(NOTE: The following review will appear at CriminalElement.com the week of the title's publication.)

October, 1929, Chicago: Prohibition is in full swing and Gina Ricci is living a life of clandestine excitement. Every night she works as a waitress and cigarette girl at the Third Door, a speakeasy beneath a drugstore, making enough money to take care of her ailing father and carefully staying on the good side of the Signora who owns the neighborhood.

Gina’s a smart girl. She knows better than to get involved with the customers and how to spot Drys, the police tasked with raiding the underground bars. She also knows how dangerous it would be to get more involved with the shadowy, criminal world of Chicago. The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre was just months ago, and for weeks there have been a rash of deadly bombings across the city. Working as a waitress is one thing; anything more would be too dangerous.

But she’s also curious — and that curiosity could prove dangerous.


Mr. Morrish seemed amused by her reaction. He touched her arm before she could step away. “You happy here? The Signora good to you?”
“Quite happy,” she said, wary of his sudden intimacy.
“Bad things go down here, Gina. You’ve got to know that. A girl like you—” he paused.
“What? What about a girl like me?”
“Well, let’s just say it would be a real shame if something happened to a girl like you.”
Gina froze. Was that a threat or a warning?
He dropped his hand then, breaking their odd contact. Then he smiled. “I’ll be around. Don’t you worry.”


When Gina’s cousin Nancy, a policewoman desperate to move up in the ranks, asks her to come over and bring her camera, she’s in for a shock: one of the cop’s neighbors has died suddenly, and Nancy wants Gina to photograph the scene so she can get a head start on the investigation.

Even more surprising, Gina realizes she recognizes the dead woman and her roommate.


“I wish we could see under her blanket.”
“Oh, I can move it,” the woman said. Before either Nancy or Gina could stop her, she had stripped the blanket off, a look of revulsion crossing her face as she stared down at her roommate’s body, still clad in a shiny evening ensemble. Clearly, the woman had not yet readied herself for bed when she died.
“You shouldn’t have done that,” Nancy said blandly as she leaned over to look more closely at the corpse.
“Well, it’s how I found her,” the woman replied, sniffling back tears. “I just thought it was more respectful to cover Fruma up a bit, you know?”
Fruma! Gina forced herself to stare down at the dead woman’s face. The face was purple and distorted. Virtually unrecognizable. Yet her curly brown hair was memorable.
Gina glanced back at the roommate, with her messy blond hair, pale cosmetics-free face, and tousled demeanor. Out of context Gina hadn’t recognized her at first, but memories from the night before came flooding back. Both these women had definitely been at the Third Door last night.


Then a second body with ties to the Third Door is discovered, and another customer becomes deathly ill. Could the speakeasy’s supply of alcohol be tainted? Is someone knocking off patrons to drive the Third Door out of business, or send a message to the Signora?

Gina can’t help but dig deeper. For Nancy’s sake, to protect her livelihood, and to satisfy her own curiosity. She uncovers peculiar secrets in the dead woman’s past — a broken engagement, a daring airplane jump that may have been a hoax — and several threads leading to the volatile stock market.

Meanwhile, her personal life is complicated by a cutthroat gambler with bad news stamped all over him; the return of the handsome ex-soldier, ex-cop, current crime scene photographer Roark; and her wealthy aunt and uncle suddenly wanting to reconnect with her for their own reasons.

Things sure are exciting in Prohibition-era Chicago…

In the follow up to Calkins’ first, Agatha Award-nominated Speakeasy Mystery, heroine Gina remains in fine form. She’s plucky, feisty, and capable, holding her own amongst rough men and dangerous mobsters.

Calkins devotes many pages to the atmosphere and details of her historical setting, particularly the Third Door. It doesn’t take long for the reader to sink into the time period when everything from the fashions to the dialogue ring with authenticity. The speakeasy itself is a character in its own right; you can practically smell the smoke and cheap gin.

Sprinkled throughout are plenty of references to big events most know from history books, such as the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, and tension from the ever-impending threat of raids adds a wonderful frisson of danger to the story.

And it wouldn’t be a story about flappers without commentary on society’s swiftly changing attitudes toward the young women who began to buck convention:


Lulu opened up her holder to place a cigarette inside. She lit the end and took a puff, leaning against the store. Gina popped a stick of peppermint Wrigley’s into her mouth, enjoying the minty burst of flavor.
As she did so an elderly couple strolled by and regarded them with extreme contempt.
“Hussies,” the man said with a pronounced sniff.
“Tarts,” the woman said, adding in a very haughty tone, “Smoking in public! Such a sight would never have been seen, back in our day.”
“Back in your day, women couldn’t vote, either,” Gina called back before she could stop herself.
“Or have fun,” Lulu added with a wicked smile. “We’re just waiting for our dates. I don’t even know mine.”
The pair looked completely scandalized. “What do you expect from women dawdling in front of the ice cream parlor?” the woman said to her husband before rushing him along.
“Ah, the ice cream parlor,” Gina said, when the couple was out of earshot. “A den of iniquity if there ever was one. Far worse than any speakeasy.”


Ultimately, the murder mystery at the heart of The Fate of a Flapper is only a small portion of the story, and Calkins doles out the vital clues slowly and late in the game, making this a hard nut to crack even for the seasoned armchair sleuth.

But that’s not a failing in the slightest. This is a historical mystery with the emphasis placed squarely on the historical portion. There’s plenty of enjoyment to be had in simply following Gina through her days, watching her work at the colorful speakeasy, dance around Roark, and react to the monumental changes sweeping through her city during this oh-so-eventful month. This is a story to sit with and savor for all of its well-crafted details.

If you’re looking for a story set during a colorful time period and starring well-developed characters, but don’t feel like a giant brick of a book with ultra dense prose, The Fate of a Flapper is a good fit. Calkins manages a light and readable tone without sacrificing the historical meat, making this more substantial but still as fun as a cozy mystery, and a great choice for anyone who’s a fan of Daisy Dalrymple or Phryne Fisher.

I cannot give this novel enough praise. I loved this book. The writing was extrememly well done and well crafted that you just wanted to keep reading to see what would happen next. It was definitely hard to put down. It’s a light mystery but very entertaining and the perfect summer read. I can’t wait to read more from this author!

1929 Chicago—Gina Ricci, cigarette girl at the Third Door speakeasy receives a call from her cousin, police officer Nancy Doyle. Nancy asks Gina (who’s an photographer on the side) to go to the scene of a murder an photograph the body. Gina is shocked to find that she recognizes the victim as one of two girls seen at the Third Door the night before. Everything points to a poisoning—but what Gina saw and overheard the night before has her questioning—was it something in the “hooch” at the Third Door, or is it a case of murder?

Calkins does well with her characters, who are very well drawn, especially Gina, who makes an engaging protagonist. She is intelligent, vivacious, and sympathetic, with a true sense of self.

The story is based in an era filled with political and social unrest, as well as colorful personalities and places. The narrative, with it’s vivid imagery and authentic dialogue evokes that time and place very well. Calkins ability to inject details of that time, with it’s mobs, raids, bombings, and the looming disaster of the Depression, adds much to the plot, and to Gina’s investigation.

This was a very enjoyable and entertaining read which I highly recommend.

This was a historical murder mystery set in 1929 Chicago. Prohibition was the law of the land, but illegal bars were flourishing. Local police and politicians were easily bribed. The Federal Agents, known as the Drys, were not so easily swayed. This was also the era of gangs and violence, including the infamous Valentine Day Massacre. Gangsters and others didn’t think twice about sending a warning message via bombs. It was a period of unrest and became even more unstable when the stock market crashed.

The majority of the action took place at the not so secret speakeasy, the Third Door. This was where the main character, Gina Ricci, worked as a cigarette girl. After two customers died within hours of each other, Gina’s policewoman cousin, Nancy, asked for her help in photographing the scene. Tainted alcohol was not uncommon during this time. But Gina investigated all possible angles, sometimes putting herself in danger. With the help of her cousin and potential suitor Roark, who was still married to Harriet, they tried to figure out who killed a flapper and a business man.

I enjoyed the speakeasy setting, along with the many diverse characters involved in running that place.
They each had their own personality, from the tough persona of the Signora who owned the Third Door to her equally menacing bodyguards/bouncers, Gooch and Little Johnny. Then there was Neddy Fingers who entertained the customers while Billy Bottle readied their drinks. Besides Gina, the servers also included Lula and Jade, who also were part of the entertainment. The visual descriptions and dialogue took you back to that era and the energized ambiance of the Third Door. Those scenes were central to the story and were well developed.

Overall, this was an entertaining read especially for those who enjoy mysteries with the Prohibition era as a backdrop.
An ARC was given for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and St.Martin's Press who gave me this ARC for an honest review. I gave it 3 stars as I really struggled with the dialogue, choppiness between scenes and characters.

There was a lot of filler I thought, like Gina "smoothing down her blue polka-dot dress" and trying to decide whether or not to fix her mascara. In addition to awkward phrases like ."everything Okey-Dokey in there?" from an adult to an adult in the ladies room in a speak-easy.

I probably would give a bit more for the overall historical content which has promise, maybe 3.5 stars in all. I did like the wrap-up at the end and thought the authors notes were mostly fine. Maybe just not my type of book, but I won't put this review on my Blog.

I know the author has gotten mentioned for mystery awards so surely mostly enjoyable. I did download a sample of the first in the series so I could understand it better but it didn't help a lot.

The Fate of a Flapper is a murder mystery that takes place in 1929 during Prohibition. I seem to be drawn to books in this era!
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Gina Ricci is just a cigarette girl that works in Signora Castallazzo's speakeasy when one day she receives a phone call from her counsin Officer Nancy to go over to her building and take photos of a murder. On Saturday, October 5, 1929, Fruma Landry, age 25, was found dead in the flat she rented with a roommate. Gina just happened to serve Fruma and her roomate the night before she was found dead. After Fruma, another patron was found dead and another was severly sick. It was suspected to either be bad hooch or perhaps someone poking at Signora.
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Although not an officer, Gina is quite the investigator and she delves into the case slowly uncovering the truth. In the meantine, Officer Roark has his eyes on Gina after having just one date. Seeing their relationship develop and surpass some hurdles was a great pairing to the investigation.
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The storyline was very entertaining and it had me hooked! It was well-written and I finished it relatively fast. I decided to play the music being performed at the speakeasy while I read! It is a great detail. I felt as though I was in the 20's when I had "Broadway Rag" and "Me and My Gin" playing in the background.

This was a fun read! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5 stars

Thank you to Net Galley, St. Martins Press, Minotaur Books, and Susanna Calkins for providing me this eARC in exchange for my honest reivew.