There are some pretty big themes in this book including racism, rape, and sexism. It is historically accurate but can make for some heavy reading. There are also some points that drag in the middle-ish part. I didn't love the way the story arc ended nor am I sure that I like how the overall story line moves forward at the end of the book. I've pondered it for a couple of days and still can't decide. If you read the first book, you are fairly familiar with how this author works. I wouldn't recommend starting with this book but I don't think you have to have read the first one to jump into this story.
Julia Kidd has moved back to New York. Now she just needs to find a place of her own; a place where she can live and run her vanity press. She is starting to get involved with the literati scene as well. It is at a house party that she meets Eva Pruitt, a black author who is about to Have her book published which promises not only provocative but explosive. She is currently singing in a nightclub but the owner doesn't want to let her leave, causes a scene, and ends up murdered. When the New York police seem like they're not going to move an further than looking at Eva, Julia decides to step in. Along the way she's going to have to confront a lot of her own biases.

Three and a half stars
Follows Relative Fortunes
This book comes out June 2
ARC kindly provided by Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Mystery novels are not usually my favorite genre. However, this book piqued my interest as it was set in the Jazz Age. Hard to resist for me. because HF is my favorite go-to in books. I enjoyed the novel even though it wasn't the best I've read. My thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

this was an enjoyable read, the characters were great and I really enjoyed the world that was built in this novel. I hadn't read the first book in the series but I felt that it didn't effect my enjoyment of the book.

I have not read the first book in this mystery series but will now. The mystery was interesting and the characters were well written and engaging. I recommend for cozy mystery lovers

Julia Kydd is so stupid that it was amazing.

Julia becomes fast friends with Eva, a singer in a Harlem nightclub who is getting a book published that is inspired by her life experiences. Eva's boss doesn't like this and steals the manuscript because Eva is also an idiot for not thinking her boss would hear about her book deal. The next day the boss is dead and both Eva and the manuscript is missing. Because Julia is BBF with Eva after one meeting, she decides that Eva is not the killer and to clear her name.

I felt sorry for every character that Julia interacted with because she was so stupid and naive. The amazing thing is that all the other characters are far more interesting than the main one. I really just read this book for her not-brother Philip. Can next book just be about him?

The only reason I read this book to the end was my love of the time period and the overall atmosphere. While the setting was great, I personally felt like this book was really slow and not a lot happened plot wise. I wish there had been more going on to compliment the setting of the book, but overall an okay read.

I was very excited about the setting (New York in the 1920's and a bibliophile) but I love anything from this period anyway. Unfortunately it was a slow read and the story wasn't very interesting. I liked most of the characters except the main one, Julia. She met a woman once and suddenly they're BFF? She keeps saying this to justify her "meddling" in the police investigation. I thought it was a bit of a stretch and all in all that didn't sound sincere – I wondered until the end of the book if there might be something else to it.

Thank you to the publisher who provided me with an e-copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the setting and descriptions, but it was a very slow read. The story just wasn't very interesting.

Julia's pressing naivete presents as much more striving and self - congratulatory than considerate or sincere.