Author: Ruta Sepetys
Publisher: Speak
Year published: 2013
Pages: 346
Josie Moraine was a daughter of a prostitute named Louise. She had never known her father and her name was based on a popular madam's name. But not like her mother, Josie was a smart and strong-willed girl so that when her mother decided to join Willie's brothel in French Quarter, New Orleans, Josie easily caught Willie's eyes and quickly became the apple of her eye.
Ten years after, Josie had transformed to become a beautiful, clever and independent 17-year-old young woman. She lived in a bookstore owned by the Marlowe family and worked there while in the morning, she did cleaning at Willie's. However, Josie's dream was to leave New Orleans and pursue a higher education--a dream which everyone laughed at.
One day, she met a guy named Forrest Hearne, a star football player. Surprisingly, Mr. Hearne understood Josie's dream and encouraged her to pursue it. The encounter left deep impression to Josie
so that she was very surprised when she found out that Mr. Hearne had been killed not long after that. What surprised Josie more was the fact that she found Mr. Hearne's watch in her mother's room. Josie thought that maybe her mother and her boyfriend, a mafia named Cincinnati, had something to do with the murder.
Josie was now caught between the murder investigation which could ruin the business in French Quarter, the possibility that she herself would be suspected, and her dream of going to college and leave New Orleans.
