Book Review: Selling Out

 Selling Out (The Lost Girls #2) by Amber Lin

4.5 stars
This is the second of The Lost Girls series, and a fantastic read. Shelly is an old, tired soul who has been groomed for the world's oldest profession since practically childhood, thanks to her sick father. She had a good gig with Philip, a powerful and mean underground boss, as his moll. However, she turned informant when she started falling for undercover detective Luke Cameron. He had feelings for her too, but he never once acted on them, never once touched her. Now, Shelly is ready for a fresh start, but Henri, her pimp, is not going to let her. He and his muscle force Shelly to attend a party, and instead of working, she sees the young Ella and decides to save her - and this brings down the wrath of not only Henri but the Chicago Police Department when the wealthy clients at the party end up dead. 

The world that Amber Lin's characters live in isn't nice-it's gritty and real and sometimes plain sad. However, there are these glimpses of love and friendship that fill the grey street life with bright sunshine. Shelly is only 24 but her life experience makes her about 60. She is world weary and has been a prostitute so long that she doesn't even know how to turn it off. She has some of the best laugh out loud lines, and her wit is part of her coping mechanism. Luke is the stoic cop, but we learn much more about him, and how personal his mission as a detective is. He can see right through Shelly's bravado, and he has just one requirement for them to be together-keep it real.

I loved this book, and I love this series. There are so many rich characters, and I can't wait to see what happens with Philip- it looks like we have a long wait, unfortunately.  Even still, Shelly and Luke, the star crossed lovers, will keep you satisfied in the meantime.