Over the course of Labor Day weekend, Fred, a dollar-a-day quarryman in the Veterans Work Program, becomes involved with three young women. Blonde co-ed Cindy offers him sex in exchange for playing the fall guy in a bank job. Her best friend Ella, a German Jew and fervent Communist, has a terrible secret she will do anything to protect, displaying an aptitude for deception and violence. Local girl Bernice Mae is infatuated with Fred, but when he falls for Cindy, she accepts an illicit invitation from his brutal rival. The arrival of a monster hurricane brings death for many and opportunity for some.
"Veterans Key" is based on actual events. It is set in the Florida Keys, with major excursions to period Havana, New York and Miami. The novel is a deep dive into Depression-era America, its prejudices, politics, poverty, crime, technology and humor. Central are the “Forgotten Men,” World War I veterans who never readjusted to civilian life, a large proportion afflicted with battle trauma and now relegated to federal relief camps. Many of the characters are real, their actions and in some cases their words taken from historical records. All behave plausibly. The literary style borrows from the edgy films and fiction of the 1930s with such stock characters as sassy dames, tough guy gangsters, dogged lawmen and sweet ingénues.
Blurbs:
“This compellingly readable book is all the more remarkable for its profound erudition.”
—Rhodri Jeffreys-Jones, Emeritus Professor of American History at the University of Edinburgh, author of “The Nazi Spy Ring in America” (2020)
“Bareford’s outstanding debut integrates a riveting story of political intrigue into the genuine historical events and social tensions of post-WWI America . . . Takeaway: Exciting, immersive political thriller that blends historical fact and fiction. Comparable Titles: Ken Follett, Frederick Forsyth.”
—BookLife Reviews
“Readers may appreciate the nods to Hemingway’s ‘To Have and Have Not’. There is no ‘predictable’ here, only the sheer joy of an original work that commands your attention on its own terms. Highly recommended!”
—Chanticleer Reviews
“. . . Bareford skillfully weaves in real history about such things as veterans’ camps and the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane, and he expounds upon them in engaging notes at the end that give the eventful plot a pleasing sense of real-world consequence.”
—Kirkus Reviews
