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Last Call at the Nightingale
(2022)(The first book in the Last Call at the Nightingale series)
A novel by Katharine Schellman
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.
Genre: Historical Mystery
"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.
Genre: Historical Mystery
Praise for this book
"This sharply paced, queer murder mystery, set in 1920s New York City, offers equal amounts of atmosphere, danger, and crime-solving. Independent-minded and sometimes foolishly fearless, Vivian is a multi-faceted protagonist who immerses readers into this stunning tale. Schellman is at the top of her craft and delivers a murder mystery with clever twists and turns and memorable personalities." - Denny S Bryce
"Original, bold, and sexy, Katharine Schellman's Jazz Age New York isn't like anything you've read before. Beautifully paced, packed with evocative detail, this delicious mystery takes you to the Nightingale, a club where people can be who they really are, but everyone has secrets. Every character is memorable, from the sharp, vivacious heroine Vivian Kelly to the mysterious and alluring Honor Huxley. Dirty doings among New York's elite, family drama, and more than one love story make for a fantastic start to a great new series." - Mariah Fredericks
"Last Call at the Nightingale is a sexy, fun romp through the Jazz Age. With a well-plotted mystery and applause-worthy female characters, readers will soak up this spellbinding read." - Michelle Gable
"Katharine Schellman deftly evokes one of my favorite eras, the Jazz Age of 1920's Manhattan. Complete with speakeasies, mobsters, and an unflappable flapper as its heroine, this is a book that should be savored with a glass of bootleg gin in one hand and a 78 of Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five on the gramophone." - Allison Montclair
"Secrets and suspects abound as Vivian Kelly finds herself ensnared in a murder mystery at The Nightingale, a New York speakeasy, in this exciting and evocative series debut. Brimming with Jazz Age atmosphere, suspense, and a cast of engaging characters, Last Call at the Nightingale wonderfully captures both the decadence and the struggles of the Roaring Twenties, and Vivian is smart and gutsy, a character you'll root for. I'm already looking forward to her next adventure!" - Ashley Weaver
"Original, bold, and sexy, Katharine Schellman's Jazz Age New York isn't like anything you've read before. Beautifully paced, packed with evocative detail, this delicious mystery takes you to the Nightingale, a club where people can be who they really are, but everyone has secrets. Every character is memorable, from the sharp, vivacious heroine Vivian Kelly to the mysterious and alluring Honor Huxley. Dirty doings among New York's elite, family drama, and more than one love story make for a fantastic start to a great new series." - Mariah Fredericks
"Last Call at the Nightingale is a sexy, fun romp through the Jazz Age. With a well-plotted mystery and applause-worthy female characters, readers will soak up this spellbinding read." - Michelle Gable
"Katharine Schellman deftly evokes one of my favorite eras, the Jazz Age of 1920's Manhattan. Complete with speakeasies, mobsters, and an unflappable flapper as its heroine, this is a book that should be savored with a glass of bootleg gin in one hand and a 78 of Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five on the gramophone." - Allison Montclair
"Secrets and suspects abound as Vivian Kelly finds herself ensnared in a murder mystery at The Nightingale, a New York speakeasy, in this exciting and evocative series debut. Brimming with Jazz Age atmosphere, suspense, and a cast of engaging characters, Last Call at the Nightingale wonderfully captures both the decadence and the struggles of the Roaring Twenties, and Vivian is smart and gutsy, a character you'll root for. I'm already looking forward to her next adventure!" - Ashley Weaver
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