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;
“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
P.O.V. switches between them
Set in 1937
344 pages
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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!
*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.
*I received this book for free
from the Publisher (Thomas Nelson) for this honest review.
