Last Call at the Nightingale

Women in 1920s New York had to know their place. Even “girls” who worked, like Schellman’s heroine in this series debut, seamstress Vivian Kelly. Since they made so little, women could only get treats like a restaurant meal if a man bought it, yet taking gifts from a man was frowned upon. While Vivian is firmly stuck in this life by day, at night she shrugs off the stiff expectations of Florence, the older sister she lives with, and the meddlesome, haughty neighbor who predicts Vivian will “end up like your poor whore of a mother.” At the Nightingale, the speakeasy where Vivian dances with abandon and pursues her interest in both men and women, she feels more herself than anywhere else. Her idyll is marred, though, when she finds a corpse in the alley behind the club and later is arrested for being in an illegal bar; the Nightingale’s owner bails Vivian out and asks her to repay the debt by finding out more about the dead man. Schellman (Lily Adler Mysteries series) makes full use of underground life during prohibition, the romantic appeal of a speakeasy, and the love and camaraderie of poor families and friends to create a murder mystery with a rich historical and social backdrop. Vivian’s impetuousness and determination make her both lovable and compelling, and a possible lead on finding her mother’s family will bring readers back for the next series installment.