Books for Christian Girls: "Murder at the Flamingo" by Rachel McMillan

About this book:

“Hamish DeLuca has spent most of his life trying to hide the anxiety that appears at the most inopportune times -- including during his first real court case as a new lawyer. Determined to rise above his father’s expectations, Hamish runs away to Boston where his cousin, Luca Valari, is opening a fashionable nightclub in Scollay Square. When he meets his cousin's “right hand man” Reggie, Hamish wonders if his dreams for a more normal life might be at hand.
Regina “Reggie” Van Buren, heir to a New Haven fortune, has fled fine china, small talk, and the man her parents expect her to marry. Determined to make a life as the self-sufficient city girl she’s seen in her favorite Jean Arthur and Katharine Hepburn pictures, Reggie runs away to Boston, where she finds an easy secretarial job with the suave Luca Valari. But as she and Hamish work together in Luca’s glittering world, they discover a darker side to the smashing Flamingo night club.
When a corpse is discovered at the Flamingo, Reggie and Hamish quickly learn there is a vast chasm between the haves and the have-nots in 1937 Boston—and that there’s an underworld that feeds on them both. As Hamish is forced to choose between his conscience and loyalty to his beloved cousin, the unlikely sleuthing duo work to expose a murder before the darkness destroys everything they’ve worked to build.”

Series: Book #1 in the “Van Buren and DeLuca Mystery” series. Connected to the “Herringford and Watts Mysteries” series (Reviews of #.5 Here!, #1 Here! and #2 Here!).

Spiritual Content- Mentions of churches/Temples, church going, & ministers; Mentions of Jewish beliefs & a man wearing a kippah; Mentions of miracles & a place with miracles in the name; A handful of mentions of people & places in the Bible; A couple mentions of saints; A mention of God resting someone’s soul; A mention of Sunday School;

*Note: A couple ‘for the love of heaven’ and ‘for the love of angels’ is said; A couple mentions of ghosts; A mention of the devil himself; A mention of being condemned to a special circle in hell for showing bare legs; A mention of Hades breaking loose; A mention of Adonises.

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘blasted’, a ‘cursed’, a ‘drat’, two ‘heck’s, and eighteen forms of ‘stupid’; Many mentions of curses & cursing (said including by Luca, but not written); Some sarcasm & eye rolling; Finding a murdered body (border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Being shot, Passing out, & Pain (up to semi-detailed); Guns are aimed (barely-above-not-detailed); Luca drinks often & makes different alcoholic drinks (barely-above-not-detailed); Going to nightclubs very often & Reggie drinks once; All about mentions of nightclubs (Luca’s is said to be a “high-class watering hole”), alcohol, & drinking (barely-above-not-detailed); Many mentions of a murder, the body, how it happened, blood, & the murderer (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of murders; Mentions of being threatened, passing out, being shot, pain, blood/bleeding, & injuries (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of criminals, organized crime, & illegal activities; Mentions of mobsters & gangsters; Mentions of money laundering; Mentions of lies, lying, & liars; Mentions of gossip & rumors; Mentions of cigars, cigarettes, & smoke; A few mentions of a massacre; A few mentions of threatening to remove someone’s limb; A couple mentions of the Prohibition; A couple mentions of hatred; A couple mentions of gambling; A mention of liquor stores; A mention of hunting;

*Note: Mentions of actresses, actors, & movies; A few mentions of singers/musicians & songs; A couple mentions of car brands; A mention of Al Capone.

Sexual Content- an almost kiss, a forehead kiss, two cheek (welcoming/thanking) kisses, and a border-line semi-detailed // detailed kiss; Wanting to kiss; Touches, Dancing, & Nearness (up to semi-detailed); Noticing & Smelling (barely-above-not-detailed); a ‘baby’; A man leers at & touches Reggie’s shoulder (barely-above-not-detailed); Another man touches Reggie’s face in a manner that was unwanted (barely-above-not-detailed); Reggie & Hamish spend the night alone together (nothing sexual happens, but it’s scandalous for the time period); Mentions of mistresses & a married man’s current affair; Mentions of men leering & eyeing different women (including Reggie); Mentions of an almost kiss, kissing, & kisses; Mentions of flirting & flirts; Mentions of jealousy; A couple mentions of chaperones; A couple mentions of crushes; A couple mentions of girlfriends; A mention of a man pinning Reggie to the wall; A mention of a woman having two boyfriends; A mention of men whistling at girls; A mention of blushes; Love, falling in love, & the emotions;

*Note: Mentions of women’s figures/curves & noticing (barely-above-not-detailed); Mention of buxom women; Mentions of a woman wearing boy shorts at a club (barely-above-not-detailed); A couple mentions of Reggie’s tight dress; A mention of an older man with a girl who could be his daughter’s age; A mention of lipstick on a man’s collar.

-Regina “Reggie” Van Buren

-Hamish DeLuca, age 25
P.O.V. switches between them

Set in 1937
344 pages

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Pre Teens-

New Teens-

Early High School Teens-

Older High School Teens-

My personal Rating-

I was tempted to try this novel due to it being a historical mystery. While it ended up not being my cup of tea, I liked that the author discussed mental illnesses like a panic and anxiety disorder through Hamish. We don’t often see characters with mental disorders or physical disabilities in Christian Fiction, so I welcome that this book opened that discussion.

I did have to give low ratings for some content (the unwanted advances that Reggie faced (not detailed at all), all the mentions of women’s figures and curves (again, not detailed at all), and the large amount of cursing mentioned), but I did also really struggle with the writing style of this book. I have tried the author’s previous books and had the same problem, but this one seemed tougher to get through as it was much longer.

It also took over halfway (page 188 of 344) for the plot point mentioned on the back-cover to happen, which seemed much too far into the story.

I understand that this novel is connected to the author’s previous series but being set towards the end of the Great Depression, I was a little confused at the lack of mentions of the depression; only a couple comments alluded to the event. I did also misunderestimated from the back-cover how much drinking, alcohol, & club mentions there would be and it was quite a lot.

The love-triangle towards the end seemed a bit odd and Reggie’s feelings for Vaughan seemed contradictory. I wasn’t very impressed with the mystery or the romance, so I don’t believe I’ll be trying this author again.

See y’all on Friday with a new review!