This book was one of the best I've read in a long while.

Genre tags: Historical fiction, mystery, set in the post-civil war era, sleuth, crime.

This story starts by introducing you to our strong FMC, giving you a glimpse of her history and quickly taking you on a journey that shows her strength of character whilst the lives of the people she loves, are threatened. I don't want to give too much away so I'll explain why I liked this book so much.

It was a complex story with plenty of drama and mystery, yet I felt it was paced very well and easy to follow. There is always something gripping going on.

You felt like you knew the characters very well and the atmosphere the author created was enveloping. The time period is known for the misogyny and inequalities for women and this was interwoven with confidence and taste.
I loved the strong relationships between some characters and the flashes back to the FMC days as a former women soldier of the union army.

I haven't had a book in a while that has traveled with me whilst doing chores, because I didn't want to miss the time between jobs, that could be spent reading.

I cannot fault this book.

Thank you to Netgallery, Jan Matthew's and Coffee&Ink Press for the opportunity to give a truthful review on this ARC. My words are my own (thanks Natasha)

This book absolutely delivered. Jan Matthews has written something special here.

Leona Gladney is brilliantly complex—a former Union Army soldier turned suffragist navigating Brooklyn Heights society whilst clearing her name after a friend's suspicious death. Matthews doesn't shy away from the contradictions: Leona's tough but vulnerable, ambitious but constrained by the era's brutal misogyny.

The seance scenes are exceptional. Matthews uses them to expose both the desperation and cunning of women working within narrow social constraints. The spiritualism angle adds genuine menace.

The mystery itself is layered and satisfying. Flashbacks to Leona's war service provide crucial character depth without derailing the investigation.
Highly recommend for anyone who wants historical mystery with genuine bite.

Thank you tNetGalley for providing me a with a copy of the book.

Jan Matthew’s historical fiction 2026 release in The Last Fatal Hour is a profound story set early on Gil refers to his wife Lenora as saucy. The point of you is one of the primary characters Leona Gladney, who is a former Union Army soldier turned Brooklyn Heights suffragist. She is surrounded by many characters from Daphne who is part of the element of mystery in this historical fiction mystery novel. Detective Day is the officer at the center of unraveling the mystery which unravels as this story moves forward. In her pursuit of truth and vindication, Leona navigates a dark world of mystery and murder in Brooklyn Heights. Readers must know that following Lenora’s character is important as the story unravels. But her character narrative moves the entire story forward while the plot is the supporting element of this story. Jan Matthew’s writing is brilliant and her knowledge of the time period is spectacular. The author's ability to do in depth research clearly shows in how she develops the events which surround his historical fiction novel. I highly recommend The Last Fatal Hour by Jan Matthews. If you're a reader new to historical fiction, reading a book that crosses over genres is a great way to try the genre. If you're not new to historical fiction, you should try author Jan Matthews historical fact is well researched based upon what I know of this time period from history courses.

The Last Fatal Hour is a masterfully woven historical mystery, capturing the spirit of post–Civil War America with remarkable depth and atmosphere. Rather than merely borrowing from the beloved world of Louisa May Alcott, this novel expands upon the era she so vividly portrayed, plunging readers into the shifting social landscape of Reconstruction through a gripping and emotionally layered mystery.

At the heart of the story is Leona—a compelling woman navigating the rigid expectations of high society while quietly wrestling with her own longing for independence. Her internal struggle feels authentic and timeless: the tension between carving out one’s own identity and yearning for the warmth and stability of a family. The author handles this duality with nuance, making her journey as absorbing as the mystery itself.
Equally fascinating is that Leona was a covert former Union soldier whose past lingers like a shadow over the present. Her concealed history adds emotional complexity, enriching the central mystery while deepening the novel’s exploration of loyalty, trauma, and reinvention in a nation still healing from war.

The historical detail is beautifully written without ever overwhelming the plot. The customs, social codes, and unspoken rules of the time are seamlessly embedded in the narrative, heightening both the stakes and the drama. The constraints placed upon women—and the quiet acts of defiance that push against them—are portrayed with sensitivity and strength.

The Last Fatal Hour is for fans of intelligent historical mysteries and character-driven drama.

In The Last Fatal Hour, Jan Matthews crafted an Agatha Christie reminiscent historical whodunit that was quite intriguing. I was expecting more Historical Fiction with a strong feminist vibe as a woman secretly disguised as a Union Army soldier, but this was only a subplot of the story. I would categorize this as Historical Cozy Mystery. Once I switched gears and realized this, I was thoroughly engaged. The pace of the beginning was a bit slow, but necessary for background and setting the scene, but midway it picked up and I couldn’t stop reading. I enjoyed the large cast of characters and the parts they each played. There were multiple layers of mystery that began early in the novel with each twist building up to the last page. 3.5 stars rounded up!

Thank you NetGalley and Coffee and Ink Press for the advanced ebook!
All of these thoughts and opinions are my own.

I received a complimentary advanced digital copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Many thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for this opportunity.

This is a fabulous read. It ticked all the boxes for me; intrigue, murder, embezzlement, jealousy, séances with channelling and infidelity all set at a time when women were beginning to find their voice, the suffrage movement.

The protagonist, Leona Gladney is an adventurous and brave woman. In defending her beliefs she signed up disguised as a young man to become a soldier during the American Civil War. However, she bears the scars of the experience of having to act as a young man; to assimilate and to take on all aspects of male behaviour as well as experiencing the death of fellow soldiers and friends. The consequences have led to the reliance of laudanum, for which Leona desperately tries to rid herself of having to resort to. She doesn’t fit all that well into society as merely a subservient, obedient and beautiful wife as expected during this time; she is a woman with an opinion and physical ability which causes problems in this new marriage. Following her widowhood and returning to Brooklyn Heights, Leona marries for the second time to a wealthy businessman and her life becomes one of sharp contrast to that of her previous young life. She appears to have the world at her feet, a successful socialite, a fund raiser for the suffrage movement, all seem very positive until her husband’s partner embezzles the company’s funds and disappears. This leads to financial difficulties and tension between her and her new husband who spends late hours at work, even not returning at night.

Early in the read Leona visits an elderly longtime friend of hers, Daphne, where she reveals that she is writing her memoirs of her war experience, the writing helps in overcoming the flash backs, however, to be published she would have to take on a pseudonym, or publish anonymously to avoid societal stigma and her husband would not approve at all. Reading her memoirs sees Daphne becoming upset, her own memories brought to life. When the nurse enters to pour sherry, Leona is furious to see that laudanum is going to be administered and she intervenes. In the disruption, she leaves her memoirs at Daphne’s for which become the subject of blackmail. After her visit, the news comes that Daphne has died. Leona is accused of stealing valuable jewellery and of murdering her. This is all linked to her husband’s failing fortunes and finger pointing by Daphne’s grandson.

Determined to clear her name Leona visits another elderly friend. She needs to find Daphne’s nurse and maid, Winifred, both have disappeared. Leona knows that Daphne’s friend will have information that can help her and in conversation, several things are revealed, that unknown to Leona, Daphne and her friend over the years had visited a spiritualist. Daphne had also told her friend that the family were overdosing her on laudanum and that she had become aware that her grandson was having an affair with her nurse.

From here on the read moves into one of intrigue and danger and has Leona and her friend Ruth investigating events, firstly to find the missing maid Winifred who they hope will be able to reveal more of the events of the night when Daphne was murdered.

The book comes to a conclusion with last few chapters revealing the unidentified serial murderer who has Leona in a precarious and dangerous position.

This historical mystery features quite a different heroine. Leona Gladney had disguised herself as a young man to fight in the Union Army during the Civil war. She suffers from PTSD from those days. And now she’s married to a wealthy businessman in post-War New York City. She supports the suffrage movement and is writing fictional tales about two young boys in the War as well as a much more personal and painful attempt at memoirs of her experiences. But she is still expected to fulfill the typical upper class role for a wife. When a dear friend of hers died suddenly and Leona comes under suspicion for stealing her jewels and killing her, Leona undertakes to figure out what really happened.

Meanwhile, her husband has lost most of his money in his business and he spends long hours away from home. Leona delves deeper into various mysteries in New York with psychics and other people.

The mysteries get deeper and darker as the book goes on. The author has crafted a complex and original mystery. It ended rather suddenly with a sort of cliffhanger that was resolved some time later in the epilogue. I would have liked for a deeper look at the events in the epilogue since that is what the whole novel had been building up to.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

‘Pen and ink or back to the laudanum.’

Things aren’t looking all to bright for Leona and that’s saying so much considering she survived soldiering as a man during the Civil War when so many others didn’t. Her husband’s partner has disappeared and taken all of their money and left them in a precarious position that only gets worse when she’s accused of stealing an elderly friend's jewels after her death. With everyone she knows turning against her she has no clue that the accusations will be a blessing in disguise as a plot so sinister unravels in this intriguing novel that hooks you and doesn’t let go until the last page is turned. Well done!

This immersive book is not for me, though I'm sure others will enjoy it. The pace is too slow for me—I prefer more action-oriented books. DNF.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

3.5/5⭐️

ARC copy provided by NetGalley

Leona Gladney is a society heiress, a suffragette, and secretly a former Union soldier. Following the disappearance of her husbands business partner along with all of their funds, Leona is eyed as a suspect when her close friend mysteriously dies and her jewelry vanishes. Leona takes it upon herself to unravel the mystery before she is next.

I wish this story had focused more on Leona and her time as a Union soldier. While we got brief glimpses through flashbacks, it felt completely underdeveloped and unexplored. While I understand that this is a work of historical fiction I also despise how the struggle with PTSD was presented. The mystery was intriguing and the ultimate reveal was shocking, but overall the pacing on this was a bit strange and lost me at a few points.