Tamarind: Vaudeville - Tamarind Universe, #2

Before it was simply The Tam, it was the grandest hotspot in Little Neck Falls—and the wildest criminal crossroads of 1926.

Looking back from the vantage point of eighty-three years, Elizabeth Sullivan remembers the peak of the Prohibition era when the historic Tamarind Theatre wasn't just hosting high-stepping vaudeville acts. Behind the velvet curtains, a massive, nationally networked mob syndicate was pulling the strings, running illegal booze, and paying off the local "owner" to keep their corporate cover intact.

But small towns are never simple.

When a clueless, small-time local bootlegger decides he wants a piece of the action, he tries to muscle his way onto the marquee—entirely unaware he's stepping into a ring with a mammoth criminal empire. Throw in a local racketeer and his two crooked cops running a competing protection scheme, and the stage is set for an absolute circus of frontier malfeasance.

Enter Skids Sullivan, a quick-witted paperboy completely infatuated with Dixie Fontaine, the theater's dazzling young club singer. When a comedy of errors leads to Dixie being snatched by a pair of bumbling teenage kidnappers working for the wannabe bootlegger, a frantic, multi-sided chase explodes across the county.

The private eye agency run by Dixie's formidable aunt is hot on the trail. The syndicate owners are racing to crush their amateur competition. And poor, lovesick Skids is throwing everything he's got into the rescue. But as the chasing parties converge on the hideout, they discover the ultimate twist: the captive cabaret star has already drunk her captors under the table, tied them up, and completely taken control of the stage.

Rich with historical flair, snappy Southern-tinged wit, and a heartfelt romantic arc that bridges a lifetime, Vaudeville is a raucous, highly illustrated historical comedy where the curtains are raised, the stakes are wild, and the lady always calls the final shots.