I quite enjoyed this book, a great combo of noir murder mystery meets love story meets magic & angels & demons. I liked the characters' simultaneous deadpan cynicism and ardent vulnerability, and the queer/historical angle was compelling. Great plot twists, I only wish it had been longer!

Read this in one sitting at the edge of my seat! AMAZING! So much was packed into this novella in terms of plot, world building, and characters! It’s a masterpiece that I’m already itching to read again and again.

Helen Brandt is a magical private eye working in 1940s Chicago. She's been hired by her wealthy client Marlowe to find the so-called White City Vampire, a serial killer who is definitely up to some horrible kind of dark magic. If she completes this job, Helen will not only have enough money to move out West with Edith, the love of her life. She will also get to spend that time with Edith. See, ten years prior, before she met Edith, Helen traded away her soul. It was for a good reason, but it means that Helen only has a few days left to live. But if she can track down the White City Vampire, she won't just get the money. She'll get back her soul. But Helen only has three days. Three days to track down a serial killer, grapple with the Brotherhood that expelled her, deal with both angels and demons with ulterior motives. All while keeping Edith, and herself, safe.

God I loved this book. My main complaint is it was too damn short. Like, really short. But how CL Polk managed to pack so much action, romance, and awesome 1940s Chicago noir detail into such a short package, I will never know. Once you read this, you'll need to read it again, even though you knew the end.

Yeah, that's right, I fit a title drop into the review. I regret nothing. NOTHING.

This was a fun and exciting read! The cover was what drew me in but the writing style was engaging and the story kept me reading. This is my first book by this author and I would definitely like to try more of their works in the future.