Welcome to Litsy!

This historical mystery is set in NYC during prohibition when jazz was “hot”.Vivian works at a dress shop by day, & an underground speakeasy by night.Life is finally getting better for Vivian & her sister.Then their uncle is found dead under mysterious circumstances & letters blackmailing the sisters‘ poor neighbors for valuables arrive at their homes,threatening death by poison if they do not comply.The hunt for a killer is on! #serieslove2024

Saturday morning, a latte & a book. #coffeeandbooks
Plans for the day: read, walk, errands, writing cards for #naturalitsywintercardswap

Lower end of pick scale. I like the characters and the setting — Jazz Age New York — but I didn‘t find the mystery particularly interesting. Vivian and Honor are eventually going to have to make up their minds about each other. Outside walk today was lovely. #audiowalk

I think I read these books for the characters rather than the mystery. In this one, Bea‘s uncle dies; everyone but Vivian thinks it‘s a suicide. Florence comes more into her own here. I had to walk inside today because of the rain. #audiowalk

I was so glad to spend time with Vivian Kelly again. It was also good to get to know her sister, Florence better. All the other great characters are here too: Danny, Honor and Bea, whose Uncle has died. Ruled a suicide by the cops, the friends aren‘t convinced and there investigation reveals a terrible conspiracy. Once again Schellman gives us wonderful period detail. Can‘t wait for the next in the series!

When Bea‘s uncle appears to have mulled himself, it‘s up to Vivian to uncover what really happened & find the connections to a new blackmailing gang in town.

I loved this one just as much as the first! A fun, diverse, & complex cast with more Florence & Danny! A beautifully set 1920s speakeasy! A twisty turny mystery that I did not predict the final twist on! A bit slow in the beginning, but a absolute blast to finish. 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑

The mystery was intriguing once things got going, and I also really liked seeing Florence come out of her shell. Between the era, the speakeasy, the characters and the story I found this to be a fun series to return to. I also enjoyed the audiobook. Young gives each character their own personality and voice, making each one unique. I wish the pace had been a little faster, but between the inflection and tone it was still an enjoyable audiobook.

Review is up! Check it out!

https://reecaspieces.com/2023/07/13/the-last-drop-of-hemlock-by-katherine-schell...

Book 2 in Nightingale mystery series, set in 1920s. I love the diversity in this series, because that is often lacking in historical mysteries, and this cover is gorgeous 😍 but the story was really slow getting started and I just didn't enjoy it as much as I hoped to. The characters are good, so I will probably keep reading the series if it continues.

Happy Belated Publication Day to the sequel to LAST CALL AT THE NIGHTINGALE! As the title suggests, this time Vivian finds herself in the midst of investigating death by poisoning! The cast is all back with a few new faces, too. I was a little disappointed to have figured out the mystery early on but I enjoyed Florence playing a larger role— I find her more sympathetic than the heroine… but Jazz Age NYC makes for a fun backdrop! Cheers to more!

Book 2 of this series is just as good, if not better, than book 1! I loved that they‘re involving Flo more and it‘s nice to see that there might soon be resolution to the romantic triangle. The mystery was as page turning as ever with lots of clues and red herrings.