I really love this series. The characters are well-developed, and the world-building is quite strong. I will definitely continue to read this series to keep up with how the storylines evolve.

Thank you, NetGalley and Minotaur Books , for the free book for review.

This fast-paced historical mystery, set in 1920s New York City, is a real page-turner. Vivian Kelly, our protagonist, is someone you can't help but root for. She's likable and always seems to be in the wrong place at the right time. With just a few friends and the clock ticking, she must uncover the murderer before she gets arrested. The author spices things up with political intrigue, social class, and a tangled relationship. I love the twisty plot, the dead-end suspicions, and the ultimate revelation. It's a compelling read that keeps you guessing until the very end.

The Last Note of Warning is the third book in a Prohibition-era murder mystery series. By day, Vivian Kelly works as a shop delivery girl, and by night, she works in a fashionable speakeasy, the Nightingale, where the booze flows freely, dancing lasts all night, and people don't have to hide their true selves. In the first two books, Vivian helped to solve two murders connected to the Nightingale. In the Last Note of Warning, Vivian becomes the main suspect in the murder of a wealthy man. She only has one week to find the true killer before she is arrested for a crime she didn't commit.

I have to admit I struggled with this book a little. I didn't love it as much as previous books. Even though the stakes were higher, with Vivian being the suspect, the story was not grabbing my attention. Maybe I was just not in the right mood for a murder mystery. I thought the mystery was compelling, but the pacing was slow. I also was left unimpressed with the romance. Vivian has two love interests, and I found both lacking. I did appreciate queer representation. I would recommend The Note of Warning to readers who enjoyed previous books or those looking for a queer historical mystery/fiction.

Prohibition is a dangerous time to be a working-class woman in New York City, but Vivian Kelly has finally found some measure of stability and freedom. By day, she’s a respectable shop assistant, delivering luxurious dresses to the city’s wealthy and elite. At night, she joins the madcap revelry of New York’s underworld, serving illegal drinks and dancing into the morning at a secretive, back-alley speakeasy known as the Nightingale. She's found, if not love, then something like it with her bootlegger sweetheart, Leo, even if she can't quite forget the allure of the Nightingale's sultry owner, Honor Huxley.

Then the husband of a wealthy client is discovered dead in his study, and Vivian was the last known person to see him alive. With the police and the press both eager to name a culprit in the high-profile case, she finds herself the primary murder suspect.

She can’t flee town without endangering the people she loves, but Vivian isn’t the sort of girl to go down without a fight. She'll cash in every favor she has from the criminals she calls friends to prove she had no connection to the dead man. But she can't prove what isn't true.

The more Vivian digs into the man’s life, and as the police close in on her, the harder it is to avoid the truth: someone she knows wanted him dead. And the best way to get away with murder is to set up a girl like Vivian to take the fall.

Can the next book focus on Vivian’s investigation of their mother and potentially their father? PLEASE! I’m ready to know more about Florence and Vivian. I also want to see where Vivian’s relationship with Honor goes from here. While I like their chemistry, I would also like to see Vivian make a final choice, Honor or Leo.

The commissioner makes a great villain. I would like to see more from Leo’s family, but also for someone to put the commissioner in his place. Maybe make him the next suspect?

Overall, I rate this novel 5 out of 5 stars.

The Last Note of Warning is the third historical mystery featuring the prohibition era jazz club The Nightingale written by Katharine Schellman. Released 4th June 2024 by Macmillan on their Minotaur imprint, it's 352 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.

This is a well written historical cozy(ish) mystery with an ensemble returning cast of characters and based on a fictitious New York City speakeasy during prohibition. There are a number of gender-fluid, bi-, and otherwise non-traditional presenting characters which was nice to see. The cast is also racially diverse and the story is blissfully without "token" representations. It might not be, strictly speaking, historically accurate, but it was refreshing to read. Other than the kindly wishful anachronistic diverse cast, the book seems to do a good, relatively accurate job with the official/police and political corruption of the time.

There's a significant romance subplot, so readers who enjoy romance and mystery will find a lot to love here. There is never much security or stability in the main characters' lives, and eschewing society's rigid standards means that MC Viv is again in the crosshairs of lazy/incompetent/corrupt cops when circumstances mean that she is the prime suspect in a high profile murder. She and her allies are forced to band together to clear her name and find the real culprit.

Despite being the third book in the series, it works well enough as a standalone, and the main mystery is resolved in this volume. The language is mostly accurate to the period and adds a lot to the read. It should be noted that the characters do develop over the series and there are references to events from the earlier books which will be spoilers if read out of order (nothing super major, but they're there).

The unabridged audiobook format has a run time of 10 hours, 9 minutes and is well narrated by series narrator Sara Young. She has a warm and rich clear alto voice and does a good job delineating the widely varied accents of a range of characters of all ages and both sexes including elderly and young voices. Sound and production quality are high throughout the recording.

Four stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

This wasn't my favorite of the series but Schellman always does a great job with setting and plot. For my mind, this fell down a little bit on characterization - long time favorites acted inconsistent with earlier actions both in the book and the series. Still very much looking forward to the next one.

I will preface this review by stating that I didn’t realize it was a third book in part of a series. That was one me! However, at no point did I feel behind or left out of certain conversations.

This brought me back to my Nancy Drew loving days where each mystery is self contained and has a strong FMC as a lead. The biggest (and best) difference was the queer rep! I absolutely loved it and was not expecting it—having not read the first two.

The friendships Vivian had were great and I loved the tension between her and Honor, and just how caring and loyal Leo was. A 1920’s mystery with high stakes, parties, secrets everywhere, and you honestly feel like you don’t know if everything will be alright! If I a mystery can get me invested like that it’s a win!

I will be checking out the other books in the series to get caught up and interested to see if Vivian ends up in any other tough jams.

I absolutely love this series. The characters are such a mixed bag of race, gender, class and attitude. I even can respect some of the "bad" characters. Wonderful feel of New York City in the 1920's.

Vivian works late into the night at a speakeasy.....she also works a day job delivering dresses to wealthy clients. No one ever thought that it would be her day job that would land her in trouble.
As she waits for customer the husband is very kind to her. When he is called away by a maid announcing a visitor Vivian falls asleep waiting for the wife. When she wakes her life is changed. She finds the husband and he has been murdered. Since she is the only stranger in the house the police commissioner is set on arresting her.
It is only because of Vivian's boyfriend Leo, the commissioner's nephew, that she is able to get one week of freedom to see what she can find out on her own. Vivian is very good at finding secrets, but this may be more than she can handle.

This is the 3rd book in a series, but read well as a stand alone. I had not read the first books and had no difficulty connecting with the characters. I do have an opinion about Leo, but won't go into more about that, in case of spoilers for readers following the series.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Book for the opportunity to enjoy this fun, prohibition era, mystery e-ARC

At night she Vivian Kelly works in a speakeasy, serving drinks and dancing until sunrise. It's the 1920s so the drinks she serves are illegal and the stakes are high -- but the trouble she finds herself in stems from her reputable day job, making deliveries and alterations for a dressmaker. I absolutely loved this historical mystery. If Vivian fails to solve the murder, it will be devastating for herself and her family. The risks she is taking are real and the suspense kept me turning pages late into the night. It's the third book in the series, but there's enough backstory woven in that I was never confused (although references to previous events definitely have me wanting to track down the first two books!)

This is a fabulous series that just keeps getting better. Vivian and her friends at the Nightingale Club have to work together to get her out of some very deep trouble. While working at her day job, she wanders in on a newly deceased corpse, and she is an easy target for the police. Warned by the commissioner that she has a week to get herself out of trouble (if she can), Vivian has to figure out how to apply pressure to some unlikely members of the New York criminal underground, as well as rely on some risky behavior on the part of her friends.

The story is well told, the characters are interesting, and the historical setting is intriguing. All of this adds up to a series that I intend to follow closely.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Vivian is back and mixed up in another mystery in this, the third instalment of the Nightingale mystery series!

Set in roaring 1920’s New York, Vivian is a mild mannered dress shop delivery girl by day and a queer speakeasy party girl by night! Usually she finds herself mired in trouble from her evening occupational hazards… but this time her delivery gig has put her in the stew, when she stumbles upon her clients freshly murmured husband! An easy suspect when she is found with the victim’s blood on her hands, the police make it clear that they aren’t going to look much further for another assailant… it’s up to Vivian and her friends to find the real killer after she’s given a week to prove her innocence!

This third book in the series really built upon the background created in the last two books and added some new and interesting layers to the characters and their connections. The high stakes mystery had me on the edge of my seat as Vivian fights for her freedom and on the way finds out who her true friends are!

The Last Note of Warning by Katharine Schellman is available now! Thanks to Minotaur Books for my review copy.

I found this quite an intriguing read. Taken from the time period of the 1920's, the normal cultural mores are at times at a juxtapositon with the rebellion of unconventional types. The mystery will draw you in keep you absorbed until the end. This era was brought to life for me and added so much color to the book.

Another solidly plotted, fun Nightingale mystery from Katharine Schellman. 3.5 stars, rounded up.

This is an enjoyable and light historical mystery series that has been consistently well-paced and likable throughout its first three installments. These always feel like relatively low stakes mysteries, mostly because you know things will turn out alright in the end, but I appreciate having a go-to series where I know this will be the case.

I still wish there were a greater plot line tying the books together, as they feel more like standalones featuring the same characters rather than a series, since they’re absent any sort of mystery or major plot thread that evolves from book to book.

Mostly the characters are a likable if thinly written bunch, though I still wish we saw less of Honor and more of Mags, Bea, and Viv’s sister. All are present and contributing to the story here, but I’d like to see them feature more prominently in the future.

This book is rich in description, misdirection, friendship, love, and family.

This is the third in the series, but I don't feel like I missed out on much by not reading the first two in the series. There are minor hints of past events, but the book focuses primarily on this murder. Vivian is accused of murdering a man just because she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. This was the 1920s, and police work during that time may not have been as up to snuff as we see today. She is given one week to find an alternate suspect. She chases all of the clues with the help of one love interest, Leo, her friend, Bea, and a few others who may not have Vivian's best interests in mind. This trio finds themselves in some sticky situations around town but also in some fascinating locations. It is important to read the author's notes at the end. She discusses some of the events in the book and the research to accurately include those events in this book. If you didn't think they had drag events in the 1920s, think again.

This was such a wonderful mystery! It wasn't what I expected, but I don't know if I had any real expectations going into this novel. I had no idea who to suspect because many people had motives to kill this man. The revelation was quite a surprise, it was no one I expected.

I like that the author did not shy away from the LGBTQ angle. While it is not overt, there is a ball that actually occurred, which was a masked drag ball. Vivian also has a love interest in Leo and her boss, Honor. I felt like these scenes were authentic to the time and the characters.

There is also Vivian's relationship with her sister, Flo. With her sister married and expecting a baby, they aren't in the same house anymore, but that doesn't mean their bond isn't any less. You can see how much they care about each other.

This book has many wonderful characters besides the few that I have mentioned. So many people came out to support Vivian in uncovering the truth in this murder investigation. Some didn't think she would find the truth, and others treated this situation as a way for Vivian to "owe them" to be repaid at a later date. I do love how Vivian turned the tables on a few of these characters, putting herself in a better position.

This is a series definitely worth reading. If the first two books are anything like this one, that means they are well researched and fairly accurate to the times.

We give this book 5 paws up.

This is the third book in the rich and vibrant Nightingale mystery series set in prohibition-era New York. I enjoy this series for its unique speakeasy setting and the cast of diverse and memorable characters that keep the story interesting.

The main character is Vivan Kelly, who really gets put through the wringer in this book. She is the last person to speak to a man who was murdered in his home. I honestly thought there was no way she was going to untangle herself from this legal mess. Needless to say, the mystery plot was full of suspense and angst surrounding the final outcome.

Not only does Vivan have to defend herself from a murder charge, some of her romantic relationships also appear to be coming to a close. This adds to the tension and stress, but I’m glad to see her move on.

I highly recommend you read this series if you want to be immediately transported to New York in the 1920’s.

The Last Note of Warning is the third and newest installment in Katharine Schellman’s 1920s prohibition era historical mystery series set in and around a New York City speakeasy. Vivian is back to sleuthing when she comes across a murder during her daytime work as a seamstress and a very short week to trap the killer or be incarcerated herself on murder charges.
The murder victim a rich business man had quite a few people who could have wanted him dead and the story is intricate and well-paced and plotted. What i love even more is the amount of detail Katharine Schellman puts into her research and how this makes her stories come alive while i am learning about life in the 1920s. Another thing I love is that Vivian isn’t rich, she loves life but she has had to carve out her little corner in the world as a daytime delivery girl fitting dresses for the wealthy and spending her nights waitressing and dancing at the Nightingale. I love that the books shows diversity in a way that seems realistic for the time portrayed. I am a little annoyed that the whole Honor or Leo drama has been dragged all the way through the third book by now, maybe Vivian could make up her mind by the next book …. I will definitely be reading.
Now I‘ll have to find the ingredients for a French 75, which is this book‘s signature drink …

The Last Note of Warning is the third book in Katharine Schellman's Nightingale series, set in 1920's New York City.

The Nightingale is the speakeasy where the main character, Viv, works, and finds home. This installment has Viv trying to keep herself out of jail while solving a murder in which she is the prime suspect. Her boss and sometimes romantic interest, Honor, is deeply connected to the victim in unexpected ways, and Viv has to navigate that as well.

This is a strong third installment, and I thought it worked better than book 2. Honor is solidly back in place as a character, and also as someone Viv would like a shot at loving (which kind of faded out in the last book). The other regulars are here - Viv's sister, Florence doing her own navigation as a white member of her husband's Asian family; Danny, the Nightingale's bartender, and Viv's brother-in-law; Leo, Viv's partner in crime and sometimes romance; and Bea, Viv's remarkable best friend. One of the best thing about a Schellman book is that she lets all her characters grow along the way - they don't ever stay static.

Schellman is also a terrific researcher. This book takes us into the historical drag scene in New York City in the 20's, and also makes clear that privilege makes a huge difference. The perspective in these series is not of the idle rich slumming it in a downtown speakeasy - it's the people working the floor, and behind the bar and with the band and in sweatshops. It is richly imagined and backed up with that strong research.
Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur for the e-arc.

1920s New York comes to life again in this third installment of the series, and Vivian gets caught up in her most dangerous scrape yet. The tension in this book is palpable, not only with the big plot points, but also in the relationship dynamics. It’s a real nail biter with one twist after another. I think you’ll love the setting, the LGBTQ representation and the big reveals!

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for my copy. These options are my own.

Vivian Kelly has run into trouble before, which is not entirely unexpected, given that her second job is working at a speakeasy. She should be okay delivering dresses to the upper crust of New York society, though, right? Wrong. During a dress delivery, she finds the body of the homeowner, with whom she’d had coffee minutes before. The police have decided on Vivian as the killer, and it will take all her determination and all the help her friends can give to keep her from prison.

Her friends are glad to help, with the exception of Honor, the speakeasy owner. She’s Vivian’s boss, and maybe a bit more, and has used her considerable connections to help Vivian in the past. Not this time, and as Vivian gets closer to being imprisoned, she’ll learn whether Honor will keep her secrets, even if it costs Vivian her life.

Vivian is (somewhat) less impulsive than she was, which is a good thing, since her sister is heavily pregnant and not there to provide the voice of reason (and disapproval). I’m glad to see that Florence is more supportive now, and that the sisters are growing closer, even though they no longer live together.

Why you should read this book: The series gets stronger with each book. Vivian seems to be learning that she has friends she can rely on, like her boyfriend Leo, and Bea, her best friend. Vivian has gained a family with Florence’s marriage to Danny, but she’s also still searching for her mother. She’s with Leo, but she’s still drawn to Honor. The relationships of Vivian to each, and each to the others makes for an interesting dynamic.

Why you might not want to read this book: Since there are such complex relationships, there are some slow-moving plotlines, and not everything gets resolved in each book.

4.25/5 stars. Recommended

I received an advance copy from St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.