“Raymond Chandler
for feminists”
AWARDS & REVIEWS
PRAISE FOR POSTER GIRL (Coming November 14, 2023)
“Lively prose, enjoyably edgy dialogue, and a delightful, unconventional, feminist heroine add up to a captivating page-turner.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Fans of Tracy Chevalier and Kate Atkinson will love being immersed in the detail-driven historical atmosphere, while hard-boiled mystery fans will thoroughly enjoy being led by our whip-smart and street-savvy heroine through the maze of clues leading to a shocking final plot twist.”
—Chicago Book Review, 5 stars
“Aficionados of historical fiction and the Jane Benjamin series will be delighted . . . The novel is an excellent read, with sympathetic characters and set in a place and time that leaps off the page.”
—San Francisco Book Review, 5 stars
“A cracking plot, exquisite detail, and grand cast of characters.”
—Catriona McPherson, Agatha Award–winning author of the Dandy Gilver series
“Jane Benjamin has come into her own in this third book of the series. A fast-paced story that had me turning pages long into the night. Highly recommend!”
—Michelle Cox, author of The Henrietta and Inspector Howard series
“A page-turner that delivers a strong message for our time: we must take care of each other. I absolutely loved this novel.”
—Debra Thomas, author of Luz
A high-wire, ripped-from-vintage-headlines series-ender.”
—Gretchen Cherington, author of The Butcher, the Embezzler, and the Fall Guy
Mirroring ongoing misogyny, racial discrimination, and economic challenges women continue to face today, Poster Girl takes readers behind the scenes to experience the toll exacted on women who dared to break molds in the 1940s. A five-star read. Highly recommended.”
—Ashley E. Sweeney, author of Hardland, Answer Creek, and Eliza Waite
“A can’t-put-it-down kind of book . . . every moment perfectly crafted to keep the reader turning pages to the gripping end.”
—Laurie Buchanan, author of The Sean McPherson Series
“A historically accurate, action-packed adventure, making WWII era intrigue and sexual and racial discrimination feel contemporary.” —Maren Cooper, author of Behind the Lies “Casts an observant eye on the misogyny, racism, and classism of the time, allowing the reader to witness that not much has changed.”
—Mary Camarillo, author of The Lockhart Women
“Weaves challenging and timeless social issues into a story about people we grow to care about while maintaining tension and suspense—you won’t put this one down.”
—Anastasia Zeidek, author of Blurred Fates
PRAISE FOR TOMBOY
“Blanton-Stroud is a wonderful writer, and Jane is a compelling creation….An intriguing and engaging mystery—
readers will hope for more adventures starring the redoubtable hero.”
–KIRKUS REVIEWS
“The heroine we need, the heroine we wish we were—determined, tough as hell, utterly lovable.”
—Elizabeth Gonzales James, author of Mona at Sea
“Combining the feminist can-do of Phryne Fisher and the snarky commentary of Veronica Mars, Jane Benjamin is a boatload of fun.”
—Halley Sutton, author of The Lady Upstairs
“A spirited feminist noir that flips femme fatale and private dick archetypes on their heads.”
—Anita Felicelli, author of Chimerica
“Murder, deceit, and gender fluidity take to the high seas in a rollicking whodunnit.”
—Alia Volz, author of Home Baked: My Mom, Marijuana, and the Stoning of San Francisco
“1939’s Jane Benjamin is a heroine for now—gritty, gutsy, gender-bending, and driven. She’s one difficult girl you want in your corner.”
—Dorothy Rice, author of Gray is the New Black
“Mix Jo March and Tom Ripley, shake, pour, and take a brisk, bitter swig of Jane Benjamin. You’ll be deliriously intoxicated by this bracing sequel to Copy Boy.”
—Gretchen Cherington, author of Poetic License
“Riveting as Mare of Easttown, binge-worthy as The Queen’s Gambit, Tomboy kept me reading—obsessively—until the very last line.”
—Debra Thomas, author of Luz
“Chock-full of audacity and adventure—a suspenseful and layered novel from the squalor of Hooverville to the opulence of the Queen Mary.”
—Ashley E. Sweeney, author of Answer Creek and Eliza Waite
“Crisp prose, snappy pace, exquisite period details, and a resource- ful, resilient, wonderfully flawed protagonist. Fasten your seatbelts. It’s going to be a bumpy boat ride.”
—Mary Camarillo, author of The Lockhart Women
“Tomboy ascends to a breaking point that will leave you breathless.”
—Laurie Buchanan, author of The Sean McPherson Novels
“The best kind of seat-of-your-pants protagonist to keep your heart racing as she gets herself into scrapes that threaten her safety but clarify her morality.”
—Maren Cooper, author of A Better Next
PRAISE FOR COPY BOY
“Copy Boy is a rewarding historical novel with a ferocious, fascinating lead.”
— Foreword Reviews
(Read full review)
“An engrossing work of fiction… An expressive and striking story that examines what one does for family and for oneself.”
— Kirkus Reviews
(Read full review)
“Copy Boy investigates issues of psychology, sexism, justice, and social welfare by means of a mystery
and a thriller.”
— Jaclyn Bauer, Centered on Books
(Read full review)
“Underneath a neatly crafted thriller is a deeper story about social mobility, gender inequality, and the higher hurdles women — particularly those of a lower class — are sometimes forced to jump over in order to make a name for themselves.”
— Paperback Paris
(Read full review)
“From the very start of Copy Boy, I was sucked in, and Blanton-Stroud didn’t let me out until the epilogue. Jane is a compelling character, all sharp edges and Midwestern grit, and I was thrilled to see just how far she would go to get what she wanted. Jane is not your traditional historical fiction character, who always has a moment when she subtly reasserts her femininity by acting soft. She digs into what she wants and digs in hard. This means she has to make difficult choices, and not everything she does is laudable. Jane is no hero; she’s just a young woman trying to make her way, and that’s why I loved her so much.”
— San Francisco Book Review
“Shelley Blanton-Stroud’s Copy Boy is one of those novels that can rekindle your faith in fiction. Her distinctive voice, command of historical details, and sheer storytelling verve show through on every page. Maybe this exact story never happened, but it should have—in exactly this way. A bravura debut—I’m expecting great things from this author.”
— David Corbett, award-winning author of The Long-Lost Love Letters of Doc Holliday
“Shelley Blanton-Stroud’s COPY BOY explores place and identity with sharp-edged suspense and intrigue. Smart, lively, and suspenseful, this is Raymond Chandler for feminists.”
— Sharma Shields, author of The Cassandra, recipient of the Pacific Northwest Book Award
“Copy Boy is a fantastic story of a young woman’s survival and re-invention, set in Northern California during the Depression. Blanton-Stroud’s prose sings and crackles and brings us into the world of Jane with so much compassion and beauty and wisdom. An engaging, wonderfully original book.”
— Karen E. Bender, author of The New Order, long listed for the Story Prize, and Refund, a National Book Award finalist
“A stellar debut. Copy Boy may be Shelley Blanton-Stroud’s first novel, but it’s apparent from page one that she’s been working on her craft for many years. Combining the best elements of noir, historical fiction and coming-of-age stories, Blanton-Stroud has written a compelling, nuanced story. Deftly plotted and expertly executed, Copy Boy is as mesmerizing as the moment when the fog lifts over Nob Hill. Highly recommended.”
— Sheldon Siegel. New York Times Best-Selling Author of the Mike Daley/Rosie Fernandez novels
“Full of adventure, chutzpah, historical detail and, most of all, heart, Copy Boy is a thrilling, Depression-era coming-of-age story well suited to our times.”
— Maggie Shen King, award-winning author of An Excess Male