I apprecitate the publisher allowing me to read this book. I found this a really interesting read and the characters are quite engaging. it kept me reading until the end. I highly recommend.

Happy to include The Devil May Dance in the August instalment of Read & Recommended, the regular round-up of brief reviews from the personal reading highlights of Zoomer magazine’s book section contributors.
Full review feature at link.

I like a good dishy name-dropping trip through history as much as the next girl, but it felt like Jake Tapper got a little caught up in that aspect of his book to the detriment of the overarching main characters' story, and that's where this one floundered a little for me.

I did enjoy it on the whole. It was fun to peek behind the curtain, even in a fictionalized context. I enjoyed the transporting to a time and a place that I was never a part of. But after a while the bad-boy behavior of the Rat Pack and the constant name dropping and intersection of every famous person of the time period with the Congressman and his wife started to feel a little monotonous.

I liked when things pulled back into focus in the second half of the book, and it felt to me like a tighter edit on the first half to bring the pacing more in line with the second would really have resulted in a phenomenal read. As it is it's a fun read, but don't feel guilty if you start skimming a little bit in the beginning... You won't need the 137th tale of Sinatra's tantrums or Dean Martin's misogynistic comments to stay with the story in the end.

A big thank you to Little Brown and NetGalley for providing me an eARC of Jake Tapper’s The Devil May Dance in exchange for an honest review. This book is on sale now!

The first book I read by Jake Tapper was The Hellfire Club last month. As much as I love Jake Tapper, I was not a fan of The Hellfire Club. I was a bit apprehensive to read The Devil May Dance because of that. However, this one was so much better than The Hellfire Club. It followed a similar format, so if you’ve read The Hellfire Club, you’ll find the action and suspenseful moments a bit predictable, but it was still an entertaining read.

If you’re interested in picking up a Jake Tapper book, I would suggest skipping The Hellfire Club and going straight to The Devil May Dance. I think the writing is better and the plot is less of a history lesson. Maybe I think that because I’m more interested in a Hollywood, with political tie-ins, thriller rather than a political/McCarthyism thriller.

I also found the protagonist, Charlie, much less annoying in The Devil May Dance. And his wife, Margaret, was given a MUCH better story arch in this newest installment of their adventures. I really enjoyed where Tapper took Margaret’s character and loved seeing more of her personality and wit!

Overall, I think this was a much stronger novel for Tapper’s second foray into fiction!

A somewhat interesting look at Hollywood creeps interspersed with politics. Extremely testosterone driven. Men will appreciate it more than women, IMHO. Although it does take place in the early sixties when that was the norm. Also, those who appreciated the Rat Pack may enjoy seeing another side to them. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

The Devil May Dance is an exhilarating ride through Hollywood, politics and blackmail Jake Tapper, with his keen eye of reporting fact brings his investigative talent into the lives of New York congressman Charles Marder and his zoologist wife Margaret as they become entangled with the Kennedy’s, Frank Sinatra (and the infamous Rat Pack), well known mobsters and L. Ron Hubbard’s Church of Scientology in an RFK fueled investigation of Sinatra and his ties to the mob.
This well researched quick paced romp has more twists and turns than the Hollywood hills and Tapper’s intelligence and wit shines throughout.
A highly recommended read and one that I hope will continue in Tapper’s next novel.
Thank you NetGalley, Jake Tapper and Little, Brown and Company for an ARC of this engaging book in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoy a historical political thriller. This book hits the spot! Tapper has a distinct voice and this makes the book compulsively readable. This book combines Hollywood and politics and real historic events that seemed backed with decent research. I really enjoyed this book and I am looking forward to reading the first book in the series now.

Applauds to Mr. Tapper. A real student of modern history. A real behind the curtain look at life in Washington during the Kennedy era. You can almost feel the breath of fresh air the nation felt as this new era in politics burst upon the scene. Gone were the old guard and these young energetic Ivy League young men were in charge and taking no prisoners. Robert Kennedy the brother of the new President enlists the help of Charlie and Margaret Marder themselves Washington stars in their own right to do his ground work in Los Angeles. They need to assess the extent of mob ties to those who now want into the presidents inner circle. Here history and fiction intercept. Mr Tapper has an eye for history and a flair for how the world of politics and celebrity are conjoined. Happy reading

3.5 stars, rounded down
I’m a huge fan of Jake Tapper and his CNN show. So, I jumped at the chance to read his political thriller. Taking place in 1961/62, it covers all the big names - RFK, the Rat Pack, L. Ron Hubbard, Hitchcock, the well known mob names.
Charlie Marder is a NY congressman, an ex- soldier dealing with PTSD. He’s forced to help RFK investigate Sinatra’s mob ties. I love that Tapper inserts all sorts of fun political facts, like RFK being friends with Senator Joe McCarthy and gossipy facts about the various stars. It’s a fun, newsy sort of thriller. Perfect for those that want lots of name dropping. Sinatra is portrayed as a middle aged, spiteful grump. All the Rat Pack as philandering misogynists. There’s enough alcohol to sink a ship.
The writing has an old fashioned 1950s detective story feel to it. It meanders at times. The pace, somewhat slow in the first half, really picks up in the second. The rescue scene towards the end of the book is so unbelievable as to border on a bad movie cliche.
In summary, it’s an easy beach read. Make sure to read the author’s notes. I was impressed with the research Tapper did to write this book.
My thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for an advance copy of this book.

I’m a big fan of Jake Tapper as a news anchor, so I was happy to learn that this book, like his reporting, contains precise and accurate facts, biting wit, and a lot of intelligence. Historical fiction of the 50s is not my usual genre, but Jake completely held my interest with his tales of politics and the Rat Pack. Many of the historical facts are true. The trick is seeing where the fiction begins. (I have no trouble believing that Frank Sinatra’s diet and exercise plan did in fact consist of bourbon, cigarettes, and poker.) I did not read the first book in this series, The Hellfire Club, but that did not at all lessen my enjoyment of this intelligent and witty detective novel. Fans of politics, Rat Pack history, and old-fashioned mysteries will love this one. Like his news, the book is meticulously researched and shows a great deal of his charming and hilarious personality.

Thanks to Little, Brown, NetGalley, and Jake Tapper for this fun and original ARC.

I absolutely loved The Hellfire Club so I was really excited to read this one. This is a great follow-up but I did find that moving the novel out of DC left me with a little bit of disappointment since so many novels of this era take place in Vegas and LA. However, the link between Hollywood and politics is unavoidable, especially in the 60s when the lines between the two professions blurred. That was one of my biggest takeaways here was that the moment politicians became celebrities, and garnered admiration the way movie stars and musicians did, the integrity of our governing system fell a notch. That might not be Tapper's point, but it was on my mind a lot.

As for the plot, it was so full of historical details and facts, just as in book one, that was so interesting. I think every political history junkie on earth should read Jake's books because he puts so much character into the time period and inserts so many real moments that you almost believe it's a documentary or biography. It's a bit like Forest Gump too in how you're witnessing historical moments known and lesser-known.

The pace is fast and there are a lot of moving parts just as in book one so I think this is a solid sequel. For anyone who hasn't read the first book, you won't get lost. There's enough recap to get you into the characters but I know I enjoyed it more because I already know NY Congressman Charlie Marder and his wife Margaret. This badass couple have become quite invaluable to the government at this point so I can't wait to see what they come up with next!

The Devil May Dance review
NY Congressman Charlie Marder and his wife Margaret are back in this thriller about Hollywood in the 60s. Attorney General Robert Kennedy needs information on corruption in Hollywood and pressures the couple into befriending Frank Sinatra and his celebrity friends who are known as the Rat Pack.
Charlie is on break from Congress and is provided with a job as an advisor on a Hollywood movie where Sinatra is working.
Soon Charlie and Margaret are socializing with the Rat Pack at Sinatra’s home in Rancho Mirage. Then the couple learns that Margaret’s teen niece has run away to Hollywood and Margaret sets out to find her.
This story explores historical facts about the Kennedys, the Cuban Missile crisis, the Church of Scientology and Hollywood icons. The author has done his research and shares some secrets kept for over 50 years.
I enjoyed this fast paced story. It took place between December 1961 and April 1962 and involves many events I vaguely remember.
I received this ARC from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.

The Devil May Dance is the second in Jake Tapper’s “Charlie and Margaret Marder” series, although there is a timeline gap of 7-8 years between books, so this book could more or less stand on its own. And like with the previous book, Tapper shows his strengths, but he also continues to show lack of growth in his weak spots.

The grasp of the time period remains impeccable. We’re transplanted into the world of 1960s Hollywood, and Charlie and Margaret are rubbing shoulders with Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack, and such iconic actors like Natalie Wood, Warren Beatty, Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis, and of course, Marilyn Monroe. Interestingly, there is still that tangential thread connecting to the world of politics, from the rumors of Sinatra’s involvement with the mafia to featuring actor Peter Lawford as a prominent character, and he was married to Patricia Kennedy at the time the book was set, and of course, this was when JFK was president, and the plot itself involves Charlie and Margaret working on the orders of Attorney General Robert Kennedy.

Tapper devotes a lot of time to setup…a lot of the first half is name-dropping and setting the scene, which is great for a while, but inevitably, I wanted the story to just get to the point. Once it did in the second half, it was worth it, but I get the sense that Tapper needs someone to help rein him in when it comes to the historical details, as he tends to get lost in those little tangents, and it’s in those moments when it doesn’t feel very thrilling.

This book isn’t bad, and it’s very much a page-turner once you get into the “meat” of it, although given the repeated appearance of both similar strengths and weaknesses, with the latter sometimes detracting from the former, I’m not sure if I’ll continue with any future work from Jake Tapper, although I haven’t ruled it out. I will repeat my endorsement from the previous book that this might suit a reader who likes historical fiction with a mystery/thriller element, if not thriller readers themselves.

💫 Book Review 💫
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐥 𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝐃𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 by 𝘑𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘛𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘳

𝘞𝘦𝘭𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘺𝘸𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝟷𝟿𝟼𝟶’𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥

⭐️ fame, money, power and murder

⭐️ The ‘rat pack’ of alpha males that dominated the scene in the 60’s.

⭐️ The blurred lines between Washington and LA.

⭐️ The movies, gossip and sex.

⭐️ The power that connections in politics gave them.

And a novel that leans heavily into blurring the lines of fact and fiction. I’m assuming a lot of background research went into this one, which was both fascinating and terrifying, and yet, has left me wondering if this is still true today....

If you enjoy mysteries or even grew up knowing the infamous ‘rat pack’, you’ll enjoy this one. Jake may have blurred the lines with history but what you’re left with is a darn good murder mystery.

“𝐁𝐚𝐝 𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬...”

𝗪𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐲𝐰𝐨𝐨𝐝

Thank you to @littlebrownandcompany and @netgalley for the gifted copy in return for an honest review

A WWII vet turned Congressman and his wife serve at the pleasure of the Attorney General in a trope-y mystery in Hollywood. The married couple believe they’re learning about mob ties in Hollywood as an exchange to get the Congressman’s father out of jail. Every possible 60’s name is invited into this story and given roles much like their Hollywood personas; I’m not sure why the author made that choice. It became very predictable as the story progressed. This is the second in a series with the same couple. I received my copy from the publisher through Netgalley.

Back in 2018, when I read Jake Tapper’s novel The Hellfire Club, I said it was “four and a half stars, rounded down to four because it isn’t QUITE a five – but I would bet his next one will be.” Now here we are with a sequel, The Devil May Dance, bringing back New York Congressman Charlie Marder and his wife, zoologist Dr. Margaret Marder. And like The Hellfire Club, this one is also “ very Mad Men-ish, with lots of cocktails, smoking, and the rampant racism and sexism that were so accepted at the time. “ One of my favorite lines: “Amoral, vacuous, meaningless, exploitative–sure. And? Was this virility not what America embraced?”

For this book, it is now the 60s, and rather than taking place mostly in Washington, Charlie and Margaret are tasked by Attorney General Robert Kennedy to investigate a potential threat to both his brother’s presidency and also the nation’s security. Charlie and Margaret go to Los Angeles, where their investigation centers on Frank Sinatra, a close friend of President John F. Kennedy and a rumored buddy of mob figures including San Giancana and his cronies.The male members of the Rat Pack are incredibly racist and sexist and Margaret, holder of a PhD in Zoology, was “… increasingly reminded of her 1940s fieldwork observing chimpanzees “

There are lots of boozy late-night adventures with Sinatra and the rest of the Rat Pack, but once a dead body turns up in the trunk of their rental car, things start to take a darker turn. Famous names are everywhere, including Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Shirley Maclaine, and L. Ron Hubbard and his new Church of Scientology. In a line referencing Sinatra and his pals that seems equally applicable to the current political climate, Charlie muses that “...being a sociopath didn’t mean an absence of charisma.”

As real events such as the Academy Awards ceremony happen, someone near and dear to Margaret has gone missing, so she and Charlie need to step up the pace of their investigation. It’s a fast-paced story, and packed with real events and names of real people. It’s heavily researched, with complete citations for research sources at the end. It’s very entertaining, and for some it may be a bit depressing. As Sinatra notes, “Bad men exist ad worse men carry out their orders–and the rest of us avert our eyes.” The source of the title is Sinatra’s next line, spoken when they are at his compound in Rancho Mirage (Palm Springs area), “Everyone comes out here to dance with the devil, and the devil may dance. That’s what they should have up there on that hill, instead of [bleep]ing Hollywood.”

Thanks to Little, Brown and Co and NetGalley for my advance copy in exchange for this review. Solid and a good example of Jake Tapper’s research skills and attention to detail.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book.
I admire Jake Tapper as a journalist. He carried his research and writing skills over to this novel. I did not read the first but had no difficulty understanding Charlie and Margaret. I am from the era of the ratpack and was pretty familiar with the story. The author carefully researched the era and the characters. The fiction part was mostly believable.
The first part which set the stage got pretty draggy but once the action started, it moved right along.

The Devil May Dance, Jake Tapper’s historical non-fiction follow up to The Hellfire Club, takes the reader to the early-1960’s where Congressman Charlie Marder gets entangled in the dirty Hollywood underbelly. Charlie, and his wife Margaret, go from hanging out with The Rat Pack to investigating mob activities, the church of scientology and seedy parties where Hollywood elites engage in acts of depravity.

The book starts slow, feeling like the focus is on trying to name drop as many 1960’s celebrities, politicians, and mobsters as possible, as if there’s an over/under in Vegas and the author bet the over. Meanwhile, there are several plot lines going on that don’t have an obvious tie and it feels disjointed for the first half of the book. In addition, the reader is expected to believe a Congressman and his wife would be asked to agree to an undercover investigation, going up against dangerous and powerful forces without much backup. These issues resulted in having a difficult time getting into the story.

Thankfully, the book picks up in the second half with a clear purpose that ties everything together with a nice, neat conclusion. Combined with good writing, great research and the fun feeling of being a part of Frank Sinatra’s entourage, The Devil May Dance becomes salvageable as a solid, not spectacular piece of historical non-fiction that will appeal to those with a sense of nostalgia for the good old days.

If you are from the Rat pack era you will truly enjoy this novel. Sinatra, Law ford, Dean, ,and the Kennedy's. A little of history and of course suspense. A few murders, sex trafficking, and Marilyn Monroe!! Very enjoyable!!!

Many thanks to the continued approval from Little, Brown and Company and NetGalley for advanced copies!

This is the sequel to The Hellfire Club, which I read and greatly enjoyed. Charlie and Margaret find themselves in LA, where they are needed to investigate a threat to the security of the presidency and the U.S. Before long, they encounter the seedy underbelly of Hollywood in the 60’s meet foes from the stage to the Church of Scientology. The writing is clear and the fast-paced plot makes this easy and enjoyable to burn through. Jake’s deep knowledge of politics shines and I look forward to reading more from him.