Overview

On the Fourth of July weekend in 1924, Marion Martins flies past some of the best race car drivers of her time and takes home two trophies from the famous North Shore Race Track in Chicago. In 1926, on the beaches of Daytona, Florida, Joan LaCosta breaks the world speed record at 145 mph. But Martins and LaCosta never face one another on the close-knit circuit of early American auto racing. That’s because they are just two of the identities adopted by the elusive woman born Marion Carver. By the end of the 1920s, this enigmatic woman became a household name in auto racing—several household names in fact—though she’d be best known as Joan LaCosta. Adopting and discarding personas almost as often as she changes tires, LaCosta defies death, shuns social norms, and keeps her competition in the rearview mirror. While driving as fast as she can away from a complicated past, she survives violent wrecks, race collisions, and onboard fires along the way, protected only by flimsy race togs and a thin leather helmet. She never flinches and she never backs down. Her courage impresses every other driver and the sell-out crowds that pack the grandstands at each event she headlines. But fame, danger, and failed relationships take their tolls. In 1929, as the Great Depression looms, LaCosta is broke and broken, and commits to one last daring stunt: the attempted robbery of a Chicago high-society matron in the most glamorous high rise in the city. Coverage of the dramatic trial sells out papers from coast to coast, and after fame turns to infamy, LaCosta sheds her identity one last time and disappears from public view. The story of her wild life behind the wheel and her escape into anonymity was untold, until now. The scale is epic, with death always in the wings, love always just out of reach, and betrayal, jealousy, and greed always in play. The thrilling story of Joan LaCosta sits at the compelling intersection of auto racing history, gender equity in sports, and true crime, all set against the backdrop of the Roaring Twenties.

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9781493087464

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Reviews

How someone as accomplished in the sport of auto racing as Joan LaCosta precipitated her own downfall and effectively ended her high-flying public life makes for a fascinating tale in the hands of Tony St. Clair. --Bill Poehler, author of The First Lady of Dirt: The Triumphs and Tragedy of Racing Pioneer Cheryl Glass The spellbinding story of Joan LaCosta, one of America's first speed queens on wheels, splendidly researched and told with tremendous verve and empathy for an extraordinary woman. I loved it. --Miranda Seymour, author of The Bugatti Queen: In Search of a Motor-Racing Legend

Chronicling the rise and fall of a forgotten female athlete, Daredevil at the Wheel is the ideal read for lovers of history and sports. Tony St. Clair's crisp prose brings to life the one-of-a-kind personalities and high-speed thrills of early auto racing. --Sarah James, international bestselling author of Last Night at the Hollywood Canteen In Daredevil at the Wheel, Tony St. Clair delivers a riveting account of one of the most enigmatic figures in early American auto racing. This meticulously researched narrative takes us on a thrilling ride through the Roaring Twenties, following the extraordinary life of Joan LaCosta--a woman of many names and even more daring exploits. As LaCosta breaks speed records and gender barriers, captivating crowds and defying expectations, St. Clair masterfully weaves together the threads of auto racing history, early twentieth-century gender dynamics, and--ultimately-- true crime. Captivating and unputdownable, St. Clair's vivid prose brings to life the incredible tale of one woman's climb to the pinnacle of a male-dominated sport and her spectacular crash into infamy--a tale that reminds us how quickly fortunes can change when living life at full throttle. An urgent and electric read. --Timothy J. Hillegonds, author of The Distance Between This well-researched book about 1920s 'daredevil' Joan LaCosta restores this early trailblazer of auto racing to her rightful place in history and paints a vivid and thrilling picture of the early days of motorsport. --Anne Morrissy, author of Street Fight: The Chicago Taxi Wars of the 1920s How someone as accomplished in the sport of auto racing as Joan LaCosta precipitated her own downfall and effectively ended her high-flying public life makes for a fascinating tale in the hands of Tony St. Clair. --Bill Poehler, author of The First Lady of Dirt: The Triumphs and Tragedy of Racing Pioneer Cheryl Glass The spellbinding story of Joan LaCosta, one of America's first speed queens on wheels, splendidly researched and told with tremendous verve and empathy for an extraordinary woman. I loved it. --Miranda Seymour, author of The Bugatti Queen: In Search of a Motor-Racing Legend

""...straightforward page-turner... Daredevil at the Wheel is a fascinating biography of the race car driver Joan LaCosta. It also doubles as a look into 1920s-era Chicago..."" -- ""Chicago Reader"" ""This is a wild story, exceedingly well researched and compellingly told... Very highly recommended. And let's throw an exclamation point at it too. Very highly recommended!"" -- ""speedreaders.info"" ""An essential contribution to women's sports history and car racing collections.""-- ""Booklist, Starred Review"" Chronicling the rise and fall of a forgotten female athlete, Daredevil at the Wheel is the ideal read for lovers of history and sports. Tony St. Clair's crisp prose brings to life the one-of-a-kind personalities and high-speed thrills of early auto racing. --Sarah James, international bestselling author of Last Night at the Hollywood Canteen In Daredevil at the Wheel, Tony St. Clair delivers a riveting account of one of the most enigmatic figures in early American auto racing. This meticulously researched narrative takes us on a thrilling ride through the Roaring Twenties, following the extraordinary life of Joan LaCosta--a woman of many names and even more daring exploits. As LaCosta breaks speed records and gender barriers, captivating crowds and defying expectations, St. Clair masterfully weaves together the threads of auto racing history, early twentieth-century gender dynamics, and--ultimately-- true crime. Captivating and unputdownable, St. Clair's vivid prose brings to life the incredible tale of one woman's climb to the pinnacle of a male-dominated sport and her spectacular crash into infamy--a tale that reminds us how quickly fortunes can change when living life at full throttle. An urgent and electric read. --Timothy J. Hillegonds, author of The Distance Between This well-researched book about 1920s 'daredevil' Joan LaCosta restores this early trailblazer of auto racing to her rightful place in history and paints a vivid and thrilling picture of the early days of motorsport. --Anne Morrissy, author of Street Fight: The Chicago Taxi Wars of the 1920s How someone as accomplished in the sport of auto racing as Joan LaCosta precipitated her own downfall and effectively ended her high-flying public life makes for a fascinating tale in the hands of Tony St. Clair. --Bill Poehler, author of The First Lady of Dirt: The Triumphs and Tragedy of Racing Pioneer Cheryl Glass The spellbinding story of Joan LaCosta, one of America's first speed queens on wheels, splendidly researched and told with tremendous verve and empathy for an extraordinary woman. I loved it. --Miranda Seymour, author of The Bugatti Queen: In Search of a Motor-Racing Legend

The spellbinding story of Joan LaCosta, one of America's first speed queens on wheels, splendidly researched and told with tremendous verve and empathy for an extraordinary woman. I loved it. --Miranda Seymour, author of The Bugatti Queen: In Search of a Motor-Racing Legend

Author Information

Tony St. Clair is one of the country’s leading experts on vintage race car instruments. He has written feature articles for hot rod publications such as Ol Skool Rodz and writes a popular vintage racing blog, Deadly Curves. He is also an alumnus of the Kenyon Playwrights Conference and has had several original plays produced around the country, including Trim, John and Tony’s Christmas Carol, Killing Time, Brain Girl, and Voices in the Air.

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