Review: Murder at the Flamingo
Title: Murder at the Flamingo
Series: Van Buren and DeLuca Mystery #1
Author: Rachel McMillan
Release Date: July 10th, 2018
Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
Synopsis from Goodreads: Hamish DeLuca has spent most of his life trying to hide the anxiety that appears at the most inopportune times -- including during his first real court case as a new lawyer. Determined to rise above his father’s expectations, Hamish runs away to Boston where his cousin, Luca Valari, is opening a fashionable nightclub in Scollay Square. When he meets his cousin's “right hand man” Reggie, Hamish wonders if his dreams for a more normal life might be at hand. Regina “Reggie” Van Buren, heir to a New Haven fortune, has fled fine china, small talk, and the man her parents expect her to marry. Determined to make a life as the self-sufficient city girl she’s seen in her favorite Jean Arthur and Katharine Hepburn pictures, Reggie runs away to Boston, where she finds an easy secretarial job with the suave Luca Valari. But as she and Hamish work together in Luca’s glittering world, they discover a darker side to the smashing Flamingo night club. When a corpse is discovered at the Flamingo, Reggie and Hamish quickly learn there is a vast chasm between the haves and the have-nots in 1937 Boston—and that there’s an underworld that feeds on them both. As Hamish is forced to choose between his conscience and loyalty to his beloved cousin, the unlikely sleuthing duo work to expose a murder before the darkness destroys everything they’ve worked to build.
My Review: This book is a both a coming of age story and a murder mystery that will keep reader guessing. McMillan does a fabulous job bringing to life Boston in the 1930’s and readers will feel as though they are there. The characters in this story draw you right in and you can’t help but keep reading to find how they grow and chance. Hamish suffers from anxiety and panic attacks, making him an interesting character and at the same time highly relatable. Reggie’s determination and gumption make her loveable. She is a character you can’t help but root for. If you like literary fiction with a mystery, or enjoy America in the 1930’s as a setting then you should definitely pick up this book!
*I received this book from Thomas Nelson in exchange for an honest review*