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When a wealthy Toronto business man is found tortured and murdered in a hotel room, his 22 year old stepdaughter, Fiona Dalton, must help police find the killer. Forced at the age of 16 into the adult entertainment industry by her own mother, Scarlet Rose; a washed-up alcoholic burlesque queen from the 1960s, Fiona navigates her way through the dark recesses of her family's history, uncovering shocking secrets that threaten to destroy her. All the while her mother becomes fixated on the only thing that truly matters to her: getting her hands on her dead ex-husband’s money.
Read the first chapter at www.juliamadeleine.com and visit me at www.malefictattoos.com
Advance praise for Scarlet Rose:
"Never before have the dark corners of Canada's night life and welfare underbelly been spelled out with such enticing sensitivity. The addition of a character based on real life murderer Dennis Howe deepens the intrigue to a frightening level. Comparable to the Oprah book club novel White Oleander by Janet Fitch, in this twisted tale of familial deceit it doesn't get any better. As a debut novel one has to marvel at the author's attention to detail and ability to write in such a personal manner. Scarlet Rose is both a tantalizing tale and a dramatic heartbreaker."
-Reviewed by Alex Hutchinson author of "Virgin Gloves"
"In SCARLET ROSE, one mother's insidious poison leds to a fatal conclusion. Julia Madeleine takes you backstage at a burlesque hall and into the lives of adult children struggling with their dysfunctional family history. As a dancer, Scarlet Rose was phenomenal; as a mother, she was toxic. Told from the viewpoint of her damaged adult daughter Fiona, the story tosses you back and forth between anger and empathy. Fiona's futile longing to earn her mother's love and approval, will break your heart. SCARLET ROSE is an absorbing, fast-paced read."
-Reviewed by Diane Fanning author of "OUT THERE" and six other true crime books from St. Martin's Press
"Scarlet Rose is human drama at its very best as portrayed through the lives of one dysfunctional family. From a young stripper to her dependent mother and a father who is murder to his out -of -control daughter, we are shown how our actions in life truly impact those around us and how our past is never far behind us. Julia Madeleine creates each character and then delves into their psyches to show us exactly what motivates each person’s behavior and this in turn makes us care for the characters and be able to identify with them. Madeleine’s writing style is hypnotic and captures the reader from the very first page. Not only is this an absorbing mystery but a lesson for our lives."
-Reviewed by Mary Menzel at www.allthesebooks.com
“Canadian author Julia Madeleine’s debut novel, Scarlet Rose, reveals a seamy side of Toronto that many Torontonians may not even know exists and others will deny . . . It’s a story that begins and ends in violence and lingers in between with all of the attributes of a classic noir novel . . . In Madeleine’s dark story there are no master detectives, super sleuths, or forensic specialists – only a 22-year-old stepdaughter, Fiona Dalton, earlier forced into exotic dancing by her mother, and now searching for the psychotic killer of her beloved stepfather, wealthy glad-hander and good timer, Charlie Reynolds . . . Through the recollections and reminiscences of different characters Madeleine provides some relief for the bleakness of their lives. But for most of them, even the party loving Charlie whose mother “abandoned [him] like some hobby she didn’t have time for,†real life is lived on Toronto’s seamier side, Charlie’s even more so as it turns out. A characteristically noir novel, Scarlet Rose, is first-class in its genre. But be aware. As good as it is, it ain’t no cozy.â€
- Reviewed by M. Wayne Cunningham for Mysterious Reviews www.mystery-books.com/
"Author Julia Madeleine has written an edgy debut that grips with compassion and greed. This book establishes her not only as a practitioner of the mystery genre but a storyteller of insight, a writer who can set out a life path and make the reader eager to follow it. . . The dialogue is lean and brings colour to the blunt reality Fiona lives in. Relationships are drawn with crude truth and frame the touching reality that love can flourish in a dynamic of greed, lies and revenge. Buried secrets fester and erupt with a furious pain, forcing acceptance that another person's money can't buy happiness. Madeleine weaves these sordid truths into a story that's hard to put down. A debut that is both raw and satisfying, with writing that compels the reader to want more.
-Reviewed by Don Graves, Hamilton Spectator
"In her debut novel, Julia Madeleine has assembled an interesting cast of needy characters in a suitably dark setting. Enter the world of Fiona Dalton: where child becomes parent; where manipulation is currency; where nothing is quite what it seems and no-one is really who (or what) they appear to be. One thing is certain: Fiona's stepfather Charlie has been murdered. While who murdered him may seem clear early on (or does it?), unravelling why and how will take longer. What are the secrets in Fiona's life and will her mother ever take responsibility? While I found aspects of this story predictable, I was swept up by Ms Madeleine's descriptive prose. I was engaged, enraged and sometimes outraged by her characters and kept turning the pages wondering exactly how this story would end. Well, the book came to an end but aspects of the story are still active in my imagination. I want more." -Reviewed by Jennifer Cameron-Smith, Amazon Top 100 Reviewer
“Julia Madeleine’s debut book is at times disturbing and unforgiving and throughout un-put-downable. . . SCARLET ROSE shows a flair for the craft of mystery and an elegance in storytelling. I look forward to more.†-Reviewed by Jon Jordan, Crimespree Magazine