Last Call at the Nightingale

Good Afternoon my Book Peeps!!

I'm popping in quick today to tell you about a wonderful book I received an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) for review.

Minotaur Publishing, GoodReads, and author, Katharine Schellman are all to thank for this delightful read.

First up let's give you the googled synopsis of the book:

First in a captivating Jazz age mystery series from author Katharine Schellman, Last Call at the Nightingale beckons readers into a darkly glamorous speakeasy where music, liquor, and secrets flow.

"Schellman is at the top of her craft and delivers a murder mystery with clever twists and turns and memorable personalities."—Denny S. Bryce, Bestselling Author of Wild Women and the Blues

New York, 1924. Vivian Kelly's days are filled with drudgery, from the tenement lodging she shares with her sister to the dress shop where she sews for hours every day.

But at night, she escapes to The Nightingale, an underground dance hall where illegal liquor flows and the band plays the Charleston with reckless excitement. With a bartender willing to slip her a free glass of champagne and friends who know the owner, Vivian can lose herself in the music. No one asks where she came from or how much money she has. No one bats an eye if she flirts with men or women as long as she can keep up on the dance floor. At The Nightingale, Vivian forgets the dangers of Prohibition-era New York and finds a place that feels like home.

But then she discovers a body behind the club, and those dangers come knocking.

Caught in a police raid at the Nightingale, Vivian discovers that the dead man wasn't the nameless bootlegger he first appeared. With too many people assuming she knows more about the crime than she does, Vivian finds herself caught between the dangers of the New York's underground and the world of the city's wealthy and careless, where money can hide any sin and the lives of the poor are considered disposable...including Vivian's own.

Doesn't this sound a little Boardwalk Empire'ish??!!!  I was pretty excited to read this and even more excited to think that I might have a new series to read.

Let me say I'll start with my rating and give it a 4-Star review!  If you happen to be new around here then you know I RARELY dispense a 5-star review so 4 stars is a great review from me.   

Vivian feels, at times, dangerous and annoying but while she wasn't my favorite main character I am excited for the series to continue and to keep reading about NYC in the 20's.   I'm truly hoping that the author explores Bea a bit more as she might have been my actual favorite of the book.  I also am really intrigued by Danny and hope we hear lots more from him.  I'm also hoping the Nightingale still is the place where Vivian, Kelly, Bea and Honor continue to let loose and forget their cares. Who knows, maybe Florence will actually join them one day! 

Coming in at 312 pages, the book gives enough details of the story without feeling dragged down.  I did feel it was a bit sluggish in the beginning third of the book but it's important to set the characters base story down in a new series and I'm ok with that slow part knowing there's more to come.

All in all a very delightful book and all you Guys and Dolls should give it a whirl!  

Peace, Love & Mysteries!