It is NYC during prohibition and the speakeasy era. Vivian Kelly and her sister Florence are getting by, Florence as a dressmaker and Vivian doing deliveries during the day and waitressing at the Nightingale during the evenings. Someone has been threatening and stealing from the poor tenement folk, prompting the sisters to investigate the mystery and endangering themselves in the process. Vivian's best friend Beatrice, the singer at the Nightingale, is devastated when her uncle Pearlie is murdered. Out of loyalty and concern for Beatrice, Vivian pursues the mystery of his death, uncovering dangerous and unwelcome information along the way. A tale of forbidden pleasures, unsavoury characters, hard times and the city after dark.

This is the sequel to Last Call at the Nightingale, which I have not read. This did not pose any difficulty however, as I had no trouble getting a quick grasp of the characters and their relationships. I really enjoyed the Prohibition era and speakeasy setting of the novel, and the cast of characters which highlighted the cultural diversity of the city. Nevertheless I found my attention lagged at times even though it is a relatively short novel. Upon reflection, I feel like the mood of the book was rather sad and serious rather than the carefree hedonism of the period which I would have expected. In the acknowledgements at the end, the author notes that it was a grind to write the novel, a surprising admission which perhaps influenced the mood of the book. Many thanks to Minotaur for providing me with a copy to review.