I really enjoy reading about the 1920's and this crime and murder mystery fell a little short. What worked for me was the night life descriptions and the mundane details of Vivian and Florence's work life. I could picture myself dancing the Charleston and Quickstep alongside the ladies of the night. However, the pacing of this book was too slow. I found myself getting distracted easily within the audiobook and by the time the next chapter came up, I found myself not having to rewind too much due to the repetitive sentences containing plot details. Some of the chapters could have been shortened a bit, but overall it was fun going back in time and getting to know the people of New York as well as the risks involved for party goers during the Prohibition Era.

Thank you to NetGalley for this review copy in exchange for an honest interview. This was a solid murder mystery. The author did a great job at building relationships and I liked the writing.

I am a sucker for 1920's speakeasy mysteries!

Last Call at the Nightingale by Katherine Schellman was narrated by Sara Young who did a fantastic job with all the characters. I was able to follow each character change and really enjoyed what she did with a couple of them! A strong 3.5 Stars for this audiobook.

It's 1924 and Vivian Kelly is living with her sister in a NYC tenement and while she works alongside her as a seamstress during the day, Vivian escapes the drudgery of her day by stepping out to the speakeasy, The Nightingale, at night. All seems to be ok until Vivian and her best friend Bea see a body in the alley one night. Just days after this grisly discovery, a police raid catches Vivian in a tight spot with the owner of the Nightingale, Honor, leveraging her favor of freedom with finding more information about a handsome man who happens to be frequenting this underground haunt.

This was a fun mystery that had a lot of subtext! Irish heroine, Chinese bartender, Black best friend, Jewish love interest, and a Lesbian boss brought together a motley crew of the oppressed. I wonder at the reality of this much acceptance, but they were brought together in what felt like a possible subculture which created a community of support and if not love, respect.

I enjoyed the sister's relationship and the tension that brought, as well as Vivian's circle of friends. The issues of poverty and what choices are made therein was interesting as well.

I did enjoy this audio, though I did feel like maybe there were too many things started and not enough development of any of them for it to be fully satisfying. I did see that this is the start of a series, so some of that depth may be yet to come. I will be waiting!

Thank you to @NetGalley and @dreamscape_media for the opportunity to listen to this book that will be published on June 7th!

Last Call at the Nightingale is a mystery novel set in Prohibition Era New York. Vivian Kelly is a seamstress by day, but at night, she is a glamorous patron of The Nightingale, a speak-easy run by the mysterious Honor Huxley. One night, Vivian and her friend Bea step out for a smoke and discover a dead body in the alley behind the speak-easy. Vivian is advised to put it behind her until she is arrested in a raid and needs Honor Huxley to bail her out. In return for the bail money, Honor asks Vivian to get cozy with a mysterious man who showed up at The Nightingale right after the body was found and see if she can discover who he is and what he is up to. Vivian takes this requests a bit too far and begins to investigate the murder itself and is quickly put into a perilous situation.

Big thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me an audio copy of this book! I really enjoyed the experience. I tend to shy away from fiction audiobooks because I am extremely picky about narrators but this one was pretty good! The narrator used different voices for each characters and most of them were done well. I listened to the entire thing pretty much straight through because the story was interesting and I found the ending to be satisfying. While I can’t say it blew me away, I think that is more because my tastes run to thrillers instead of mysteries. A solid 3-stars.

Vivian is stuck on repeats. Living in poverty and working in a sewing shop, her only escape is slipping past her sister at night and heading to the Nightingale. The back-alley-entrance opens to a bustling speakeasy. Liquors flow, jazz music pumps…easy for a girl to shake off her daily life. Slipping out the back door one night, she lldiscovers a body in the alley. How does an innocent girl get ropes in to solving a murder?

Review: I loved the premise of this book. The narration was wonderful. The sultry voice of the Nightingale owner was my favorite. This book did give me mixed emotions. When Vivian first discovered the killer, i was highly disappointed because it was glaringly obvious. Lucky for me i didn’t stop listening because more details are unearthed and the murder is solved for good!! Gangsters, raids, a speakeasy….what’s not to love about 1920s New York??

I received this ARC audiobook from NetGalley. It concerns a young woman and her sister who live in NYC during the Prohibition era who barely survive by sewing at a local dressmaker’s. One sister works at a local speakeasy, making extra money by dancing with the patrons. Early in the book she sees a recently murdered man in the back alley and she continues to investigate even at her own peril. Unfortunately I didn’t get the last thirty minutes downloaded so I don’t know how it ends!

I’m a sucker for books about New York City, particularly ones that take place in a different historical time period. This one, Last Call At The Nightingale, certainly fits the bill. Time and place are 1924 Manhattan, New York City. We not only learn about speakeasies (so popular during Prohibition) but we also get glimpses into the lives of ordinary working folk as well as the ultra-rich. Our main character, Vivian Kelly, lives with her older sister in what seems to be a tenement building (bathroom down the hall and all that entails). Both of them work as seamstresses at a small company that caters to well-to-do women. For fun, Vivian likes to go to The Nightingale at night, where she can dance and be treated to a free drink or two. One night, Vivian discovers a body outside the club, and reports it to the club’s owner, Honor. Honor is wonderfully drawn; she is someone who skirts both the law and society’s conventions, as she prefers women to men and is drawn to Vivian. Vivian isn’t quite sure what she wants, as she seems interested in both Honor and a man she meets at the club, Leo. Not long after the body is discovered, the club is raided by the police and Vivian is among those arrested. Because Honor bails her out, Vivian owes her a favor, which is how Vivian gets involved investigating, albeit reluctantly. I didn’t figure out the killer, which is the mark of a well-written and well-plotted book.

I bounced between the audiobook and the ebook for this title, which was very convenient. The narrator, Sara Young, did a fine job with the many voices.

I particularly enjoyed the Author’s Note at the end of the print/ebook, which gave interesting information on speakeasies, bootlegging, the relations between different immigrant groups and races, the easing up of race and class lines in these nightclubs and dance halls, the changing role of women, as well as the queer subculture that existed during the Jazz Age. I hope this note is included in the final version of the audiobook.

Thank you to Dreamscape Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of this audiobook and to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy of this book. All opinions are my own

I liked this story. Vivian lives right on the edge of respectable and scandalous in 1920s New York. She is Irish and therefore not quite considered part of the ruling white population, but not quite accepted by other minorities either. (Except Bea’s family. Thank goodness for Bea’s family. And Mrs. Thomas, even though she’s grumpy and bitter.) Vivian has a low-paying job and lives in poor tenement housing with her sister, but escapes to the Nightingale at night. She’s also bisexual, which again puts her right on that line between society’s approval and scorn. It also makes for a very interesting love triangle. I thought it was refreshing that the dangerous and powerful older love interest is a woman while the steady one who puts Vivian’s safety first is a man.

The mystery was engaging with several twists and turns along the way. Vivian stumbled along enough for someone who was never trained as a detective, but was also observant enough to where I believed she was ultimately able to uncover the truth.

I listened to the audiobook, which is narrated by Sara Young. She did a great job voicing Vivian and her adventures.

Anticipated pub: 7 June

4 shining, jazzy stars for the Nightingale!

I really like this story and narration. A classic murder mystery, the book surely opens with a bang and we go along on Vivian's journey to discover what happened. I liked a lot of the characters in this story. And I loved the friendship between Viv and Bea. The narrator did a great job of giving different voice to each character which I love in an audio book.

Thank you to Dreamscape and NetGalley for the advance copy to listen and review.

* Received a copy fir review.*.
I am always searching for books set in the roaring ‘20’s. This book is about a young woman who lives with her sister, works as a seamstress by day. and haunts a speakeasy at night. She lives to dance and needs something to keep her moving forward. When she finds a dead body it back, her life takes a left turn. Throw in 2 mysterious love interests: 1 a man just returned from Chicago who is cagey about why he’s back and what his job is and the other a tough female nightclub owner who asks her to investigate but is not being honest either.
This book has interesting characters, a vibrant setting, and an interesting mystery. I hope there will be more books with these characters.

A 1920s NYC mystery that didn’t really work for me in the ways I had hoped it would.

What I liked:
-NYC during the 1920s
-The Nightingale as a setting
-Murder and suspense
-Secrets
-Bea and Vivian’s friendship

What I Didn’t Like
-Too many red herrings
-Too many characters to keep track of

This book was well written, exciting, and entertaining. The narrator was fantastic. The setting is mostly in a speak easy during prohibition. Several social topics were brought up in ways that should help normaize these marginal populations.

Such a grow-to-like character - Vivian!

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.

Good Jazz Age atmosphere, a lively and believable heroine, and a dead body outside the Nightingale club make this book easy to fall into. The writing is competent, the characters well sketched from the start, and trouble unfolds around dance-loving Vivian faster than her cranky neighbour can think up her next complaint.

Questions pile up about people Vivian likes as well as those she can’t stand. The dead man lurks, tainting Vivian’s desire to return to the Nightingale even though she’s sure of her welcome by the friendly bartender, Danny, and fascinated by the enigmatic owner, Hux. Then there's the debonair mystery man who showed up right around the time of the murder and seems willing to buy Viv's between-dance drinks forever. And a flapper socialite's frustrated boyfriend. And Viv's equally frustrated sister, who stays home, works hard, and can't understand how Viv can risk police raids and poisoning by bootleg booze just to go dancing night after night.

The narrator doesn’t give a lot of inflection early on, and you have to listen carefully to the words to know which character is talking. But after a few chapters she settles into the voices, especially Vivian’s, and lets the story unfold through emotion as well as the words.

There are a few jarring switches in Vivian’s audacity/bravery that threw me off a bit, but overall this is a competent, well-crafted, and absorbing Jazz Age mystery.

Historical mysteries may just be one of my new favorite things to read.The atmosphere created in “Last Call at the Nightingale” is what really captivated me. 1924 NYC was so well depicted, and I loved seeing it through the eyes of so many diverse characters. Sarah Young did a phenomenal job narrating, her pacing and inflection was spot on. If you’re looking for an audiobook to escape into for the day, give this one a try!

Prohibition in New York City. It's really easy to find yourself in the wrong place at the wrong time. as Vivian keeps realizing. Vivian is an Irish orphan living with her sister. She works for a demanding dressmaker during the day and her stress relief comes from dancing at the Nightingale with her best friend Bea. One night, Viv and Bea find a dead body in the alley and Viv gets too involved. The pacing was a bit slow at points then avalanched at the end and I had to relisten to parts to make sure I wasn't missing anything. Will they/won't they storylines always bore me, add in that at the end you still don't know so like, what was the point?
Overall, enjoyable read through NYC bootlegging and other shady shit

In Prohibition-Era New York, Vivian slinks into the Nightingale to escape daily life and enjoy dancing with the patrons, both men and women. The nice thing about the Nightingale is what happens there seems to stay there, but no doubt the owner, Honor Huxley knows all.
A happening speakeasy, vibrant characters, and lots of bubbles are all part of this murder mystery. These characters are not who they appear to be as the story develops.
At times some of the details lulled together, but overall, I enjoyed this novel.
The audiobook is narrated by Sara Young, with a great performance.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author, Katharine Schellman, and Dreamscape Media for the advanced listening copy.
Opinions are my own.

A murder mystery that takes place in the heat of the '20s New York during Prohibition. Vivian is a girl who just wants to have a few drinks, some laughs, and dance after a hard day working. She loves the Nightingale, a speakeasy that plays cool jazz and is home to her. The Nightingale welcomes all types. In a time of rampant racism and being gay will get you beat up, arrested, or worse, Honer Huxley, the Lesbian owner makes sure everyone feels like they are the same at the Nightingale.
Vivian and her best friend find a dead body and get embroiled in a mystery that puts Vivian's life and her beloved Nightingale in danger.


Any more would spoil the story, but I can say this was so much fun to read and listen to as an audiobook.
There was nothing I didn't enjoy about this novel. It was a historical mystery that stayed as true to the time of history it took place. It had a nice twist upon a twist, upon a twist ending that was actually not annoying. Usually, I'm not too fond of more than one twist, but it worked and worked perfectly.

My little gay heart sang for joy at the inclusion of Honor Huxley, the sultry, take no BS, owner, and the complicated relationships she has with her patrons.

If you prefer an audiobook version, the one narrated by Sara Young, made it even easier to get lost in 1920s New York. Ms. Young did a wonderful job keeping the characters sounding like individuals as well as keeping the listener enthralled.


Thanks to @netgalley, Dreamscape Audio, and Katherine Schellman, for the opportunity to listen to this Audiobook in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

I really enjoyed this book! The narrator was good, too.

I felt immersed in the time period (1920s) and loved how strong and independent the MC was. It felt like a believable mystery and didn't feel too scary. I've never read a "cozy" mystery but I think this might be able to go into that category. I think this would be a great beach read as well!

“I never said I was nice. But I would never hurt you, you know that, right?”

“No, I don’t know that.”

It’s 20s New York City, and Vivian Kelly is living two lives. The life of a poor, dress shop worker who shares a small apartment with her sister, and a glamorous baby vamp who hits the dance clubs nightly, escaping to a world of excitement. But then, she discovers a body behind her favourite night club and her whole world gets turned upside down as she gets ensnared in the dangerous side of Prohibition-era dance halls and has to find a way to navigate through before her two worlds collide with fatal results…

The cover and synopsis drew me in, I mean what’s not to like about a prohibition-era amateur sleuth? But I could not get into this book!

This is a fast-paced, plot-based, which really came at the expense of a more in-depth characterization of the main character Vivian—I didn’t really get her and thus my investment in her story was diminished. Which meant that I was mostly disengaged from Vivian’s story, and then when the stakes got higher, I just couldn’t bring myself to care as much.

I think part of the reason why I couldn’t connect to this one was the narrator. It’s set in 20s NYC, so having a narrator that sounds not so different than me just did not fit with the diction of the time and took me out of the story. I don’t know if my perspective is just coloured by seeing so much media from around that time or what, but the narration choice did not work for me.

I really wanted to like this one, but unfortunately, I was just not engaged.

This book might be for you if you enjoy:
- Going dancing
- Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries
- Noir fiction

Thank you Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for this advanced listening copy in exchange for an honest review!