A Delightful New Mystery | Review: Murder at the Flamingo by Rachel McMillan

Murder at the Flamingo

by Rachel McMillan

About The Book

 If Hamish DeLuca spent less time with his nose in a history book or studying for the bar exam, he might finally have the courage to ask a girl to dance at the Palais Royale. But despite his romantic nature, Hamish has always been shy and lacking the confidence of his friend and cousin, Luca Valari, who has invited Hamish to join him in Boston for the summer. Luca has just purchased a new dance club, The Flamingo, and could use Hamish’s math and accounting skills to keep the books alongside Luca’s “right hand man” Reggie Van Buren.

Regina “Reggie” Van Buren, daughter of a wealthy pastor and heir to a New Haven fortune, is determined to make a life as the self-sufficient city girl she sees in her favorite Jean Arthur and Katharine Hepburn pictures. After a humiliating tea party, Reggie bids goodbye to fine china and the man her parents expect her to marry and escapes to Boston. Finding an easy secretarial job with the suave Luca Valari and a room at Miss Clara’s Boarding house in the North End, Reggie soon adapts to a world beyond servants and ironed linens. Her romantic prospects alight, too, when she sets eyes on Luca’s cousin Hamish.

When a corpse is discovered at The Flamingo, Hamish and Reggie trade ledgers and book-keeping for sleuthing skills. But the truth comes at a high price for Hamish who discovers a dark side to his beloved cousin and is forced to choose between loyalty and his conscience.

My Thoughts

A mystery that unfolds gently, with an unlikely hero and heroine at the helm, Murder at the Flamingo is a smashing start to a delightful new series. A historic thriller wrapped in 1930s magic set against a backdrop that is at times charming, and at others gritty, the novel boasts two endearing lead characters that readers will surely want to befriend. Shy and quiet, Hamish DeLuca struggles with anxiety and panic disorder, and copes by turning to his favorite book The Hunchback of Notre Dame for comfort. Yet he is also incredibly smart, and over the course of the summer, learns that he can be courageous; the hero of his own story. Readers facing the same challenges as Hamish will at once find a character to sympathize with, while also finding a new literary hero to look up to. Former New Haven debutante Reggie Van Buren is just as delightful in her own right. Full of pluck and a fearless woman of the ‘30s, she learns to navigate life in a new city away from her parents’ affluence. I found it endearing as she marked off each new accomplishment in her Journal of Independence and cheered for both she and Hamish as they took steps toward accomplishing their goals.

The friends Reggie and Hamish make and the villains they encounter along the way make for a rich, full cast of characters as diverse as the city in which they live. Having read McMillan’s Herringford and Watts Mysteries, I was delighted by references to the characters I so loved in that series; some of which I was quite familiar with, others bearing familiar names who I hope to meet in future Van Buren and DeLuca mysteries.

The setting of the book is marvelous. You can sense the author’s love for Boston in the descriptions of the North End and the lively Scollay Square. The fact that it takes place in the 1930s makes the Boston setting even more endearing, as I can clearly imagine Reggie, Hamish, and Nate as they gather ‘round the wireless in the office to listen to Winchester Molloy and share cannoli.

Overall, I really enjoyed Murder at the Flamingo and I can’t wait to read more about Hamish and Reggie and their adventures. Fans who love historical mysteries will love this book.

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.