First published 2014
Spring 1959 finds Marilyn Monroe at her peak, yet hollow inside. Fame has made her forget her own desires beyond the world's endless wanting. One wish remains: meeting her real father. Alexei Lazarey appears with an answer. Ten years earlier, he discovered her starving at Schwab's and built her into America's biggest star. Now he wants payment. He shows her a photo of her father and promises a reunion, but first she must fly to Chicago on assignment. Her target is Jack Kennedy, the likely Democratic nominee. She must uncover his secrets. Marilyn expects another boring seduction, using her appeal to extract information. But Kennedy proves different. Their connection runs deeper than her usual games. As she digs into his life, she realizes Alexei's plan reaches far beyond her personal quest. What began as a daughter's search for her father becomes something darker. The consequences threaten her, Kennedy, and the entire country.
Genres: historical-fiction, 20th-century, american, biographical-fiction
Vibes: emotional, intimate, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Chicago, Schwab's
Period: 1959, Spring 1959, Ten Years Earlier
400 pages · Kindle Edition · Hachette Books