Book Review: The Bloody Shoe Affair

Joy York

I loved this one! At first, I thought, "Oh, no, another YA novel!" It was great, however. I was looking for a break from our healthcare issues, seeking a portal into another world and place. It took me back in time, to walk in another's shoes. It takes place in a small town in 1968, an interesting decade, for sure. It was clean, but fun, cute and tickled my fancy about young teens and their tribulations. The cover is a bit misleading, as it's not horribly gruesome or violent. It was a great mystery for teens, and the young-at-heart!

The character were funny, self-deprecating and fun. The jailhouse setting is interesting. It's based on her youth, as all good novels are. You need a germ of truth and reality, as the seed must be planted, and the reader has to buy into the premise.  I really enjoyed it!

The Bloody Shoe Affair <= read sample pages here
Of the inspiration for the characters, York says,“My cousin Julia was the rural county jailer’s daughter in the small town of Cullman, Alabama,” recalls York. “She was like the character Lily in my book in so many ways; she was beautiful, popular, vivacious, strong-minded, fearless and personable. I was a lot like the other character Christi, a late bloomer; I was kind of cute, tall, skinny, shy, awkward, scared of everything, and picked on by some of the popular kids in junior high school. When I visited Julia, she was always loving and wonderful and often got us into mischief. She would sneak into the jail to play checkers with the prisoners, bring them candy and Cokes, and play in the empty cells. Her house really was connected to the county jail.”

A graduate of Auburn University, Joy York worked in retail management for much of her career. York has been active in community relations and volunteerism, in addition to writing, throughout the years. She is a member of the International Women’s Writer’s Guild and the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, having been published in the Cleveland Plain Dealer. The Bloody Shoe Affair: A daring and thrilling adventure with the jailer’s daughter is the first title of the series.

Website: www.joyyork.com. Connect with the author on Facebook and Twitter.

The Bloody Shoe Affair: A daring and thrilling adventure with the jailer’s daughter can be purchased from Amazon and Barnes & Noble.