Last Toast
(2026)(The seventh book in the O'Malley Investigations Mystery series)
A Story by Daniel Pelfrey
A deadly shade of rouge. A society secret. And a toast that ends in silence.
Chicago, 1924. For Kit Ashworth, walking back into the Drake Hotel is harder than facing down a gunman. Once the jewel of the Gold Coast, she is now the "fallen" Ashworth daughter—a secretary with a stained reputation. But when the formidable society matron Vivian Merrick drops dead after a champagne toast, Kit sees what the screaming crowd misses: the scent of bitter almonds and a missing tube of French lipstick.
The police, led by the corrupt Detective Walsh, are eager to rule it a suicide. It’s clean, it’s quiet, and it keeps the city’s powerful families happy. But Kit knows murder when she smells it.
Paddy O’Malley has his own reasons for digging into the case. With the recent death of Dean O’Banion, the Torrio gang is aggressively consolidating power on the North Side. The Merrick family’s warehouses are hiding something worth killing for, and Paddy knows that when the mob and high society shake hands, blood always follows.
To save an innocent woman from the electric chair, Kit and Paddy must navigate a world of blackened reputations and bootleg liquor. But as they close in on a killer who uses etiquette as a weapon, they realize that in Chicago, the most dangerous poison isn't in the glass—it's on the lips of the people you trust.
From the glitz of the Drake Hotel to the shadows of the riverfront, Last Toast is a gripping historical mystery perfect for fans of 1920s atmosphere, slow-burn romance, and intricate detective work.
Praise for the O'Malley Investigations:
"A perfect blend of Jazz Age glamour and gritty noir."
"Kit and Paddy are the duo Chicago didn't know it needed."
Genre: Historical Mystery
Chicago, 1924. For Kit Ashworth, walking back into the Drake Hotel is harder than facing down a gunman. Once the jewel of the Gold Coast, she is now the "fallen" Ashworth daughter—a secretary with a stained reputation. But when the formidable society matron Vivian Merrick drops dead after a champagne toast, Kit sees what the screaming crowd misses: the scent of bitter almonds and a missing tube of French lipstick.
The police, led by the corrupt Detective Walsh, are eager to rule it a suicide. It’s clean, it’s quiet, and it keeps the city’s powerful families happy. But Kit knows murder when she smells it.
Paddy O’Malley has his own reasons for digging into the case. With the recent death of Dean O’Banion, the Torrio gang is aggressively consolidating power on the North Side. The Merrick family’s warehouses are hiding something worth killing for, and Paddy knows that when the mob and high society shake hands, blood always follows.
To save an innocent woman from the electric chair, Kit and Paddy must navigate a world of blackened reputations and bootleg liquor. But as they close in on a killer who uses etiquette as a weapon, they realize that in Chicago, the most dangerous poison isn't in the glass—it's on the lips of the people you trust.
From the glitz of the Drake Hotel to the shadows of the riverfront, Last Toast is a gripping historical mystery perfect for fans of 1920s atmosphere, slow-burn romance, and intricate detective work.
Praise for the O'Malley Investigations:
"A perfect blend of Jazz Age glamour and gritty noir."
"Kit and Paddy are the duo Chicago didn't know it needed."
Genre: Historical Mystery
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