Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Schellman's sharp third outing for Vivian Kelly (after The Last Drop of Hemlock) gives the 24-year-old gumshoe one week to solve a murder. In 1920s New York City, Vivian spends her nights pouring drinks at the Nightingale speakeasy and her days working for a small dress shop. Her day job lands her in trouble when she delivers a dress to Evangeline Buchanan's Fifth Avenue mansion for a fitting. With Evangeline absent, her husband, Huxley, pours Vivian a cup of coffee before he's summoned to a business meeting in another room. Vivian dozes off; when she awakens, she rouses an unconscious Huxley, only to find he's been fatally stabbed. The blood that police find on Vivian's hands makes her a prime suspect, but a friend connected to the police commissioner helps spring her from jail and brokers a deal that gives her seven days to track down and deliver the real killer to the authorities. As Vivian races to clear her name, she unearths some surprising connections between Huxley and one of her close friends, leading her to fear the truth might hit close to home. The fair-play plotting takes several clever turns that will keep even the best armchair sleuths on their toes. This continues Schellman's winning streak. Agent: Whitney Ross, High Line Literary. (June)
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Review by Library Journal Review
The tension builds in Schellman's third Nightingale mystery set during Prohibition (following The Last Drop of Hemlock). Vivian Kelly delivers packages for a dressmaker during the day and spends her nights serving drinks and dancing at the Nightingale, an illegal speakeasy. She never thought she'd be arrested during her day job. While waiting in the home of a client, Vivian idly chats with the client's husband. He is called away for a meeting, but, when Vivian leaves to deliver other dresses, she stumbles across the man's body in his study. Of course, as the stranger in the household, the delivery person no one knows, she is arrested. Vivian calls a connection and gets released from jail, but she's given one week to find the killer, or she'll be arrested for murder. When her boss at the Nightingale says she can't help, Vivian turns to others: a bootlegger, her best friend, and a woman who runs a criminal enterprise. As the days count down, Vivian is desperate to find anything the police will accept as proof that she is innocent. VERDICT The characters and plot come alive in this atmospheric historical mystery. For readers who enjoy a well-told Jazz Age mystery featuring working-class and queer characters.--Lesa Holstine
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A Jazz Age baby can't quit her favorite speakeasy, even (or especially) when murder's involved. Irish immigrant Vivian Kelly is still drawn to the lively Nightingale club after having been entangled in murderous mayhem there in two previous mysteries. The speakeasy's like a second home to her, especially since her sister Florence, a demure seamstress, married Danny Chin and they moved into their own place. Vivian's daytime employment delivering dresses is a lot less fun than her time at the Nightingale. When Vivian visits the Fifth Avenue apartment of the wealthy Buchanans with several boxes, the Mrs. isn't home, but Mr. Buchanan ingratiates himself with Vivian, offering her a drink. The next thing she knows, Vivian drowsily awakens to find Mr. Buchanan dead, a knife in his neck. With a murder charge pending against Vivian, her boyfriend, bootlegger Leo Green, comes to the rescue, getting top-notch lawyer Jacob Dubinski to defend her. Remembering her past successful sleuthing, the police commissioner offers her a week to clear her name. When it's revealed that Honor "Hux" Huxley, the owner of the Nightingale, is Buchanan's daughter and heir, Vivian's path leads right back to her beloved night spot, where Danny works as head bartender and Vivian's best friend, Beatrice Henry, entertains patrons with her vocal stylings. More intimidating are thuggish Bruiser George and icy matron Hattie Wilson. The plot of this buoyant mystery is a bit of a ramble, but Schellman provides a vivid portrait of Prohibition-era New York and keeps the colorful characters coming. A juicy, jazzy period whodunit that charms and occasionally swings. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
