The Lola Quartet

February 27, 2012
Mandel (The Singer’s Gun) strikes a confident chord in her third novel. Ten years after graduating from a performing arts high school in Florida, the members of the Lola Quartet are far from the futures they imagined during their final jazz concert in school. Gavin, who fled south Florida’s stifling heat for New York, returns after losing his journalism job in disgrace to learn that he may be the father of a 10-year-old girl named Chloe. As he investigates Chloe and her mother’s whereabouts, he attempts to reconnect with his Lola friends, all coping with disillusion: Daniel has divorced twice; Jack and Sasha have succumbed to addiction. Gavin’s sentiment that “real people are so goddamn disappointing” not only explains his penchant for plagiarizing his articles but also applies to the adult lives of Mandel’s characters. The author again melds mystery plotting with literary techniques like shifting points-of-view, resulting in both sophistication and suspense; the mystery doesn’t quite pay off, but Mandel’s novel excels as a character study that considers the slow degradation of hopes, dreams, and expectations of people who are only in their late 20s but already feel ancient. Agent: Katherine Fausset, Curtis Brown.

Starred review from April 1, 2012

In her riveting third novel (following The Singer's Gun), Mandel evokes murky Florida suburbs and smoky New York jazz clubs. A loosely gathered high school jazz quartet unravels after graduation as the musicians go their separate ways. Ten years later, their uncertain paths may cross once again after youthful hopes and dreams are pushed aside by harsh, dangerous realities. The economic downturn, coupled with a host of erratic decisions, leads to lives of quiet desperation. The story is anchored by Gavin, who imagines himself to be a gumshoe detective while wilting in the Florida heat; his obsessive search for a former love propels the story forward. One of Mandel's gifts is her ability to drop nearly invisible clues as to how these four disparate lives might intersect once more. Her conclusion turns on a dime. VERDICT Evocative, intriguing, and complex, this novel is as smooth as the underbelly of a deadly, furtive reptile. Mandel's substantial fan base will rejoice; word of mouth will bring new fans on board.--Susanne Wells, Indianapolis

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2012
Mandel offers up her unique blend of literary character studies mixed with crime fiction in her third novel (The Singer's Gun, 2010). Gavin Sasaki is fired from the New York Star after he begins to fabricate quotes to punch up his stories. Shaken to the core by the loss of his job and the discovery that he has a child by his high-school girlfriend, Anna, Gavin, a film-noir fan, returns to Sebastian, Florida, to rebuild his life and get to know his daughter, Chloe. But finding Chloe proves to be a challenge, as Anna is on the run from a drug dealer from whom she stole over $100,000 a decade ago. Gavin's homecoming brings him back into contact with his three closest friends from high school, who are all linked to Anna's crime. Fascinating, flawed characters distinguish this involving nonlinear novel, which moves back and forth in time to reveal the characters' various connections to Anna and the innocent event that brings her old crime back to the forefront of their lives.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)