Madame Mystique has everyone at the worlds fair on edge waiting for her arrival, and when she does what a spectacle it is. But most do not know the real reason she has come all the way from Italy. It is to get revenge on a man for the murder of her family. But than her cousin comes being chased by mobsters and will that derail all the original plan or can both problems still be dealt with?
This is a good book from the deep depression era that highlights the Chicago world’s fair, which seems to be the subject of late. But her characters are well thought out and are true to their mission. I love this time period and love how history of this era used in books. There is also plenty of suspense and action to please just about any reader, so I hope you all like it as much as I did.

Set across the glittering lights of Chicago’s World Fair, and the worst year of the depression. Rosa performs on the dicier side of the fair and her need for revenge is palpable on the page, but she is swept into the needs of another and through it all, they find peace. An original storyline for this setting! Engrossing!

Sinners of Starlight City by Anika Scott is an enthralling historical drama set during the 1933 Chicago World's Fair. The story revolves around Rosa Mancuso, also known as Madame Mystique, a performer seeking vengeance for the murders of her family in Mussolini's Italy. When her estranged cousin Mina, a new mother with a biracial baby, seeks her help against dangerous mobsters, Rosa finds herself facing not only her personal vendetta but also the responsibility of protecting her family. Scott's impeccable attention to historical detail, compelling action, and intricate family dynamics kept me fully engaged from start to finish. The book delves into themes of survival, belonging, and the complexities of identity, raising thought-provoking questions that resonated with me long after I turned the final page.

Sinners of Starlight City is a gripping tale of retribution, survival, and the search for identity. The book seamlessly weaves together action, historical context, and familial relationships, creating a captivating narrative that explores the complexities of self-definition and societal expectations. Anika Scott's meticulous research shines through, immersing readers in the vibrant atmosphere of the 1933 Chicago World's Fair. The well-developed characters, led by the determined and resilient Rosa, bring depth and relatability to the story. While the fast-paced nature of the plot and the multitude of characters may be overwhelming at times, they do not significantly detract from the overall enjoyment of the book. Sinners of Starlight City is an engrossing read that skillfully blends adventure, history, and the power of family bonds, leaving readers eagerly turning the pages.

Sinners of Starlight City takes place in and among the glitz and glam of the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair. Madame Mystique, aka Rosa Mancusco, has made a living entertaining spectators by combining racy shows with a side of magic. She’s come to America escaping Mussolini’s Italy and is seeking revenge for the the murders of her family. As it turns out, the very people responsible for the deaths are heading to the World Fair as part of an air show performed by a group of Italian pilots. Meanwhile, Rosa’s long-lost cousin Mina has come to her for help. She’s given birth to a premature biracial baby and has mobsters trailing her (including her own father).

So, lots going on in this one! I would say that this book felt like a historical fiction form of a beach read. There was lots of action, and it was interesting to learn more about the Chicago World Fair. I know it’s true that when incubators were first invented, they became part of shows such as this, and people would pay to the premature babies in the incubators. Such an interesting part of history that’s made its way into a few books that I’ve read. So fascinating! I could see this being made into a movie. It was pretty good!

It’s the worst year of the Great Depression, and America needs all the hope it can get. The Chicago World’s Fair, a glittery city-within-a-city, becomes a symbol of the good that’s yet to come. But every utopia has a seedy side—and that’s Rosa Mancuso’s world. As the mysterious Madame Mystique she mixes magic with a dose of bare skin burlesque, bringing customers to the home of the Fair’s carnival rides and spectacles. Rosa doesn’t perform for fame, though. She has come from Mussolini’s Italy to America, where she’s plotting her revenge for the murders of her family. The perpetrator will soon arrive at the World’s Fair via a celebrated Italian air fleet, and Rosa is determined to be prepared. But when her estranged cousin, Mina, comes to her desperate for help, with a dangerous mobster close on her heels, Rosa agrees to protect Mina and her new baby, born across the color line. With the clock ticking, Rosa decides the only way to survive is to make vengeance a family affair and prompt everyone to, at last, confront the sins from their pasts.

A gripping story of retribution, belonging, and survival, Sinners of Starlight City boldly explores the complexity of identities straddling ethnic lines as well as the complexities of family relationships. This is a gripping story that I kept reading and wanting to know how it would end. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for another book on the World's Fair from a very different standpoint of one of the performers.

Anika Scott's Sinners of Starlight City is a colorful drama set during and inside the 1933 Chicago World's Fair. The coming together of many characters - a dancer with a mysterious past, a young mother at risk of losing her child, mobsters good and bad, and fascist pilots, not to mention the fabulous cast of side characters belonging to the fair - makes for a tale with consistent action and many interwoven threads.

Rosa, the main character, has come to America from Italy but has not been able to leave her tragic past behind. When events conspire to bring her face to face with the perpetrator of that tragedy, she brings together a disparate group of people to carry out some creative retribution.

I'm interested in this time period but I haven't studied the fair at any length, and was surprised to learn about the enthusiastic reception given to Mussolini's pilots by Americans who, at that time, were not that well informed - or who chose to be ignorant - about what was going on in Europe.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher William Morrow for an advance copy of the novel set in the glitz and glitter of a World's Fair, while a country around the suffers, and revenge is not far away.

World's Fair or Expositions have probably something else that we will not see again. Pandemics, cost, uncertain economic rewards, cost as well as a general lack of wonder in people anymore have pretty much made the idea of showcases for a country passé. Is it on TikTok? Can I Uber around it? What's it Yelp score? Back in the day, World's Fair's were full of magic, majesty and a magnificant future scape of what could be possible. A cleaned up, gentrified, fantasy world showing what a city could be, not what it really was. Chicago's World's Fair offered a place where gangsters, hobos, and starving families didn't exist, though it took place during the worst of the Depression. A place where everything bad could be forgotten. Except for revenge. Sinners of Starlight City by Anika Scott is a story of family, vengeance, politics, race, dreams, and harsh reality set in the splendor of a Chicago dreamland.

The year is 1933, and the Great Depression is still ongoing making life miserable for many. Europe is started to slowly boil with countries falling to dictators, who are starting to make trouble. However the World's Fair is in Chicago and too many Americans it is a time to forget, see the sights, ride the rides and take in some daring shows. Madame Mystique is one of the more popular attractions, offering magic, and a little burlesque bringing all the boys to Mystique's yard. However Mystique is dancing for much more than money. Rose Mancuso aka Mystique wants revenge on those who helped murder her family in Italy, and knows that these members of the Fascist government will be coming to Chicago. And she is prepared to meet them, for the last time. However Mina, a cousin comes to Rose in trouble in more ways than one. Rose suddenly finds herself dealing with a lot more than assassination.

A very surprising story that went to lot of places I did not expect, but really enjoyed. Anika Scott writes about the Depression, Fascism, Italian politics, race relations, gangsters, politics, burlesque and much more. Scott is also very capable of sharing enough information and letting the story breathe, and at the same time adding both thrills, and problems for Rose to deal with. The characters are very good, and seem real. The research that Scott must have done is really in depth. The smells, the streets, the way people talked and acted, really very well done. Much more than a simple beach read, a book that really aims high, and delivers everything is asks itself.

Recommended for fans of Lisa Scottoline and Kate Atkinson, especially in subject matter and research. A very good book that is very absorbing and interesting. This is the first that I have read by Anika Scott, and I am looking forward to reading many more.

The 1933 Chicago World's Fair had something for everyone. For just a dime you could be amazed by a huge cinema, carnival rides and shows or the miracle of premie babies in an incubator. None of them caused more hoopla than the mysterious Madame Mystique who seemed to dance on water scantily clad in a rainbow of silk or silently arriving on a camel. Madame Mystique is really Rosa from Sicily and her true reason for being at the fair is to exact revenge for the killing of her entire family at the hands of a now famous Facist pilot. Once the squadron reaches the fair his luck will run out. Rosa's cousin Mina has her own reason for being at the fair. Just days before her newborn baby was stolen from her and left at the premie tent and her familie's goons are after her. She seeks out Rosa who agrees to hide her at the fair and get her baby back. Family justice Sicilian style blends with the unique circus family who are just as willing to put everything on the line for one of their own. THE GODFATHER meets WATER FOR ELEPHANTS for a fantastic story covering two countries and two generations of love and sacrifice outside the family guidelines. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.

Sinners of Starlight City is a beautifully written novel that takes place during the Chicago World’s Fair. The stories of each of the characters are woven together beautifully and the characters are complex and well written.

Set against the backdrop of the Chicago Worlds Fair, this action-packed book is hard to put down. Rosa Mancuso left Chicago for Sicily with her Italian mother after the death of her black father. She was raised in Sicily until her family was violently killed. Narrowly escaping, Rosa eventually returns to Chicago seeking revenge.

Known as Madam Mystique, Rosa is an exotic dancer. Her show at the fair is one of the most popular, and Rosa becomes a celebrity in her own right. However, her main reason for being in Chicago is still revenge.

When Rosa's cousin Mina comes to her begging for help, Rosa Can not turn her away. Mina has given birth to a biracial baby and her Chicago Mob family has decided the baby should be sent to an orphanage. Mina's father paid a mobster, named Danny, to hold Mina hostage until the baby was born. Can Rosa help Mina get her baby before Danny takes it to an orphanage?

Danny is, to me, one of the most interesting characters in the book. He grew up rough, and became a mobster, but has a very kind heart. He knows it is wrong to take Mina's baby. Can he help right this wrong without getting himself killed by the mob?

This book is full of interesting, well-developed characters. Scott's description of the fair makes me wish I could have been there. The sights, the sounds, and the scenery are brought to life as Mina tries to protect and keep her baby and Rosa seeks revenge against the one who killed her family. The story drives on toward an unexpected ending. (No spoilers here!).

This is a story you won't be able to put down.

Read this book if you...

...enjoy historical fiction

...enjoy suspense

...enjoy stories about the mob

This is beautifully set against the backdrop of the Chicago's World's Fair. It is a beautiful tale of family, love, magic, grief, and revenge.
I loved Rosa, how captivating and magical she was. But I also loved how strong and bold she was too.
There are a lot of intragal people who play a role within Rosa's life. But they all have their demons also.
Mina is strong willed and defiant. Dealing with a baby and the wrath of her family.
Danny is strong but also soft hearted. Helping everyone in multiple ways and fighting to create his own way away from the dangers of the "mob" family.
The families involved here are bold and dangerous.
We learn of Rosa's past and Paolo and how he plays a role in all of this. And the revenge that haunts her and keeps her going.
All of this is set against the background of the fair which has beauty and mystique. I love reading books about this time and wish I could visit it.
I also liked seeing a look into the first incubators and how that affected the world.

I was drawn in from the beginning of this book and just couldn't put it down.
It's a beautiful and heart wrenching story.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!