Bookended by Beauty Queens by Victoria Marshal is a fast-paced, tension-filled read full of characters you will fall in love with despite yourself. Angie has a quick wit and a sharp sense of humor. She knows what she wants and yet life isn't coming through with any good options for her lately. Still, Angie is not the sort of person to become bitter. She's open-minded and tolerant and maybe even a bit too generous when it comes to forgiving her sisters their faults both petty and large. When her grandmother's apartment burns down she gladly takes her grieving grandmother in.

A chance meeting with Val, a vivacious drag queen, on the subway introduces Grandma and Angie to a new world of friends. And just as these three sympathetic misfits are developing their unique support system, disaster strikes Val in the form of a hate crime that puts Val's life in danger. Both Angie and Grandma stand by Val, but Val's parents do not. The personal and public stakes deepen for Angie as she tries to understand the crime, fight the rigid attitudes of Val's family as well as fend off the salivating media and polarized public. With wonderful characterization that will keep you rooting for Angie, Grandma and Val as well as scenes both tense and tender that will have you gnawing your fingernails and crying into your makeup kit, Ms. Marshal succeeds in crafting a truly enjoyable and satisfying story that is well worth your time to read.