Review: Blind Tiger

Blind Tiger by Sandra Brown
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

3.5 stars 

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. 

“You'll thank me later.” He produced a pistol from the pocket of his coat, put it beneath his chin, and pulled the trigger. 

It's 1920, Laurel's husband made it back from the war, at least physically, but there's little work to be had and they have a new baby to support. When he says he's found work with his father, they pack up and head out. Except the father wasn't expecting them and Laurel's husband commits suicide in front of her. Her father-in-law, Irv, offers her to stay with him but he lives in a shack a couple miles from town. He's the handyman of the town and that helps to persuade him to rent a house in town but Laurel knows they'll need to bring in more money. When Irv is forced to reveal his little moonshine business to Laurel, she plans to pair it with her bakery delivery and expand the business. 

She looked beyond him at the glow of the fire. “You camp out here?” 

“Damn, girl. Wha'd'ya think? I'm making whiskey.” 

Thatcher survived the war and is trying to make his way back to his mentor and the ranch he grew up on. When he has to jump from a train early to avoid some other hobos that didn't like losing their poker winnings to him, he comes upon a small shack. He's instantly drawn to Laurel but thinking she is married, just takes his drink of water and continues into town. There he gets accused of taking the town doctor's wife and has the whole town suspicious of him, except for the Sheriff. They can't pin the doctor's wife's disappearance on him, no matter how hard the doctor and the town mayor try to, and with news that his mentor has died, Thatcher gets roped into being deputized by the sheriff and the moonshine wars that are ramping up. 

“I hope it doesn't turn into a bloodbath, Bill. But a war between moonshiners isn't my fight, and I'm staying out of it.” 

The sheriff held his gaze for several seconds. “We'll see.” 

Blind Tiger was a slow burn of a suspense story that had a compelling moonshine plot during the time of Prohibition. The romance was a little weaker, I'm not sure I completely felt the deep connection between Laurel and Thatcher, they had an insta-lust/love vibe and it took to around 40% before the romance really got addressed and ramped up some. This is a story that takes time to build and mature, the last 20% is where the action takes place. Each side character is built with care and they all serve a purpose but that purpose is in service of the moonshine plot, you want to show up for that and less for the romance. 

He dropped his voice so she'd have to listen really close to his last part, because it was an ultimatum of his own. “But if you genuinely don't want me coming at you again, be careful you don't dare me.” 

The first half feels a little slow with the crafting of the setting, the town and the people's dynamic in it, the question of what happened to the doctor's wife, and the three competing moonshiners, the mayor and his smarmy partner Landry, the hillbilly Johnsons, and Laurel's building business. There's a little of Laurel and Thatcher starting to be on opposite sides as Thatcher gets roped in by the sheriff but, for the most part, it's all more about the building tension about to come to a head than actual on opposite sides between the two. The romance wasn't as captivating as the moonshine plot. I loved all the research details the author included, possible spies working for the Anti-Saloon League, talking about corn liquor and the process of how to make it, and even mentioning boll weevils and how they destroyed crops during this time, making people turn to moonshining even more. These additives and others set the time period and I felt the depression of the time and helped to put me in the setting. 

“Does this speakeasy have a name?” 

“Blind Tiger.” 

As I said, you'll want to prepare for a slow burn suspense, a beginning that takes its time crafting the setting and characters, less focus on the romance, but then an ending that ramps up the pace and delivers on all those building tensions. There's also a brutal rape scene that some might want to prepare for that happens to a secondary character and two surprising revelations that change some characters' profiles. The 1920s vibe, moonshine business details, and the ties and binds that threaded the characters together, made this a compelling read. I'll be on the lookout for more books in this time period.

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