This is a wonderful series that really brings New York City in the 1930s to life for me. Lane is spunky and I like how she trusts her instincts, and how loyal and supportive she is to her boyfriend Finn, especially in this book. This book takes place in New York City, but Lane and Finn also travel to England to do some research which was a nice change for Lane. The mystery is still unfolding of the story of Lane's parents which I find very interesting and how it ties in with the current mystery. I love how the author includes real people in the story and how she explains which details are real in the author's notes at the back of the book. Although all of the books in the series build on each other, they could be read as stand alones. But I would recommend reading them all. I can't wait for the next book!

I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Princess Fuzzypants here: There are books that throw a lot of information at the reader, especially in historical fiction, but because it all fits together like a puzzle, it blends nicely. Sometimes it feels a bit like the “kitchen sink” has been tossed in and while all the different elements on their own are interesting, there is almost too much. This story goes back and forth across the Atlantic and has many stellar historical people entwined in the story. It has everyone from Fiorello LaGuardia to Winston Churchill and Stanley Baldwin to Orson Welles. They all play roles in the tale of Lane and Finn who both work for the Mayor. The two are trying to figure out what a supposedly defunct criminal organization has to do with pinballs in New York.
There are politicians and crime czars and spies and cops. There is a lot going on and it is suspenseful and exciting. But it just feels at times like there is too much and it does detract a bit from the main story. However, if you enjoy celebrity laden historical fiction, you may enjoy all the extra bits.
Four purrs and one paw up.

This book is so much fun. I love the history it includes about both NYC and London. Finn and Lane are such fun characters. I also found the “bad” guys super fascinating. I haven’t even had a chance to read the first two in the series, but now I want to. This is definitely a good read!

Description
As the Great Depression loosens its grip on New York City, Mayor La Guardia and his team meet their greatest foe in the fight against organized crime … Lane Sanders and her fiery boss, Mayor Fiorello “Fio” La Guardia have managed to contain the explosive underground conspiracies of New York’s most sinister schemers. But after a seemingly harmless pinball racket claims the life of a trusted ally, a new ringleader signals the rebirth of an all-too-familiar crime network at home and across the pond … Spurred on by the possibility of a violent syndicate spreading like wildfire through Europe, Lane sets sail for London—the city where her parents began the undercover work that led to their tragic undoing. And this time, she won’t chase down childhood nightmares without Finn Brodie, who vows to dispel his own difficult secrets abroad … While Finn confronts a devious sibling’s plot that echoes Orson Welles’s Voodoo Macbeth, Lane discovers that a dazzling pearl dagger may wield the ultimate clue to guide their hunt for justice on two sides of the ocean. With terrors from the past and present converging, Lane can’t save herself unless she starts believing that, like her weapon of choice, she also has the power to be both beautiful and dangerous.

My Review:
The Pearl Dagger is a cozy historical mystery that will keep you interested into the very end. It is the third book in the series, and although I have not read the previous two I was able to follow without any confusion. The story Lane from New York City to the streets of London in this historical mystery.

The characters were well developed and the story line kept me interested until the very end.

I received this book free of charge in exchange for my honest opinion.

L.A. Chandlar’s Art Deco mysteries continue to be one of the best currently active historical cozy mystery series.

The third installment in the series isn’t quite as wild a ride as the first two, but I appreciated the shift toward more fully focusing on the broader overarching plot of the Red Scroll Network, as well as a little more light being shed on the murder of Lane’s parents and their involvement before their deaths.

This book did have what appeared to be some filler (something delightfully absent from the first two books) in the form of the lengthy side plot involving Finn’s family. A little of this would have been fine, but it took up a lot more ink than it needed to and felt sort of pointless in terms of the bigger picture. I understand that it’s meant as a “this is why Finn is the way he is” segment, which would have been fine had it been a brief aside or if Finn actually behaved like someone with this sort of family backstory, which he doesn’t.

That, however, is my lone complaint. The series’ lovable cast of quirky characters grows more and more lovable with each book, and Chandlar really nails a difficult mix of creepy and crime ridden with cozy and magical to create the perfect atmosphere for this unique series.

And as always, Chandlar’s work-ins of historical figures and events are brilliantly done. I admire her research and ability to blend fact and fiction so seamlessly.

Book four of the series can’t arrive soon enough.

This is the first installment of the Art Deco Mystery series that I have read. Thank you Kensington Books and Netgalley for this e-ARC for an honest review.

As the is the first installment of the series that I have read, I was a little confused at first about character background. However, I do not think it is necessary to read the other two installments first.

The Pearl Dagger follows Lane Sanders, the aide to NYC Mayor La Guardia. However, there is more to lane than just her day time job at a desk. Pearl Dagger starts out with Lane and her investigator report friend Rourke following and later being chased by two men. After climbing out on a ledge about Grand Central Station, The Pearl Dagger shifts to Lane later being sent to London with her boyfriend and NYC Cop Finn by Mayor La Guardia to dig into what is going on with a troublesome woman named Daphne, who is apparently the heir to a gang/mob/troublesome group called the Red Scrolls.

Along the way, Finn has to battle with family drama that he left behind in England after coming to New York. While there, Lane and Finn find about more about not just his family, but hers as well as they meet with people from her parents' passed that are also connected to Daphne.

In London we see cameos from Mr. Winston Churchill (before he was PM), J.R.R Tolkien and C.S. Lewis.

Things heat up as Lane and Finn return to NYC, where they are both targets of Daphne and her crew. Between a coworker's funeral, Valentine's Day and some Voodoo MacBeth, will the two live to see another day?

As someone who loves cozy little art deco mysteries, like this I am glad that I got the opportunity to read and review this book.

It reminded me a bit of Susan Elia MacNeal's Maggie Hope series set around the same time in London. I can't wait to read the first two installments of this series in order to understand more of the character development.

The historical facts in this novel are impressive. Reading about Mayor La Guardia''s 1937 campaign to clean up NYC from corruption and mobsters along with the Art Deco fashion influence was very well done. .

There are a lot of characters to keep track of. Each character is well described and their background stories are interesting. I found having three story lines made the book feel like it was too long though things moved quickly during the various exploits.,

Lane Sanders is the mayor's assistant and her past is very outside the norm. Her backstory is very intriguing and provides a lot of mystery. Her boyfriend, NYPD Detective Finn Brodie has his own past to confront while he and Lane visit London.

I'm in two mind about this book: on one side I found it a fun read, full of humour, on the other side I found the plot a bit confusing at times and with an unnecessary subplot.
The characters are quirky and larger than life, the historical background is interesting and well researched for the USA part but it seemed a bit of a fantasy for the UK part.
I assume I had some issues with the plot because I didn't read the first instalment in this series.
I think there's a lot of potential in this series and I'm curious about the next instalment.
Many thanks to Kensington Books and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Historical mysteries are tops on my list and when they involve real life people, well, yeas please. Add to that one of the most interesting periods, Art Deco with some of the most beautiful art ever created - from skyscrapers to fashion and it's a glorious background for a mystery series. This, the third in the series, can be read as a stand alone but the reader, new to the series, would be better served by starting with The Silver Gun and really get to know Lane Sanders, her larger than life boss Mayor LaGuardia and Finn Brodie, her policeman boyfriend. Set against the glitz, glamour and crime of New York City, it's a feast for the senses.
Partly set in New York City and across the Pond, Lane and Finn follow a crime ring, the Red Scroll, to London which leads them both to secrets from their respective family's past. We meet Orson Wells and Winston Churchill and we see the party crowds at the Savoy and El Morocco. While the characters were well drawn and the mystery was satisfying, I found the setting to be the biggest draw for me. I am ready for the fourth book and hopefully more than that.

This is the first book I've ever read by L.A. Chandler and I wasn't sure what to expect. I thought the characters were fun and realistic, and the novel had plenty of mystery and suspense. I love books about the 30's, the depression era, Prohibition and New York and I really enjoyed those parts of the book along with the jaunts throughout the world. I like that there is humor along with the suspense as it breaks up the pacing of the story.

All in all I thought it was a good book, an easy read and just plain fun.

This is an action-packed, delightful romp of a mystery. Feisty Lane Sanders, an assistant to New York mayor Fiorello La Guardia, and her boyfriend police detective Finn Brodie, find themselves investigating the notorious Red Scroll Network. The investigation finds them chasing through the streets of 1930's New York, dancing at the El Morocco, sailing 1st class aboard the Queen Mary and thwarting the Machiavellian schemes of Finn’s family in London.

Full of adventure and suspense, Chandler’s story is brimming with memorable characters both historical and fictional. The reader comes away with a feel for the time-period through great descriptions of the culture and the daily life. This is a fast moving plot with a great many twists and I highly recommend you read the first two books in order to follow all of the characters and references. This is a fun read!

I really enjoyed the first book (gave it 5 stars), didn't read the second book, and found this third installment of the series to be quite a letdown. I found myself speeding through it just to finish it and was disappointed to find that the writing had lost its sparkle for me. I didn't enjoy all the stunt casting/celebrity cameos - it was like the author was trying to fit in every historical figure she could possibly think from this time period, and Lane happened to know or meet them ALL, and they all loved her. Who knew a mayor's aide could be so loved and well known on both sides of the Atlantic? Also, there was so much hero worship of Fio. He seems like he really was larger than life IRL, but it was just too much. Most of all, I found very distracting the inconsistent POV. The book switches from 1st person (Lane) to third person (various characters) throughout the book, and this made the writing feel even more juvenile. It seems like it would have been much more effective to write the entire book from a third person POV. It would have lost the personal storytelling aspect and inner thoughts of Lane's life, but a skilled author could address all that through third person POV too. This book was a disappointment, I'm truly sorry to say.

My thanks to the publisher for providing an ARC via netgalley.

Hard to categorize but fun to read, this continues the story of Lane Sanders, an aide to Mayor LaGuardia. Don't worry if you didn't read the first two- Chandlar gives you enough back story to charge ahead and enjoy the story. Lane's an unusual crime fighter for the 1930s, or today for that matter. She's got tragedy in her past; her parents were murdered and she's never really gotten the whole story. This time out, she's off to London to uncover more info about a group of bad guys threatening in New York and she's with Finn, her love interest who has some darkness in his own background. She's quite intrepid and she's going to find out more than, well, maybe more than she might want to know. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. For fans of historical mysteries which feature real people as characters!

The Pearl Dagger is the latest wonderful addition to the Art Deco Mystery series. This third book in the series ratchets up the tension as Lane and Finn and their cohorts close in on the head of the nefarious Red Scroll network. One of the things I loved about this book was the secondary plot line that takes Lane and Finn to London, where we finally learn the secrets in Finn’s past that led to him eventually coming to New York. We also learn more secrets in the UK about the past regarding Lane’s parents.

Along with a compelling and satisfying mystery narrative, there are lots of amazing bits of history thrown into the mix, from Orson Wells production of “Voodoo” Macbeth, to insights into New York night life at the Savoy and El Morocco, as well as numerous incredible actions by Mayor Fio La Guardia (that prove truth is stranger than fiction – at least in Fio’s case!).

L.A. Chandlar really succeeds in bringing this dynamic period in New York to life. The cast of characters in the series continue to get more complex and compelling. I highly recommend this book and can’t wait for the next in the series.

I received a copy of The Pearl Dagger from NetGalley for an honest review.

While I think the first book in the series is the best so far, this was a light and cozy read. The setting was the novel’s main strength for it has vivid detailed description of the Depression. Lane is stills smart and tough heroine as usual. The mystery was a little disappointing because it was very predictable. Still, I recommend this for fans Kitty Weeks, Gilded Newport, and Viv and Charlie Mysteries!

Contrary to a lot of historical murder mysteries, the reader enjoys the developments of the characters, who are learning from the events and also of the complexity of the plot, which unravels till the end of the book.
Like a mosaic, the descriptions of the Art Deco buildings enhances the way of life of the characters.
More deeply, ethics is explained without wavering, what is right remains right, and the characters know once for all on which side they are fighting. I will definitely put this title on the reading list for my students, so they can read a fiction grounded on firm beliefs, without sarcasm or corruption. Still, the characters have got a lot of questions and maturity to gain throughout the story, and this is what makes the book compelling.
Be prepared to be surprised by unexpected encounters till the end, it is impossible to guess the details of the story before you finish the book !

The Pearl Dagger is a nice historical mystery with good characters and storyline. This is the first in the series I have read, but I would love to go back nd read the others.

If you like cozy mysteries set in the Art Deco era of the 1930s, this book is for you. It’s New York City and Prohibition has just ended. Criminal organizations and crime pockets have popped up all over the city. Mayor Fiorello La Guardia is hard at work busting the gangs and ringleaders. A new crime ring from Europe is now threatening to overtake the city. Lane Sanders, La Guardia’s personal aide, sets off to London to investigate the origins and intentions of this violent syndicate. Much to her surprise, a single pearl dagger takes center stage of past and present secrets.

This is the third in the Art Deco Mystery series. I would have liked to have connected with the characters more. However, it’s an interesting and wonderful mix of historical facts and fiction with a strong female protagonist and an engrossing plot.

The charm of this book for me is the glimpses in to Fioro La Guardia's mayoral office in the early 1030's. I love the local color that L.A. Chandler infuses in the book---dancing at El Morocco, the Art Deco features of the new skyscrapers, and the "gangster glamour" that permeated the period.

This is the second book in Chandlar's series that I've read and I think it is best to read them as a gentle adult adventure story, rather than a mystery series. I was a Nancy Drew fan as a young girl, and these are a more mature successor to that genre (in my mind).

The writing is descriptive, but not particularly colorful, and my most constructive criticism is that we spend a lot of time with a fairly robust cast of crime-solving colleagues (including the mayor) and I have behavioral characteristics for them, but somehow the writing never was descriptive enough that I could actually envision any of them. I love to "cast" the book as a movie as I read it---and, with the exception of the stock villains, I would be hard pressed to adequately select an actor whom I felt was "true" to the book. Because they were never clearly presented to me in terms that would allow me to do that.

This book has adventure, charm and some wit, but is not really a compelling read.