Last Call at the Nightingale by Katharine Schellman

 I was given a free e-copy of this novel by NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

New York, 1924. Vivian Kelly's days are filled with drudgery, from the tenement lodging she shares with her sister to the dress shop where she sews for hours every day.

But at night, she escapes to The Nightingale, an underground dance hall where illegal liquor flows and the band plays the Charleston with reckless excitement. With a bartender willing to slip her a free glass of champagne and friends who know the owner, Vivian can lose herself in the music. No one asks where she came from or how much money she has. No one bats an eye if she flirts with men or women as long as she can keep up on the dance floor. At The Nightingale, Vivian forgets the dangers of Prohibition-era New York and finds a place that feels like home.

But then she discovers a body behind the club, and those dangers come knocking.

Caught in a police raid at the Nightingale, Vivian discovers that the dead man wasn't the nameless bootlegger he first appeared. With too many people assuming she knows more about the crime than she does, Vivian finds herself caught between the dangers of the New York's underground and the world of the city's wealthy and careless, where money can hide any sin and the lives of the poor are considered disposable...including Vivian's own. (Goodreads synopsis)

I have read a previous novel written by Katharine Schellman. She is very good at describing the settings and feelings of characters to the point that the reader feels as if they are there, in the moment. It truly feels like time-traveling to where the reader hears the music and feels the fast flush after finishing the Charleston.

What I liked about this novel was that it encompassed what history was actually like for everyone. Prohibition was a ridiculous notion, and everyone from wealthy to poor knew it. However, this novel also shows the prejudices, and how they could be elevated for a few hours of “partying.”

I think the relationship between Florence and Vivian was accurate as well. While they are sisters and neither would let the other come to pain, it does not mean that they are affectionate nor that they will not hurt each other. Quite the opposite. They love each other, but they also do not know how to understand the other. 

Overall I rate this novel 5 out of 5 stars.