GROUP B BOOKS 2023-2024: 10 Nominated books. Vote for no more than 5.

B7 Type: Literary Mystery November Road by Lou Berney, 2018 / MVLC: 27

Basics · Protagonist: Frank Guidry, a loyal street lieutenant to New Orleans mob boss Carlos Marcello, is now on the run because he knows too much about the assassination of JFK. · Briefly: There is suspense as he is pursued by fellow gangsters, but surprising changes as he meets, assists, and becomes involved with a woman-in-need along the way. · Setting: November 1963, on the road between Oklahoma and Las Vegas, and beyond. · Context: This is one of two standalones by the author in addition to a three book series about a grand theft auto con man, now out of prison, trying to turn is life around. Berney likes the dilemma of the offender who is trying to do the right thing. · % of Amazon readers giving 5-star ratings: 48% · Combined % of Amazon readers giving either 4 OR 5-star ratings: 83% · Total all Amazon ratings this book: 3,459 Long Form Frank Guidry’s luck has finally run out. A loyal street lieutenant to New Orleans mob boss Carlos Marcello, Guidry has learned that everybody is expendable. But now it’s his turn – he knows too much about the crime of the century: the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Within hours of JFK’s murder, everyone with ties to Marcello is turning up dead, and Guidry suspects he’s next. With few good options, Guidry hits the road to Las Vegas, to see an old associate – a dangerous man who, maybe, hates Marcello enough to help Guidry vanish. Guidry knows that the first rule of running is “don’t stop,” but when he sees a young housewife on the side of the road with a broken-down car, two little girls, and a dog in the back seat, he sees the perfect cover for his escape from the hit man on his trail. Posing as an insurance man, Guidry offers to help Charlotte reach her destination, California. If she accompanies him to Las Vegas, he can help her get a new car. For her, it’s more than a car – it’s an escape. She’s on the run too, from a stifling existence in small-town Oklahoma and a husband who’s a hopeless drunk. It’s an American story: two strangers meet to share the open road west, a dream, a hope – and find each other on the way. Charlotte sees that Frank is open-minded and kind; he discovers that she’s smart and witty. He learns that she’s determined to give herself and her daughters a new life; she can’t know that he’s desperate to leave his old one behind. Another rule: fugitives shouldn’t fall in love, especially with each other. A road isn’t just a road, it’s a trail, and Guidry’s ruthless and relentless hunter is closing in on him. But now Guidry doesn’t just want to survive, he wants to really live, maybe for the first time. Everyone’s expendable, but now Guidry can’t just throw away the woman and children he’s come to love. And it might get them all killed! -------- This book, a literary mystery, won top awards in 2019, as you can see below. I have not read it, and I'm relying on the incredible awards. To me, it does look interesting and worth a chance. –Dick Awards for this Book § 2018 Hammett Prize § 2019 Anthony Award for Best Novel § 2019 Barry Award for Best Novel § 2019 Lefty Award for Best Mystery § 2019 Macavity Award for Best Mystery § 2020 Steel Dagger Award § Finalist 2019 Thriller Award for Best Novel § Finalist 2020 Barry Award for Best Novel of the Decade § Finalist 2020 Gold Dagger Award