Schellman moves from Regency-era London in previous mysteries ("Lily Adler" series) to 1924 Jazz Age New York in a compelling, atmospheric series debut. Vivian Kelly, a young Irish dressmaker living in New York City, longs for more than sharing a small tenement room with her sister and working a drudgery job. She craves the freedom she can only experience during evenings at the Nightingale, an underground club where she can have a few drinks and dance. But one night she sees a man's well-dressed body in the alley behind the club. That's followed by a raid, and Vivian is arrested, and terrified. She doesn't have the money for bail so she might be sent to the workhouse. Instead, the club's owner sends the bail money. Now Vivian owes Honor Huxley a favor. Honor asks her to listen to gossip at the club for information about the victim and who might have killed him. Vivian is soon pulled deep in a violent world. VERDICT Schellman expertly creates a strong sense of place, introducing a nightclub as a world where people of different races, classes, and sexual orientations can come together.--Lesa Holstine

Manhattan, 1924. When young seamstress Vivian Kelly discovers a dead body in the alley behind her favorite speakeasy, the Nightingale, she finds herself embroiled in a dangerous game of whodunit. Spurring her on is the female owner of the Nightingale, Honor Huxley, a lesbian who has a thing for Vivian, who sometimes seems to return the feelings, although her main squeeze is a mysterious man named Leo. Rounding out a multicultural cast are Vivian's friend, Bea, who is Black and a waitress at the club, and Danny, the Chinese bartender there. At home, Vivian's older sister, Florence, also a seamstress, disapproves of the time Vivian spends at the Nightingale but rallies to her rescue when it's needed most. Long on period atmosphere but sometimes rather short on fully realized characters, the novel's appeal comes from its cinematic action. But, if it were a movie, it would be the bottom half of a double bill, not as good as the main feature but nevertheless entertaining and worth the price of admission. Just don't forget to bring the popcorn!

A Jazz Age murder thrusts a good-time girl into the uncomfortable role of secret shamus. Young New York factory worker Vivian Kelly forgets her troubles on a nightly basis, aggressively drinking and dancing at the Nightingale, the speak-easy where Bea, her best pal, works. Amazonian owner Honor "Hux" Huxley polices the Nightingale with an iron hand, and the flirting of her sidekick, Danny Chin, can always be depended on to give Vivian a lift. Things take a darker turn one night when Vivian and Bea stumble on a corpse in the alley behind the club. Hux advises her to forget what she saw, but Vivian's conscience won't allow that. Nor can she give up her addictive nightlife, which eventually leads to her arrest during a police raid. Her bail comes with strings attached, and almost before she realizes it, Vivian isn't free to leave her nights at the Nightingale behind. The more she learns about the victim, the more compelled she feels to find his killer. The trail begins with the grieving widow, who'd been a blushing society bride only a year before. Schellman lavishes many chapters on her colorful Roaring '20s setting before moving the murder probe to the front burner, an understandable gambit in a series kickoff. Colorful period detail, providing insights into the social and political tenor of the times, might allay the impatience of traditional whodunit fans. Once the action gets started, Vivian nails the clever killer and finds a lover and potential sleuthing sidekick. A colorful period crime yarn with a heroine worth rooting for. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Vivian Kelly, the courageous protagonist of this excellent series launch set in 1924 Manhattan from Schellman (the Lily Adler mysteries), shares a tenement apartment with her older sister, Florence. Florence is serious and practical, but Vivian, who loves to drink and dance, is a regular at the Nightingale, a speakeasy, and often comes home at dawn before having to toil as a seamstress during the day. Her friends at the Nightingale, all of whom are distinctive characters readers will care about, include bartender Danny Chin, waitress and singer Bea Henry, and Nightingale owner Honor "Hux" Huxley. When Vivian and Bea find a dead man in the alley behind the club, they wonder if he was a bootlegger, but Hux forbids them to talk about it. After the cops raid the speakeasy, Hux bails Vivian out of jail. In return, Vivian agrees, after the cops find the victim's wallet with his ID in it, to spy on the dead man's family to determine whether they can help find the killer. Schellman vividly evokes Jazz Age Manhattan as Vivian proves to be a most imaginative sleuth. Readers will eagerly await her return. Agent: Whitney Ross, Irene Goodman Literary. (June)