I did enjoy this mystery even if it was sometimes hard to follow.
I liked the well researched historical setting, the descriptions of the social environment, and the cast of characters.
The mystery was good and it kept me guessing till the end.
Recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
The author writes extremely well and certainly draws the reader into the time and location of the book (or at least how I imagine it was) - 1940s Boston. The attitudes of the characters against a backdrop of poverty and crime is regrettably convincing with Italians versus Irish versus Jews and then everyone against the coloured people. If the story had been as good I would have given a 5*. There are really two stories here though - the criminal one and a wretched romance between the two main characters which, for me, gets completely in the way. It is exceedingly annoying in it's own right with the 'will they won't they admit their attraction to each other' paragraph after paragraph after paragraph. I really didn't care. Reggie, the heroine, is just not convincing - somewhat estranged from a well-off family, working as a typist cum investigator, the eligible bachelor pursuing her such that she accepts his proposal but only to help get her father out of debt. Hamish, her business partner (as yet I surmise) goes into too long soliloquies about his desires for her. He's better when he concentrates upon the crimes although his panic attacks are well written and understood. The reader feels for him at these times. The criminal story is much better written even if disturbing - the initial "pranks" against a young black baseball player who should really be going places in his sport, followed by the murder of his young relative who is mixed up with the drug gangs that then sashays into something far more convoluted, and even rambling, at times.. There's too much about baseball for my liking - detailed descriptions of playing (boring) - and the story does jump around quite a lot. I've since read that this is the second of two stories for Hamish and Reggie so that might account for some of the confusions. I'm afraid that I am not sufficiently convinced about this to go and read the first story however. So, whilst the writing is good the stories need further work to my mind.

I love a mystery that uses the political and sociocultural influences of the times to enhance the story. Boston is the setting, in the 1940’s, where racism and corruption exist in the background. Reggie and Hamish are hired to find out who is harassing a Black baseball player, when they become enmeshed in a deeper mystery. I love these two characters, but did find the various Mob like characters and the subplot a bit difficult to follow. If you enjoyed Murder at the Flamingo, this 2nd in the series is a must.

This was a fun and entertaining mystery. It was well written and kept my interest. I look forward to reading more from this author.

I found the flow of this book a bit hard to follow and confusing at times, and I found it a bit difficult to connect with (and like) Reggie. I did enjoy the setting and the overall premise of the story, but I expected more mystery than I found, so parts came across a bit boring. This is the second in the series, and I haven’t read the first one yet. Perhaps I’ll give this one another go after checking out the prior book.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley, but I wasn’t required to leave a positive review.

I thoroughly enjoyed the plot, atmosphere, and characters. I would recommend the book to friends and family for their reading pleasure.

I love reading Rachel McMillan’s stories and her latest, Murder in the City of Liberty, the second in her Van Buren and DeLuca Mystery series, is a wonderful example of why.

Reggie Van Buren, rich society girl and Hamish DeLuca, not a rich society guy, set out together to investigate their latest caper in the city of Boston. Baseball player Errol Parker, a talented and lead player for a farm team, approaches them to investigate pranks that the police decline to check out, pranks that escalate to include family and murder.

As Reggie and Hamish investigate, their interpersonal relationship heats up with both hesitating to declare their true feelings. Then Reggie finds herself engaged to Vaughan Vanderlaan, much to her mother’s delight and Reggie’s dismay.

Highly recommend Murder in the City of Liberty. One of the most compelling themes throughout this, and the first of the series, is the author’s focus on anxiety disorders, of which she has experienced her whole life. I am appreciative of her willingness and sensitive approach to mental health disorders, something that resonates with me.

This is the second book in the series involving Hamish and Reggie. I was hoping they would have improved since the first outing but sadly they may have gotten worse. I had such a hard time finishing this. It, much like the first one, was not too mysterious. Or thrilling. The way the characters behave is somewhat incoherent.....
As if they aren’t fully formed humans yet and they are both old enough to be exercising far better judgment then they do here. The problem with the first book continues to follow this author.....taking way too long to do anything with the plot to grab your reader. The whole first 1/3 of the book was almost boring. They say the third time is the charm so I will read the third book in this series if the author writes one but I really can’t recommend this one. Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy for review.

I received this book via Netgalley and the publisher in return for an honest review. I really wanted to enjoy this book. Unfortunately, I couldn't finish it, after trying several times. I found the characters were not engaging and the story hard to follow. I liked the idea of the two sleuths teaming up to bring their respective skills to bear in solving a crime and wish I'd managed to read it all the way through. So, it is still on my e-reader in hopes that the next time will be the charm. If so, I'll return and update this review.

I wrote this book and I loved having the netgalley copy as an easy kindle read while I worked through galley proofs. As an avid Netgalley user as a reader, as an author it is neat to see how one of my most frequented websites allows people to easy read and review a book of my own.

MURDER IN THE CITY OF LIBERTY by RACHEL McMILLAN is a romance thriller with really delightful characters, which takes place in Boston at the start of the Second World War. The author really paints the scene of what life was like at that turbulent time in history.
Reggie Van Buren and Hamish DeLuca work together to solve crimes. Hamish is a qualified lawyer from Canada and Reggie is a society girl who ran away from home to live a more meaningful life.
The story is fast paced and fun to read, although there are serious moments, and I really enjoyed it.
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Thomas Nelson. The opinions in this review are completely my own.

I was really looking forward to reading this book, but was a little disappointed.

To be honest I didn't think it flowed that well and I found some it confusing as I felt it jumped about. I thought I had missed a huge chunk out when Reggie ended up in the water.

I found Reggie grating, and didn't like her character at all

Also surprised about how Hamish acted when he was told his father had killed a robber, he actually did it to save someone.

I would probably give author one more go, just in case was a blip.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.