Liars in Paradise

With five days to clear her partner’s name after a horrific crime, private detective Ginny Dugan infiltrates a cultish secret society on Long Island’s Gold Coast in this champagne-soaked followup to Glitter in the Dark.

New York City, 1925. A night of high-stakes gambling at the Empire Club ends in gunfire and Jack Crawford is found at the center of the carnage—covered in blood, gun in hand. The club’s ruthless owner offers Jack an ultimatum: find the real shooters within five days, or die for their crimes.

Ginny Dugan hasn’t known Jack long, but as his partner in their detective agency, she needs to believe she’s trusted the right man this time. Their only lead is Lila, the sole survivor of the massacre. They follow her to a queer dance hall in Glen Cove, a Long Island Gold Coast town whose glittering summer estates now stand empty in the November chill. Among those who knew Lila, one name keeps surfacing: Echelon, a seductive society where fortune is promised to those who surrender everything. Convinced the answers they seek lie within, Ginny and Jack infiltrate its ranks, where they encounter silent masked attendants, serpents sliding over bare skin, and members who seem to know more than they should—especially about Jack.

As the body count climbs and Jack’s past resurfaces in unsettling ways, Ginny begins to doubt everything: her instincts, her partner, even her own reality. Maybe she was never in control. Maybe she was brought here to play someone else’s game.

Excellent . . . Possessing the same dark glamour and immersive period detail as its predecessor, this proves Lyuzna has the goods.”
―Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Lyuzna’s characters are flawed but relatable, striving to do what is good and right in the present while struggling with demons from the past. The plot is complex and intricate. Shifting loyalties and psychological manipulation in this story will keep readers wondering what comes next.”
―Library Journal

Lyuzna does a great job of exploring power dynamics and the true definition of freedom. Ginny’s struggles and growth throughout the novel are realistic and relatable. The mystery is the draw, but the complex women in this novel really shine.”
―Booklist

Lyuzna will leave you gasping with her twists.”
―Nekesa Afia, author of the Harlem Renaissance Mystery series

Olesya Lyuzna is the author of the Ginny Dugan Mysteries, a queer, female-driven noir series set in the glittering shadows of the Jazz Age. She lives in Toronto, where she spends her free time hosting murder mystery parties, haunting old movie theatres, and scouring the archives for unsolved crimes. She knows better than to trust a charming stranger. But she always does.