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Al Capone at the Blanche Hotel by Linda Bennett Pennell – Review by Erin Wolf

Al Capone at the Blanche HotelAl Capone at the Blanche Hotel by Linda Bennett Pennell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I give Al Capone at the Blanche Hotel by Linda Bennett Pennell, 5 stars.

Liz teaches in college, her specialty is American crime. She is fascinated with Al Capone and his people. She decides to drop everything to follow her boyfriend across the country, landing a better job in the process. While doing research, she comes across the fact that Al Capone stayed in a hotel in a little town nearby. She has never heard of this, so she decides to do more digging. Little does she know just how much she will uncover and how much it just may affect her.

1930s, a boy witnesses something he should not have seen. At the same time, a man checks into a hotel under a name everyone knows isn’t his real name. Is this man responsible for the violence that has been occurring? Can the good people of this era figure out just what is really happening and save those who need help?

This book is incredible. Liz learns and grows so much from her move, new job, and her research. The stuff she uncovers is fascinating. The events and people of the past are also so intriguing. The author weaves the two eras together flawlessly. I could not put this book down once I started. I felt like I was part of the story, I felt so much for the characters. You learn so much about life in the past, but in a way that is fun.

I highly recommend this book to those who like to read a good story with strong characters.

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Review by @erinwolf79

Al Capone at the Blanche Hotel by Linda Bennett Pennell – Review by Jenni Bishop

Al Capone at the Blanche HotelAl Capone at the Blanche Hotel by Linda Bennett Pennell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Al Capone at the Blanche Hotel by Linda Bennett Pennell is a unique historical tale where we are taken back through and alternate between two time periods, 1930 and 2011. The story of Al Capone and the goings on at the Blanche Hotel and the way people where dealt with back in those times just broke my heart. Linda presented us with something that was both interesting and original and captivating. The story is full of suspense and danger, death and tragedy, angst and love.

Even though the story is supposed to be about Al Capone it was more about what happened in the town and other people and the evil doings of the KKK and law enforcement officers and the woman who went on the search for the truth. What this woman found was more than she ever expected.

Reviewed by @jennadb

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Al Capone at the Blanche Hotel by Linda Bennett Pennell – Review by Angela Hayes

Al Capone at the Blanche HotelAl Capone at the Blanche Hotel by Linda Bennett Pennell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

 

Al Capone at the Blanche Hotel by Linda Bennett Pennell exceeded all my expectations. This is my first read from Linda Bennett Pennell, so I really didn’t know what I would be in for. I was drawn to the book by its title, as I love all things crime related, and I’m a bit of a history buff too. I thought the story would make a great pallet cleanser between darker reads, which it definitely was- but it was also a surprisingly intriguing, and deftly woven story.
The author has created a complex story, visiting two different time periods, with several different characters, and choreographing the whole thing seamlessly. The multi-faceted story transitions from modern day back to the 1930’s- painting a rich and textured picture of the times. The characters are really well developed and very interesting. And I enjoyed how even though they were from vastly different times, they were connected by the same infamous character.
The authors love of the past, history, characters, and a great story- really shines through her writing- and I am really looking forward to seeing what she does next.

Thank you, Linda Bennett Pennell!

 

Reviewed by @angelahayes

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Al Capone at the Blanche Hotel by Linda Bennett Pennell – Review By Caralee Loonat

Al Capone at the Blanche HotelAl Capone at the Blanche Hotel by Linda Bennett Pennell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Al Capone at the Blanche Hotel By Linda Bennett Pennell
4 stars!!!!

I do like to read different genres sometimes and this really was a good change. I really like how the author uses the past and history to help to enrich the story. I felt that this really added to the story and what a story. I love history and this book really fit in well with that.

The way that the characters interact is unique. I like how Liz is able to use her love of history and especially crime in history. The whole way in which her study and research begins to tie into the story is just amazing. I could feel her emotions as she was researching. I felt the sort of let down when she couldn’t really tie Al Capone in. I certainly enjoyed reading this book and I would definitely read more from this author in the future.

Review by @caraleeloonat

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Al Capone at the Blanche Hotel by Linda Bennett Pennell – Review by Kerry Baker

Al Capone at the Blanche HotelAl Capone at the Blanche Hotel by Linda Bennett Pennell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Al Capone at the Blanche Hotel by Linda Bennett Pennell. This book is seeped in history and intrigue with a great crossover to modern day.
This is a story told in two separate times. The authors does a great job of jumping between the two time lines while keeping you invested in all the characters.
For me I found this book to be a slow build type of book. It didn’t instantly hook but either realising it the book crept up and grabbed my interest.
The story is full of detail and suspense. I really wasn’t sure at first if I would like it but I definitely enjoyed it. For anyone who likes this genre I would say to give this book a go!

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Al Capone at the Blanche Hotel by Linda Bennett Pennell – Review by Candida Hopper

Al Capone at the Blanche HotelAl Capone at the Blanche Hotel by Linda Bennett Pennell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Al Capone at the Blanche Hotel
by Linda Bennett Pennell

This book was so much more than I expected it to be. I think the author did an exceptional job weaving both the past storyline and the present storyline together. There was romance, suspense, danger and more. I was expecting Al Capone to be more of the main character but that’s not what how it was for me and yet it still worked so well, he was definitely still a big presence but in a different way than I expected. This really was intriguing throughout the entire book and I loved every minute. I was unable to put it down until I finished. This story is full of wonderful and interesting characters. I highly recommend this book.

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Al Capone at the Blanche Hotel by Linda Bennett Pennell – Review by Katie Kearney

Al Capone at the Blanche HotelAl Capone at the Blanche Hotel by Linda Bennett Pennell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Al Capone at the Blanche Hotel By Linda Bennett Pennell. I was so happy I picked this book up, from page one I knew I was in for quite the ride with this authors words. While this isn’t my normal reading genre I’m happy I took a leap of faith. The characters are complex and relatable each one Brings something unique to the story. And I truly cared about each individual character, sometimes side characters can end up being just that but this author did a wonderful job of writing each one. There’s a bit of mystery and suspense which really pulled me in. From start to finish I was hooked. I’m excited to see what else this author has to offer. Five stars all the way and highly recommend!

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Al Capone at the Blanche Hotel by Linda Bennett Pennell – Review by Sheri Schrader

Al Capone at the Blanche HotelAl Capone at the Blanche Hotel by Linda Bennett Pennell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Al Capone at the Blanche Hotel by Linda Bennett Pennell is a story set in both contemporary times and the 1930’s. The story starts with Jack Blevins witnessing a body being moved in Lake City, Florida at the Blanche Hotel. What has he seen and who is involved in this crime? Move forward to the Gainesville, Florida in 2011 and you have Liz Reams who is a historian interested in crime. Will she solve the mystery behind the summer of violence and Al Capone’s involvement.
I really enjoyed the time periods and locations introduced in this book. I am a fan of historical fiction and love stories from the early 20th century. This checked all my boxes. I enjoyed how the story unfolded and the characters were interesting. There is a bit of romance but not over the top. Overall, I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more from this author in the future.
Review by @sherimichelle1

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Al Capone at the Blanche Hotel by Linda Bennett Pennell – Review by Kari Anne Horstman

Al Capone at the Blanche HotelAl Capone at the Blanche Hotel by Linda Bennett Pennell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow! To say that I was engrossed from the first chapter would be an understatement! I love the way this book was given to us. It’s like we were experiencing the world with the characters, not reading the authors words. There are so many characters, so many threads, so much information…and to have it seamlessly wrap up at the perfect time in the perfect way without the ending being obvious-that’s the mark of a good writer. Incredible job. 5 stars.

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Al Capone at the Blanche Hotel by Linda Bennett Pennell – Review by Elizabeth Sanchez

Al Capone at the Blanche HotelAl Capone at the Blanche Hotel by Linda Bennett Pennell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Al Capone at the Blanche Hotel was not what I expected, but I loved it anyway. I was hoping for some intense mobster story, but instead what I got was much deeper. Linda Bennett Pennell wrote with such feeling, there were some scenes I was nearly tearing up. While the story is linked to Al Capone, it is not a story about him. It focuses more around complicated relationships in the 1930’s. Those between black and white friends, made complicated by the times. Lovers who are being torn apart due to mixed races. And people finding out who they truly are, deep down. I highly recommend this book, but I give caution, there is a graphic lynching scene, that had my stomach turning. The characters in this book are simple on the surface, but the more we dive in, the more we become in tune with their daily struggles. I look forward to reading more by this author.

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Review by @way2gosmartguy

Al Capone at the Blanche Hotel by Linda Bennett Pennell – Review by Anastasia Dodson

Al Capone at the Blanche HotelAl Capone at the Blanche Hotel by Linda Bennett Pennell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is my first book by this author and I thought it was an interesting one. It was a historical romance that had quite a bit of suspenseful moments tied into the story line. I really enjoyed reading about the Jack Blevins, his sister Meg, and Meg’s fiancé who is a sheriff’s deputy, and Liz Reams. They all had an extremely important role in the story and I was excited to see where things were headed. The story takes place in the 1930s when Al Capone checked into the Blanche motel. Why was he at this little motel in this small town? Why are there body’s dropping all around town? The story also tells about a present day woman and her search for the truth on what happend in that small unknown town in the 1930s.
I was pulled in the story until the very end and I was eager to see what was going to happen! This story was an interesting one and I am looking forward to reading more by this author.

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Al Capone at the Blanche Hotel by Linda Bennett Pennell – Review by Dawn Daughenbaugh

Al Capone at the Blanche HotelAl Capone at the Blanche Hotel by Linda Bennett Pennell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

5 Star
Al Capone at the Blanche Hotel by Linda Bennett Pennell is a wonderfully written historical romance that had me hooked from the beginning. I absolutely love Historical Romance and this one even has some suspense in it to.I love the storyline and how it alternates between the past and the present. Jack his sister Meg, Meg’s fiancé who just happens to be a deputy sheriff and Liz all play a part in this story. Al Capone checked in at the Blanch Hotel . But why was he there? What does Liz discover? Who is behind the body count in Lake City. The mystery and suspense had me on the edge of my seat at times.The characters are very well developed and easily relatable. Find out what happens next in this must read. I look forward to reading more from this Author.

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Al Capone at the Blanche Hotel By Linda Bennett Pennell – Review By Stacey Baxter

Al Capone at the Blanche HotelAl Capone at the Blanche Hotel by Linda Bennett Pennell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was really interesting read it had me hooked that’s for sure. I love how it was written from the past but also the present that is something I haven’t experienced very often which made it even more of an exciting read. I love reading a novel where you just get caught up within the story and lose sense of time it’s a magical feeling!

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Al Capone at the Blanche Hotel by Linda Bennett Pennell – Review by Katie Matthews

Al Capone at the Blanche HotelAl Capone at the Blanche Hotel by Linda Bennett Pennell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

 

Al Capone at the Blanche Hotel was a really great read. I was intrigued when I first read the blurb for the story, it sounded like something different to read – I have to be honest and say I was actually really surprised at how much I actually liked it. The authors writing was really good, my interest was captured from the beginning and was sustained the whole way through. I love historical romance books but this is the first time I have read one in this time period and I really liked it, it was interesting to read about a different time period. The author really brought the characters to life and I found I was fully immersed in their story. Although the story alternated between past and present the story was really easy to follow.
Overall I really enjoyed this story and would absolutely recommend it to other readers.

@katiem
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Al Capone at the Blanche Hotel by Linda Bennett Pennell – Review by Lucy Berson

Al Capone at the Blanche HotelAl Capone at the Blanche Hotel by Linda Bennett Pennell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Al Capone at The Blanche Hotel by Linda Bennett Pennell. This a new to me author but i saw this title and I absolutely knew that I had to read this book!!!! I have always been a HUGE fan of Al Capone. This book takes place in the 1930s when Al Capone stayed there. This book everything that I have always wanted to read about. I loved reading about how people lived in the 30s and also experience how the characters, Zeke, Jack and Meg, lived and what they went through.
I can not wait to see what the author has in store for us next!!!

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Al Capone at the Blanche Hotel by Linda Bennett Pennell – Review by Maura Harper

Al Capone at the Blanche HotelAl Capone at the Blanche Hotel by Linda Bennett Pennell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this story from the very first page. Told in dual time periods, the author does an amazing job going back and forth in a very seamless way. While each element is thoroughly explored and discussed, it is done in such a way that it never seems like it is dragged on.

This book is a fantastic read and I devoured it from cover to cover.

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Al Capone at the Blanche Hotel by Linda Bennett Pennell – Review by Liz Vrchota

Al Capone at the Blanche HotelAl Capone at the Blanche Hotel by Linda Bennett Pennell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was a new experience for me on several levels. For one, Linda Bennett Pennell is a completely new author to me. Secondly, I rarely choose to pick up historical fiction novels for the mere fact that sometimes I find myself bored with them. This was such a nice surprise on many levels as well. I was super thrilled to find a writer that wrote a historical fiction with a passion for it. It was evident in the storytelling and the details, the amount of work that went into making this book as authentic as possible while trying to keep the reader engaged and the story interesting. All this and more was found within the pages of Al Capone at the Blanche Hotel.

This book takes you all the way back to the 1930’s, but it keeps it relevant and here with the dual storyline being set in fairly current times. I connected with Liz, not just because we share names either lol, but because she was real and raw. I felt her emotions as she worked her way through the past and the present. I loved the supporting characters as well and they managed to never drown out what was going on. I can’t wait to see what else is available from Ms. Pennell now that I have found her. I hope whatever it is takes me away to somewhere far away and magical, much like this one. Go grab your copy, you won’t be sad that you did so! Happy reading!

Review by @lizaileen
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Al Capone at the Blanche Hotel by Linda Bennett Pennell – Review by Lisa Brydalski

Al Capone at the Blanche HotelAl Capone at the Blanche Hotel by Linda Bennett Pennell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Two young boys, Zeke and Jack, see a body dumped into a sinkhole in Lake City, Florida in the summer of 1930. Thus starts the book Al Capone at the Blanche Hotel by author Linda Bennett Pennell. Liz Reams is a teacher, writer and researcher, in 2011, with a penchant for bad boys, especially depression era gangsters like Al Capone. When she transfers to Gainesville, Florida to follow her boyfriend she stumbles upon the fact that Al Capone spent some time in Lake City in 1930 so she decides to do a little research and find out why old “Scarface” was in the area for an unusual amount of time. Liz gets drawn into the small town’s history and begins to unravel decades of hidden secrets centered on a violent summer where the KKK, lynching’s, prohibition, and deceit are in excess and where innocence is lost too soon.
This was an excellent book, which for all intents and purposes, is made up of two separate stories: the story of Jack and Zeke and the world they inhabit in the 1930’s South as well as Liz’s story centered in 2011 where her interest in the bad boy leads her to question just how she has been living her life. The author does a great job tying the two stories together and coming to a satisfying conclusion. My only issue is that it wasn’t longer. Thank you Ms. Pennell for a great story!

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Al Capone at the Blanche Hotel by Linda Bennett Pennell – Review by Heather Lovelace

Al Capone at the Blanche HotelAl Capone at the Blanche Hotel by Linda Bennett Pennell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I loved how the author wove her story through historical markers for cultural reference and added character. My history buff alter ego was incredibly appreciative! The characters were fascinating and the plot kept me engaged from beginning to end. All in all I thought this was a well written story. It felt authentic and moved well. I am thankful I picked this up and added it to my library.

Reviewed by @heatherlovelace
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Al Capone at the Blanche Hotel by Linda Bennett Pennell – Review by Bobbi Wagner

Al Capone at the Blanche HotelAl Capone at the Blanche Hotel by Linda Bennett Pennell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is my first book by this author, I enjoyed it with every page I turned. I was pulled in right from the first page. This story is written like it is two different stories, one in the past, Meg and the other in the present, Liz. This was done with ease and I didn’t get lost, I was able to keep up with the story. The characters are great, they made the story seem real. What will Liz learn about herself and will it change her forever? I highly recommend reading Liz and Meg’s stories.

Review by @bjwagner
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Al Capone at the Blanche Hotel By Linda Bennett Pennell – Review by Laura Furuta

Al Capone at the Blanche HotelAl Capone at the Blanche Hotel by Linda Bennett Pennell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Al Capone at the Blanche Hotel
By: Linda Bennett Pennell
5 out of 5 stars

The story Al Capone at the Blanche Hotel by Linda Bennett Pennell is a historical romance book that includes times of suspense. It is a story that pulled me in from the very beginning and didn’t let me go until I read the final page. It is a book that takes you back to a different period of time and you experience the way that life was. I really enjoyed reading about the characters of Jack Blevins, his sister Meg, Meg’s fiancé who is a sheriff’s deputy, and Liz Reams. They all have their own part to play in the story and I grew to care about each one. I cared about what happened to them. Mystery surrounds that fact that Al Capone checked into the Blanche Hotel which is in a little-known town. Why was he there? Who was behind the increasing body count in Lake City, 1930? What will Liz discover about that summer of violence? Read this book to find out. This story will have you turning pages to find out what happens next. There is also romance that occurs in the story, both in the past and the present. The story does have emotional scenes that made me feel sad and others that warmed my heart. Don’t miss out on an exciting book that you will not want to put down until you finish it. I highly recommend reading it.

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Al Capone at the Blanche Hotel by Linda Bennett Pennell

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Lake City, Florida, June, 1930: Al Capone checks in for an unusually long stay at the Blanche Hotel, a nice enough joint for an insignificant little whistle stop. The following night, young Jack Blevins witnesses a body being dumped heralding the summer of violence to come. One-by-one, people controlling county vice activities swing from KKK ropes. No moonshine distributor, gaming operator, or brothel madam, black or white, is safe from the Klan’s self-righteous vigilantism. Jack’s older sister Meg, a waitress at the Blanche, and her fiancé, a sheriff’s deputy, discover reasons to believe the lynchings are cover for a much larger ambition than simply ridding the county of vice. Someone, possibly backed by Capone, has secret plans for filling the voids created by the killings. But as the body count grows and crosses burn, they come to realize this knowledge may get all of them killed.

Gainesville, Florida, August, 2011: Liz Reams, an up and coming young academic specializing in the history of American crime, impulsively moves across the continent to follow a man who convinces her of his devotion yet refuses to say the three simple words I love you. Despite entreaties of friends and family, she is attracted to edginess and a certain type of glamour in her men, both living and historical. Her personal life is an emotional roller coaster, but her career options suddenly blossom beyond all expectation, creating a very different type of stress. To deal with it all, Liz loses herself in her professional passion, original research into the life and times of her favorite bad boy, Al Capone. What she discovers about 1930’s summer of violence, and herself in the process, leaves her reeling at first and then changed forever.

~ AMAZON ~

I have been in love with the past for as long as I can remember. Anything with a history, whether shabby or majestic, recent or ancient, instantly draws me in. I suppose it comes from being part of a large extended family that spanned several generations. Long summer afternoons on my grandmother’s porch or winter evenings gathered around her fireplace were filled with stories both entertaining and poignant. Of course being set in the American South, those stories were also peopled by some very interesting characters, some of whom have found their way into my work.

As for my venture in writing, it has allowed me to reinvent myself. We humans are truly multifaceted creatures, but unfortunately we tend to sort and categorize each other into neat, easily understood packages that rarely reveal the whole person. Perhaps you, too, want to step out of the box in which you find yourself. I encourage you to look at the possibilities and imagine. Be filled with childlike wonder in your mental wanderings. Envision what might be, not simply what is. Let us never forget, all good fiction begins when someone says to her or himself, “Let’s pretend.”

I reside in the Houston area with one sweet husband and one adorable German Shorthaired Pointer who is quite certain she’s a little girl.

AUTHOR INTERVIEW WITH LINDA BENNETT PENNELL

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