I received a free advance e-copy of this book and have chosen to write an honest and unbiased review. I have no personal affiliation with the author. This is an extremely well written piece of historical fiction about a fascinating time in our history with a great plot and excellent character development. Alisa Smith is a great storyteller. This is a story of Prohibition gangsters, the ‘Clockwork Gang,’ who are notorious bank robbers and also a story of WW II code breakers. It is told from two different points of view; that of the gangster’s girlfriend, Lena, who escapes the gang and becomes a proficient code breaker and also from the point of view of the accountant, a member of the gang, who is in love with Lena from a safe distance. ‘Speakeasy’ is action packed with twists and turns, full of thrills and suspense. I couldn’t put it down. It drew me in right from the start. Lena is constantly looking over her shoulder afraid that someone will discover her past and report her to the authorities and she will be sent to prison. She is proficient at language and breaking codes and has become one of the top ranking women in a Canadian unit of code breakers during WW II. I can’t wait to read the sequel as I’m left with several unanswered questions. This is a great story and well worth the read and I look forward to reading more from Alisa Smith in the future. ( )

3 stars
Lena Stillman has a knack for languages and breaking codes. These gifts have led to her being the top ranked woman in Canada's Examination Unit during WWII.
However, Lena's hiding from her past. Lena was a member of The Clockwork Gang, notorious bank robbers.
In the beginning it's difficult to make out who's "talking", and it's not due to the shifts between the past and present. However, once Lena's introduced into the gang it becomes easier.
I don't think I've ever read anything set during WWII from a Canadian point of view. It was certainly different.
To my thinking, this is one of the last time periods when an ordinary person could effectively disappear, re-create themselves elsewhere, and pull it off. That ability plays into several of the unanswered questions I had at the end of SPEAKEASY.
Lena is strong and independent now. The war offered many women unique opportunities and Lena steps up to grab them with both hands. Given her past and present situation I felt there were things she should have sussed out sooner, but that was a minor distraction as we all have our weaknesses. This may be something she'll overcome in future books.
SPEAKEASY reads and ends in a way that suggests at least one more book.
Right now I'm of two minds about that, but curiosity will likely lure me to follow where Lena leads.
Reviewed for Miss Ivy's Book Nook Take II ( )

Lena is a code breaker. She broke the code which helped win the battle of Midway. But….she has a past. She was once involved with a famous bank robber, Bill Bagley.

Lena is a unique woman for this time period. She is a code breaker, she lives alone, plus she drove a getaway car. She is also hoping her world does not fall down around her ears. She is the type of woman character I love. However, I felt a little distance from her. I wanted to “feel more” for her and her situation. See, Bill is her past with a bite. He is on death row but he is still taunting her from behind bars. I should have felt a better connection with her, it just wasn’t there.

This was just a so-so read for me. I had trouble in the beginning figuring out who the narrator was. Then I realized it was changing narrators in the middle of the chapters. Now, keep in mind, I was reading an ARC and this may not be corrected yet, or it may be exactly how it’s supposed to be. This was just confusing to me until I was used to it.

The story did keep me reading and the ending was the best part of the book. It ended with a cliff hanger and I can’t wait to see what happens next. And yes, the author is working on a sequel. ( )