The Lives of Diamond Bessie
Jody Hadlock
(Author)
Description
The Lovely Bones meets the Wild, Wild West in this haunting tale of betrayal, revenge, and redemption inspired by the true story of a much-sought-after nineteenth-century prostitute who longs to return to respectable society-but instead endures the ultimate betrayal.
Product Details
Price
$16.95
$15.76
Publisher
Sparkpress
Publish Date
April 05, 2022
Pages
328
Dimensions
5.4 X 8.4 X 1.0 inches | 0.95 pounds
Language
English
Type
Paperback
EAN/UPC
9781684631179
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About the Author
Jody Hadlock's love of history goes all the way back to junior high, when she was a member of the Junior Historians of Texas--so it's no surprise her first novel is historical. She studied journalism at Texas A&M University and worked as a broadcast journalist and then in nonprofit public relations before turning her focus to fiction. She also writes screenplays and won the 2020 Dallas International Film Festival's screenplay contest. She lives in Colleyville, TX.
Reviews
2022 Global Book Awards Gold Medal in Women's Fiction
2022 Global Book Awards Silver Medal in Mystery (Historical Fiction)
2022 PenCraft Book Awards First Place Winner in Fiction (Supernatural)
2022 NYC Big Book Awards Distinguished Favorite in Paranormal Mystery/Thriller
2022 American Fiction Awards Winner in Cross Genre Fiction
2022 American Fiction Awards Finalist in Historical Fiction, Mystery/Suspense: Historical, and Women's Fiction
2022 Firebird Book Awards First Place Winner in Crime Fiction
2022 Firebird Book Awards Second Place Winner in Cross Genre
2022 Next Generation Indie Book Awards Finalist in Paranormal and Finalist in Suspense
"[A] genre-bending debut novel. . . . There's an impressive deliberateness in the way that Hadlock present her themes. . . The novel also skillfully uses foreshadowing to create a suspenseful atmosphere without giving the game away. . . . An often engaging and inventive character study."
--Kirkus Reviews "Drawing on a true story, Hadlock uses authentic period detail and well-drawn characters to pull readers into Annie/Bessie's precarious journey toward redemption, which comes to an unexpected ending. This affecting tale of a 19th-century American woman struggling to prove her worth other than as a marriage prospect leaves a lasting impression."
--Publishers Weekly "Hadlock's unvarnished, sympathetic portrayal makes Bessie's hardscrabble existence all the more heart-wrenching and transforms Bessie into a feminist heroine. The Lives of Diamond Bessie is a picaresque, a courtroom drama, and a ghost story rolled into one, celebrating the heart and soul of a woman done wrong."
-- Mark Beauregard, author of The Whale: A Love Story "Fast-paced, richly observed, and populated with vibrant characters, The Lives of Diamond Bessie is unputdownable."
--Adrienne Brodeur, author of the bestseller Wild Game: My Mother, Her Lover, and Me
2022 Global Book Awards Silver Medal in Mystery (Historical Fiction)
2022 PenCraft Book Awards First Place Winner in Fiction (Supernatural)
2022 NYC Big Book Awards Distinguished Favorite in Paranormal Mystery/Thriller
2022 American Fiction Awards Winner in Cross Genre Fiction
2022 American Fiction Awards Finalist in Historical Fiction, Mystery/Suspense: Historical, and Women's Fiction
2022 Firebird Book Awards First Place Winner in Crime Fiction
2022 Firebird Book Awards Second Place Winner in Cross Genre
2022 Next Generation Indie Book Awards Finalist in Paranormal and Finalist in Suspense
2022 IPPY Awards Bronze Winner in Historical Fiction
2023 IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards Finalist in Fiction: General
"[A] genre-bending debut novel. . . . There's an impressive deliberateness in the way that Hadlock present her themes. . . The novel also skillfully uses foreshadowing to create a suspenseful atmosphere without giving the game away. . . . An often engaging and inventive character study."
--Kirkus Reviews "Drawing on a true story, Hadlock uses authentic period detail and well-drawn characters to pull readers into Annie/Bessie's precarious journey toward redemption, which comes to an unexpected ending. This affecting tale of a 19th-century American woman struggling to prove her worth other than as a marriage prospect leaves a lasting impression."
--Publishers Weekly "Hadlock's unvarnished, sympathetic portrayal makes Bessie's hardscrabble existence all the more heart-wrenching and transforms Bessie into a feminist heroine. The Lives of Diamond Bessie is a picaresque, a courtroom drama, and a ghost story rolled into one, celebrating the heart and soul of a woman done wrong."
-- Mark Beauregard, author of The Whale: A Love Story "Fast-paced, richly observed, and populated with vibrant characters, The Lives of Diamond Bessie is unputdownable."
--Adrienne Brodeur, author of the bestseller Wild Game: My Mother, Her Lover, and Me
