What order should I read the Grit, Gamble and Grace series?

Start with The Bolita Grift (Book 1), then The Styx and the Stones (Book 2). What He Kept is an optional novella set between Books 2 and 3. Fight of the Century (Book 3) is coming soon. The Numbers Man in Projects is a prequel novella that can be read before or after Book 1.

What is the Grit, Gamble and Grace series about?

The Grit, Gamble and Grace series is historical crime fiction set in Jim Crow-era Florida from 1905 to 1935. It follows Jerome Redbone Blake, a bolita operator whose rise through organized crime intersects with land speculation, political corruption, and the survival of Black communities in early South Florida.

Who is Roz Stevens comparable to as an author?

Readers who enjoy Colson Whitehead, Walter Mosley, Dennis Lehane, and Attica Locke will find similar qualities in Roz Stevens work. Literary crime fiction rooted in specific historical communities, with morally complex characters navigating systems of power and corruption.

Bolita was an illegal numbers lottery that operated throughout Florida and Cuba in the early 20th century. It functioned as both a gambling enterprise and an underground economy in Black and immigrant communities, often controlled by organized crime syndicates with ties to political machines.

Is the Grit, Gamble and Grace series based on real history?

Yes. The series is grounded in real events and places from early Florida history, including the destruction of Black neighborhoods for development, the bolita lottery system, the 1928 Okeechobee Hurricane, Prohibition-era rum running, the 1918 influenza pandemic, and the Ashley Gang.

Are Roz Stevens books available as audiobooks?

Audiobook editions are in development. Sign up for the newsletter at RozStevensBooks.com for announcements about audiobook releases and where to purchase them directly from the author.

Oct

to Oct 24

National Black Book Festival 2026

Name: The Bolita Grift
Author: Roz Stevens
ISBN: 9798993541810

Thu, Oct 22, 2026 10:00 AM Sat, Oct 24, 2026 6:00 PM
Fallbrook Church (map)
Google Calendar ICS

National Black Book Festival

Fallbrook Church, 12512 Walters Rd., Houston, TX

The largest African-American book event in the South. Free general admission.

Exhibit hours: Friday Oct 23, 11am–7pm / Saturday Oct 24, 10am–6pm

www.NationalBlackBookFestival.com | 1-800-340-5454

View Event →

Jun

READ IT WRITE It BOOK & WRITING FESTIVAL

Saturday, June 20, 2026
11:00 AM 4:00 PM
Wellington Green Mall · Wellington, FL (map)
Google Calendar ICS

Read It Write It Book and Writing Festival

Wellington Green Mall 10300 Forest Hill Blvd, Wellington Florida 33414

Signed copies available

View Event →

National Black Book Festival 2026

National Black Book Festival

Fallbrook Church, 12512 Walters Rd., Houston, TX

The largest African-American book event in the South. Free general admission.

Exhibit hours: Friday Oct 23, 11am–7pm / Saturday Oct 24, 10am–6pm

www.NationalBlackBookFestival.com | 1-800-340-5454

READ IT WRITE It BOOK & WRITING FESTIVAL

Read It Write It Book and Writing Festival

Wellington Green Mall 10300 Forest Hill Blvd, Wellington Florida 33414

Signed copies available

roz stevens books

for business or media inquiries

National Black Book Festival 2026

National Black Book Festival

Fallbrook Church, 12512 Walters Rd., Houston, TX The largest African-American book event in the South. Free general admission. Exhibit hours: Friday Oct 23, 11am–7pm / Saturday Oct 24, 10am–6pm www.NationalBlackBookFestival.com | 1-800-340-5454

READ IT WRITE It BOOK & WRITING FESTIVAL

Read It Write It Book and Writing Festival

Wellington Green Mall 10300 Forest Hill Blvd, Wellington Florida 33414

Signed copies available

roz stevens books

for business or media inquiries

Fallbrook Church, 12512 Walters Rd., Houston, TX

The largest African-American book event in the South. Free general admission.

Exhibit hours: Friday Oct 23, 11am–7pm / Saturday Oct 24, 10am–6pm

www.NationalBlackBookFestival.com | 1-800-340-5454