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A spellbinding jazz-soaked mystery with heart, history, and a heroine you won’t forget.

Murder at the Wham Bam Club is everything I want in a historical mystery: richly atmospheric, socially aware, and driven by a fierce, intuitive protagonist. Set in a vividly drawn 1920s Illinois, the story thrums with speakeasy secrets, smoky jazz clubs, and a community fighting for justice in a world stacked against them.

Nola Ann Jackson is a standout heroine—grieving widow, budding psychic, and a voice for the voiceless. Her emotional depth, spiritual journey, and unflinching loyalty to the truth make her both inspiring and deeply human. I loved how her psychic abilities were portrayed as powerful yet grounded—woven into the plot in a way that felt natural and compelling rather than gimmicky.

The murder mystery kept me hooked with its layers of political corruption, hidden motives, and complex social dynamics. I especially appreciated how the book centers Black voices and experiences in an era often whitewashed in historical fiction. The author’s own background as a psychic medium and jazz pianist clearly shines through—infusing every page with authenticity, rhythm, and a dash of the otherworldly.

If you're a fan of historical fiction with strong female leads, a touch of the supernatural, and high-stakes sleuthing, Murder at the Wham Bam Club belongs on your TBR.

This debut novel in a soon to be series is indeed an excellent read if you are looking for an American 1920's mystery. It has all the exciting elements such as prohibition, gangs, murder and the whole nine yards. If that is what you are looking in a novel then this is definitely the book for you. I will say that I was very impressed with. this novel. The plot itself was interesting and the characters themselves had interesting backstories.
Our story starts with the introduction of our main character Nora who lost her husband in the great war. She decides to return to the home of her aunt. Nora lost both her parents at a very young age and was enrolled at the Phyllis Wheatley school which she had a very bad experience at. After she arrives home the school reaches out to her telling her that one of its students is missing. Nora reluctantly agrees to help search for the missing girl.
After going around looking for answers Nora eventually ends up at a Jazz Club the Wham Bam Club. While the missing girl is there the story doesn't end there. There ends up being a murder and the missing girl is considered a suspect. Will Nora be able to uncover the truth in this investigation.
I received an arc copy from Netgalley and all opinions are of my own.

You don't have to be a psychic to know that Carolyn Marie Wilkins has a winner with her debut book of the Psychics and Soul Food Mystery series, Murder at the Wham Bam Club. I knew as soon as I read the first paragraph of this wonderful historical mystery.
The setting of a small American town in the 1920s, and in particular the section of town housing the black population, is rich, detailed, and clearly well researched. There are plenty of cultural details woven into the storyline, gently teaching those unfamiliar with this part of American history the important details of food, music, relationships, beliefs, and challenges facing the black population of the time. The diverse characters are well-developed and relatable, bringing home the difficulties black people faced at the time, in a manner that stays with you much longer than the mere facts you find in the history books. In particular, the main character of Nola Ann Jackson is complex, courageous, and determined - definitely a woman to be reckoned with.
Wilkins has written a book that is, at its core, an intriguing mystery with a paranormal twist. It is fast-paced and fascinating, with just a touch of romance, and sure to keep you turning the pages to the very end.
I consider myself quite lucky to have been invited by the author to join her Street Team for #MurderattheWhamBamClub, and am grateful to her, #KensigntonPublishing, and #NetGalley for the ARC. I highly recommend this wonderfully engaging book to fans of historical and cozy mysteries alike.
#PsychicsAndSoulFoodMysteriesBk1 #paranormal #psychic #soulfoodie #historicalmystery #historicalresearch #warwidow #herbalist
#Blackhistory #thriller #suspense #amateurdetective #diversereleases #cozymystery

A really good book. A psychic, a speakeasy, and mystery in the 1920s. It's a great combination. It was a good lesson in history. Definitely recommend.

A different and very real look at the US in the 1920s. The story/mystery solving is meticulous and very well done, but the history lessons are things that need to be remembered and changed. Nola came back to her hometown in southern Illinois at her aunt's request after Nola's husband was killed with the Harlem Hellfighters in WW1. Like her aunt, Nola is a psychic and views auras. The first thing she is asked to do is to find a young woman who has left the boarding school for orphans which Nola herself escaped from. While looking for Lilly, Nola is at a speakeasy when it is burned to the ground and a local notorious womanizer is found shot to death. Everyone is rounded up and taken in except Lilly who becomes the only suspect in the eyes of the police. The author takes us into the music scene and some of the political intrigue of the day as Nola investigates and finds that her heart is not as dead as she thought. Very excellent read with engaging characters and complex history lessons.
I requested and received a temporary uncorrected digital galley from Kensington Publishing | Kensington via NetGalley. Pub Date Jul 29, 2025
#MurderattheWhamBamClub by Carolyn Marie Wilkins @jemaya7 @kensingtonbooks #NetGalley #PsychicsAndSoulFoodMysteriesBk1
#paranormal #psychic #soulfoodie #historicalmystery #historicalresearch #warwidow #herbalist
#Blackhistory #thriller #suspense #amateurdetective #diversereleases #cozymystery @goodreads #*****bookreview @bookbub @the.storygraph @booksamillion @barnesandnoble @bookshop_org @bookshop_org_uk #BlackAuthors #BlackWriters @librarythingofficial @kobo @waterstones

War widow Nola leaves jazz-age Harlem to return to her hometown of Agate, Illinois, where her aunt serves as a local "hoodoo woman." Nola grew up in the Phyllis Wheatley School, and when that school needs her help to deal with a threat to its reputation that threatens its very survival, she steps up to help.

Unfortunately, that help takes her to the notorious Wham Bam Club, where things go from bad to worse, with one of the students suspected of murder. Nola's adventures are interwoven with African-American history and depictions of life for black people in the Midwest in the early 20th century. The result is an eye-opening book.

The characters are complex and the community is an interesting one; I hope there will be more in the series.