Florida Girls: A twisty historical thriller inspired by true events

She wanted a quiet life, something mafia-free. But that was never going to be Thelma Miles’s story. St. Petersburg, Florida, 1944. Thelma Miles can’t stand injustice. Broke and orphaned near the close of WWII, when the 18-year-old lands a coveted spot on the Florida Girls war bond tour, she believes she's escaped her criminal past. Until she discovers she's stepped into the mafia's lair. Her new boss Kathleen Young is obsessed with climbing the social ladder and only too happy to push Thelma into the oncoming train that is the Florida underworld. Until the former debutante gets caught in the headlamps. The tour is the first in a series of increasingly drastic missteps. They hotfoot it out of town for the national tour, but Tampa’s notorious crime boss soon surfaces. When he makes Thelma an offer she can’t refuse, the pair forms an unlikely alliance to prove that women can have it all. Between Thelma’s intermittent psychic premonitions and Kathleen’s terrifying determination, all they have to do is make it to the end of the tour without murdering anyone. Else. Without murdering anyone else. With its strong female characters, suspenseful plot, and meticulously researched historical setting, Florida Girls delivers a historic thriller brimming with moral ambiguity, class mobility, and chosen family themes, making for a satisfying, emotionally-resonant read. NYT-bestselling author Jane Heller says it's, a rollicking debut novel brimming with colorful characters, twists and turns and, at its heart, women who overcome different backgrounds form an unbreakable bond. If you love the immersive worlds of Beatriz Williams, the complex heroines of Kate Quinn, and the dark humor of Gillian Flynn’s psychological dramas, you will love the entire Queenpin Chronicles series.

© 2025 LILA Books (Audiobook): 9798349120824

Release date

Audiobook: 18 April 2025