Love this cover so much and need that drink! Wanted to like this more. Thanks for the copy in exchange for an honest review! It fell flat for me and missed the mark a bit

I really loved the first in this series, and I was delighted to see a continuation!

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! We’ve got such a fun, diverse, & complex cast. With more page time with both Florence & Danny!

And the setting is mostly a beautifully set 1920s speakeasy! I love so much how deeply baked into the foundation of this book the 1920s and New York are. This story literally could not take place anywhere else.

A mystery full of twists and turns that I did not predict the final twist on! There were some fun red herrings, and what I really liked was how complicated this story really showed all the characters to be. From my favorite side character of Bea to the villain of the story, everyone has a story and distinct motivations.

The story was a bit slow in the beginning, but it was an absolute blast to finish.

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin’s Press!

Hardworking Vivian Kelly serves drinks—and occasionally gets to enjoy a dance—in a New York speakeasy during prohibition. She lives with her sister Florence, who works as a seamstress at the same dressmaker’s shop where Vivian has a day job making deliveries and visiting clients to take measurements. When Vivian’s singer friend is distraught and unable to believe that her dear uncle’s death is a suicide, Vivian takes it upon herself to investigate in true plucky-heroine-of-a-cozy, sometimes out of her depth with bad guys, fashion. Along the way, Vivian encounters tough guys and tough women, corrupt cops, and many other shady characters. Threats abound, and someone is scaring her working-poor neighbors into giving up their valuables or risk being poisoned. Meanwhile, Vivian and timid Florence both contemplate possible love interests in their circle of acquaintance. The mystery proceeds steadily but oh so slowly, never compelling me to read more than a couple of chapters at a sitting. It's a charming portrait of an era but whatever the opposite of a page-turner is called; after a week of reading this book I found myself wanting the story to end more than I wanted to see what happened next.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for a digital advance review copy.

Vivian Kelly lives a simple life with her sister Florence. They may not have the finer things in life, but they get by and are happy in their lives. Much of Vivan’s time is spent at The Nightingale, a speakeasy she works at along with her best friend Bea, a singer at the club. When Bea’s Uncle Pearlie, a doorman at The Nightingale, is found dead. Officials are ruling it a suicide due to poison, a ruling that Bea won’t accept. As she and Vivian look more into Pearlie’s death they discover that there is a lot more to Pearlie’s death than they previously thought, and he may not be the only person that the killer has in their sights.

The Last Drop of Hemlock is Schellman’s follow-up to Last Call at the Nightingale, and I really enjoyed my time catching up with Vivian and Bea and all the others at the Nightingale. This novel was more of a slow-burn than the prior novel; it took awhile to really get into the story. The mystery was intriguing once things got going, and I also really liked seeing Florence come out of her shell in this one. Between the era, the speakeasy, the characters and the story I found this to be a fun series to return to.

Although I had high hopes for the book, it ended up being a letdown. I was disappointed and found it hard to stay engaged with the story, despite my initial excitement.

This series just isn't for me. The pace is sluggish, the characters not all that interesting, and I don't connect well with the writing style.

DNF

Vivian is back in THE LAST DROP OF HEMLOCK! There is so much I love about this series. The time period, the characters, the Nightingale...it is all so fabulous. This is the second book I have read by Schellman and her ability to weave together a historical mystery showcases her true talent as a writer. Bring on book 3!

I loved this book, it gave me everything I wanted as a reader and more. I am a sucker for a cover and fell in love with the storyline and characters. Well written and kept me engaged :)

Thanks @stmartinspress and @minotaur_books for the advanced access!⁣
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Quick and Dirty⁣
-Prohibition-era historical mystery⁣
-diverse cast of characters ⁣
-a hint of sapphic romance ⁣
-second in a series⁣
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Thoughts⁣
This book took me ages to finish, y’all. I didn’t dislike it, it just didn’t grab me. I think it has a lot to do with the fact that I hadn’t read the first book. While there were efforts to set the stage and introduce characters/character arcs, I felt like I was missing pieces the entire book. So, best advice: read book one first. Don’t get me wrong, as a stand-alone the book this works, but I wanted the added context that the first book, Last Call at The Nightingale, would have given me. What did work for me was the characters! I really enjoyed the diversity represented in the cast of characters, something lacking in some historical fiction novels. The cast felt like a true representation of the diversity of Manhattan at the time. I also enjoyed the dark atmosphere the author conjures for readers, setting the scene for murder, intrigue, and speakeasies. I definitely recommend this series for anyone who likes a moody whodunnit!

Thank you Minotaur and NetGalley for the eARC of The Last Drop of Hemlock! All opinions in this review are my own.

I ended up reading Last Call at the Nightingale and The Last Drop of Hemlock back to back. At first, I liked how Vivian stumbled on the mystery in the first book better than how it was brought to her in the second. However, The Last Drop of Hemlock's mystery contained more twists and turns, making it more complex than the first one. I also really liked that since the characters were already familiar, the author was able to share more about their pasts in the second book or leave space for more to be revealed!

The way that The Last Drop of Hemlock ends makes me very excited to see that a third book is already on the way!

*I received a free copy of this novel from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press and Minotaur Books for my honest review.*

Lovely cozy'ish mystery set in NYC during Prohibition. Definitely makes me want to read more of the series. It was very intersting and intriguing time period.

I tried, I really did, I swear. This series just isn't for me. If you can see how long it took me to read this book, you'd know it's extremely rare of me to push through this long and manage to finish. Usually, I would've given up, but this was an eARC and I really wanted to give the series a good shot. On paper, this series is for me: queer, set in the 1920's and full of mystery, intrigue and tension. However, I need to be able to connect emotionally to characters to fully buy into a novel and I just cannot with Vivian. I can't put my finger on exactly what it is about her that I just cannot buy into. She's kind of a prickly main character; pretty stubborn and thinks she's more prepared than she is to go into the situations she finds herself in. She also has a nasty habit of lying to the people she cares about the most which honestly grinds my gears to no one. I do like the side characters a lot; I think the dynamic between Vivian, Leo and Honor is really interesting and I like how it's been a slow burn between the love interests. We're still unconfirmed about what the endgame is and I think that's pretty fun for readers. I also liked how the relationships between characters developed in this book from the first. They were expanded, complicated and grew in all different ways. But I just cannot get past the narration. I don't end up hating the novel by any means, but it doesn't call for me to read it or to find out what the mystery is all about. I just slug through it and force myself to pick it up which isn't fun you know? I think this series would definitely be more suited for people who love plot driven narratives, so if that's you, maybe try it out!

Katharine Schellman truly delivered with "The Last Drop of Hemlock." Stepping back into the speakeasy vibes of 1920s New York through Vivian Kelly's eyes was both thrilling and nostalgic. What stands out the most? The deep character development. Vivian's journey is filled with raw emotion, intertwined with the bustling streets of New York and the mysteries lurking in the shadows.

I was genuinely impressed with the diversity of the cast. It felt authentic, showcasing the melting pot that is NYC, and each character added depth and layers to the evolving mystery. Speaking of which, the suspense kept me on the edge of my seat! Schellman’s storytelling had me guessing at every turn and eagerly flipping to the next page.

All in all, for those who crave a mix of historical depth, riveting mystery, and a 1920's vibes, "The Last Drop of Hemlock" should be next on your list. I can't wait for the next one!

Another fun historical mystery from Katharine Schellman.

This is the follow-up to Last Call at the Nightingale, and while it’s a bit less engaging than the first book in the series, it’s entertaining enough and the characters remain likable and worth rooting for.

Viv’s romantic entanglements don’t particularly interest me, but the central mystery is intriguing enough and the buddy mystery vibes of these remain solid. I’d like to see more of Danny and Viv’s sister and maybe a bit less of Honor, but on the whole the series continues to be worth reading. I’m a little worried that there isn’t really a worthy continuing plot line to keep readers engaged from book to book, but perhaps we’ll get there eventually.

This is the first book in the Nightingale series I have read. And to be honest, I’m glad I didn’t waste my time on the first book. For some reason this book just did not appeal to me. I appreciated the 1920s jazz age and the setting, but the middle section of this story just dragged and could not keep me invested in the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

For more reviews, please visit my blog at: https://www.msladybugsbookreviews.com/. Over 1000 reviews posted!

I have not read the first book in this series of mysteries, but luckily this book works fine as a stand-alone novel. The setting of 1920s New York is a familiar one for mysteries, but I like Schellman’s focus on marginalized communities of the time, whether marginalized by race, sexuality, religion, or economic background. The queer representation of Huxley and Vivian is well done and just as developed as the heterosexual romantic tension between Vivian and Leo. I did find the mystery itself easy to figure out (or, at least one aspect of it), but there were some surprises, and the descriptions and characters made it enjoyable.

This book is the 2nd in the series and I had not read the 1st one. I was able to read this as a stand alone which was nice. I enjoyed the diverse representation in this book! Getting to read about a variety of inclusive characters helped this story for me. The cozy mystery vibe ultimately just isn't for me. This was leaning more into slow, historical, mystery which I don't enjoy that much. I can see that this book would be well liked by others though and I did enjoy the writing style.

I loved the cover of this book. I thought the premise sounded really interesting. But I really struggled to get engaged in this book. It ended up being a DNF for me, and that makes me sad. But these things happen sometimes.

The Last Drop of Hemlock
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Author: Katherine Schellman

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Dreamscape Media and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: New York, 1924. Vivian Kelly has gotten a job at the Nightingale, a speakeasy known to the young and fun as a place where the rules of society can be tossed aside for a dance and a drink, and things are finally looking up for her and her sister Florence. They might not be living like queens—still living in a dingy, two-room tenement, still scrimping and saving—but they're confident in keeping a roof over their heads and, every once in a while, there is fried ham for breakfast.

Of course, things were even better before Bea's Uncle Pearlie, the doorman for the Nightingale, was poisoned. Bea has been Vivian's best friend since before she can remember, and though Pearlie's death is ruled a suicide, Bea's sure her uncle wouldn't have killed himself. After all, he had the family to care for . . . and there have been rumors of a mysterious letter writer, blackmailing Vivian's poorest neighbors for their most valuable possessions, threatening poison if they don't comply.

With the Nightingale's dangerously lovely owner, Honor, worried for her employees' safety and Bea determined to prove her Uncle was murdered, Vivian once again finds herself digging through a dead man's past in hopes of stopping a killer.

My Thoughts: This was book number two of the Nightingale Mysteries. I did not read the first book and was able to navigate fine in this second book, so it can be read as a standalone. This is a slow burn atmospheric cozy mystery. It was a little too slow for my liking. The author creates a very diversified 1920’s Manhattan with Black, Asian, Bisexuality, and Jewish.

The characters were mysterious, expansive, and creative. The one character that I really did not care for was Viv and Flo’s boss at the sewing shop, she was just so mean and played a bigger part in the book that I wanted to see. The characters from the Nightingale were not blood but were created as family, which is so refreshing to see. It is also not the blood that makes a person family. The author’s attention to detail was so immersive that you felt like you had been dropped in New York in 1920. The pacing and flow of the book was off to me, the beginning was great and the last part of the story was great, but the middle seemed to drag on too much. I hoping some of the parts that fell flat will be resolved in book three.

I was lucky to get the digital arc and audio arc. Overall, a good mystery and if you love historical cozy mysteries, then I would recommend this one for you.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy of The Last Drop of Hemlock. This was very good and I usually am not a big mystery person. I think this was better read than the audiobook.