I loved it! I was completely riveted to this book, and couldn’t put it down. Such a heartbreaking, beautiful story, told with such style and panache. It really brought Key West at that time alive for me – all the wildness, the vitality, the brutality, injustice and beauty were recreated with a mesmerizing clarity, and embodied in characters who lived and breathed. I could not put it down

Brilliantly paced and utterly immersive, I savoured every sentence of this wonderful novel. Vanessa Lafaye’s vivid prose transported me to 1919 Key West, with its brothels and bars, beaches and swamps, conjuring a place where love can flourish – but danger lurks. At First Light uncovers a disturbing era of American history, offering an unflinching insight into the dark and bizarre world of the Ku Klux Klan. While the political backdrop is fascinating, it never overwhelms the driving force of the novel – a love story which is both tragic and uplifting

With characters and a story as warm and colourful as its Key West setting, Vanessa Lafaye’s At First Light illuminates a shady period of American history with panache, style and a hearty punch to the gut. In Alicia Cortez she has created one of the most engaging heroines to walk across the pages of a historical novel in a long while

I loved this dark yet sunlit story of love and revenge, set against a fascinating backdrop of convergent events

An unputdownable, intriguing story of vengeance with tragedy at its heart