Bass player Barton Coleman's death under mysterious circumstances at a New Jersey motel sparks a search for the true story behind the Philadelphia-based 1960s singing group SOS, the Sweethearts of Soul, in Lambright's light, heartwarming second novel (after 2001's The Justus Girls
). Black Music
magazine
reporter LaVerne "Legs" Diamond sets out to interview the four former members of SOS, all foster children who began singing in church and achieved stardom before the age of 18: ruthless Ruth Thomas, who's still performing; Addie Lights, the glamorous owner of Busy Bee Realty; Venus Jones, who once ran a bridal shop; and the elusive Brenda "Birdie" Wade. As the women talk to Legs about the men in their lives and the star-crossed loves of their talented children, the secrets of the past begin to unfold, despite attempts to keep a certain family secret under wraps. The interviews don't flow clearly from one to the next at first and the format renders the action rather distant, but the author—herself a member of a Philly girl group back in the '60s called the Sweethearts of Soul—presents an enchanting portrait of a place and time that will particularly appeal to readers who like uplifting tales about strong African-American women. Agent, Victoria Sanders at the Victoria Sanders Literary Agency. (Dec. 1)
