In this debut historical mystery, an intrepid reporter traces a kidnapping victim from Harlem speakeasies to the dazzling world of the theater, all while grappling with a forbidden passion.

Ambitious advice columnist Ginny Dugan knows she’s capable of more than solving other people’s beauty problems, but her boss at Photoplay magazine thinks she's only fit for fluff pieces. When she witnesses the kidnapping of a famous singer at Harlem’s hottest speakeasy, nobody takes her seriously, but Ginny knows what she saw—and what she saw haunts her.

Guilt-ridden over her failure to stop the kidnappers and hard-pressed for cash to finally move out of her uptight showgirl sister’s apartment, Ginny resolves to chase down the truth that will clear her conscience and maybe win her a promotion in the process. She manipulates a brooding detective into a reluctant partnership and together they uncover a sinister plot that pulls them into the dazzling yet dangerous world of the Ziegfeld Follies. Meanwhile, Ginny grapples with a secret of her own—she's fallen for Gloria Gardner, the star of the show. In the Roaring Twenties, their love isn't just scandalous; it’s illegal.

But when a brutal murder strikes someone close to her, Ginny realizes the stakes are higher than she ever imagined. This glamorous world has a deadly edge, and Ginny must shatter her every illusion to catch the shadowy killer before they strike again.

Olesya Lyuzna's profile page

Olesya Lyuzna is a historical fiction writer with a passion for queer noir. Her debut novel Glitter in the Dark was selected for a 2020 Pitch Wars mentorship by Layne Fargo and Halley Sutton. She lives in Toronto and spends her free time hosting murder mystery parties and scouring the archives for unsolved crimes.

Glitter in the Dark is an incredible debut novel. Lyuzna's meticulous affection for the Prohibition is clear in every word. Wrapped beneath the sparkly cover is a compelling mystery with an intriguing cast of characters, and Ginny Dugan is the heart of it. Ginny is a total spitfire: a true, complex lead. Lyuzna will leave you gasping with her twists. Glitter in the Dark is not to be missed. —Nekesa Afia, author of the Harlem Renaissance Mystery series

What Taylor Jenkins Reid did for Old Hollywood with her indomitable Evelyn Hugo, Olesya Lyuzna does for the irrepressible Ginny Dugan in Glitter in the Dark. Ginny is my favorite kind of heroine—a smart woman with a good heart who makes plenty of bad decisions—and I hope she's back for 20 more books! Lyuzna's prose is razor-sharp, and she immerses the reader in Roaring ’20s New York, full of hot jazz, Ziegfeld stunners, and murder most foul. I can't remember the last time I was this excited about a debut! —Halley Sutton, USA Today bestselling author of The Hurricane Blonde

This debut turns back the clock with authentic detail and sharply drawn characters and a strong sense of violence and lawlessness.—FirstCLUE