Black community fight crime and corruption in this thrilling historical mystery written by a real-life psychic medium and jazz pianist.

After the death of her brave Harlem Hellfighter husband during the First World War, young widow Nola Ann Jackson returned to her hometown of Agate, Illinois, to live with her Aunt Sarah, a known local psychic. Under her aunt's care and tutelage, Nola has been learning how to tap into her own intuitive gifts and communicate with the spirits. And she will rely on their insightful guidance when she's asked to help investigate a woman's disappearance.

Lilly Davidson, the missing woman, was living at the Phyllis Wheatley Institute for Colored Girls where young ladies are educated and prepared to follow bright futures. But she vanished after a night at the Wham Bam Club where jazz music swings, prohibition is defied, and other vices are encouraged. Lilly was seen fraternizing with Eddie Smooth, trumpeter and leader of the St. Louis Stompers--and a notorious pimp. Nola finds Lilly at the club alive and well, supposedly engaged to Eddie. That same night, the Wham Bam is set afire and Eddie is killed by gunfire, leaving Lilly on the run, a suspected murderer.

Eddie Smooth had shady dealings with Agate's wealthy elite, Black and white, making plenty of enemies with motives for wanting him dead. He was also a notorious womanizer who left several broken hearts in his wake. To prove Lilly's innocence, Nola must listen to her spiritual instincts to unravel political schemes and personal vendettas to find a killer desperate to cover up a scandalous conspiracy . . .

Review Quotes

Praise for Murder at the Wham Bam Club

"Murder at the Wham Bam Club is a well-plotted mystery that will introduce mystery lovers to a dynamic new sleuth, Nola Jackson. Culturally rich and full of period detail, this mystery has everything including good food, music, and a paranormal touch." --Valerie Burns, author of A Cup of Flour, A Pinch of Death

"In Murder at the Wham Bam Club, psychic Nola Ann Jackson uses her abilities to help her community fight against crime. Set amidst the high times and corruption during the Roaring Twenties Jazz Age, Nola must use psychic arts to save a young woman who goes missing from Wham Bam Club. Fast-paced, scandalous-- Nola is a detective to watch." --Vanessa Riley, award-winning author of Island Queen and The Lady Worthing Mysteries

"Murder at the Wham Bam Club is a powerful, impressive, and entertaining debut with well-developed, diverse, and unforgettable characters. The plotline, descriptions of the characters, and dialogue are so real, it's hard to believe that this is a work of fiction. If you only read a few books a year, make this one of them." --Mary Monroe, New York Times bestselling author

"Murder at the Wham Bam Club offers readers a unique peek at small-town Black life during the 1920s in a mid-western accent--with mysticism and spells thrown in for an intriguing twist." --Valerie Wilson Wesley

About the Author

Carolyn Marie Wilkins is a practicing psychic medium, a Santeria priestess, and a professor at Berklee College of Music Online. An accomplished jazz pianist and vocalist, she has toured South America as a Jazz Ambassador for the U.S. State Department. She is a member of Crime Writers of Color and Sisters in Crime New England. When she is not writing, performing, or offering Reiki to students at Berklee, Carolyn maintains a private practice in healing and mediumship. She lives in the Boston area and can be found online at CarolynWilkins.com.