Florida Girls

She wanted a quiet life—something mafia-free. But that was never going to be Thelma Miles’s story.St. Petersburg, Florida, 1944. When 18-year-old Thelma Miles joins a troupe of swimsuit models on a national war bond tour, she’s sure she’s escaped her dangerous past.Until she realizes she’s stepped straight into the mafia’s lair—and they’re not about to let her walk away.Her new boss, Kathleen Young, is obsessed with climbing the social ladder and more than willing to shove Thelma into the path of Florida’s deadliest crime syndicates. But when Kathleen gets caught in the crossfire, the two form an uneasy alliance and hit the road—running from trouble they can’t quite outdistance.Haunted by flickering premonitions she can’t control, Thelma must navigate not just wartime America, but the brutal power plays and tangled loyalties lurking behind the glamor. Between Kathleen’s ruthless ambition and Thelma’s dangerous second sight, they might just prove that women really can have it all—if they survive the tour.Now if they can just make it to the end without murdering anyone.Else. Without murdering anyone else.“A rollicking debut novel brimming with colorful characters, twists and turns, and—at its heart—women who form an unbreakable bond.” —NYT-bestselling author Jane HellerIf you love the immersive worlds of Beatriz Williams, the complex heroines of Kate Quinn, and the dark wit of Gillian Flynn, you’ll love Florida Girls—Book One of The Queenpin Chronicles.Continue the adventure in Vegas Girls (available now) and Havana Girls (coming June 2025).Discover more from L.L. Kirchner:American Lady Creature (memoir)Blissful Thinking (memoir)Second edition, May 2025.