Murder at the Flamingo

May 15, 2018
Two misfits run away from expectations and toward mystery when they try to solve a murder in Depression-era Boston's hottest new club.The pressure of being a young lawyer in a proud Italian family has Hamish DeLuca in a cold sweat--literally. Though panic attacks aren't recognized as a medical problem in the 1930s, Hamish knows all too well that they're a problem for him, and he hides his embarrassment at not feeling normal by seeking a safe harbor in his cousin Luca Valari's Boston home. Luca's excited to see Hamish because Luca's excited by pretty much everything, which makes him the perfect candidate to open the Flamingo, Boston's latest nightlife hub. Nor is Hamish the only one who takes refuge beneath Luca's wing. Regina Van Buren, of the Connecticut Van Burens, escapes her familial home to serve as a secretary for Luca after her boyfriend, Vaughan Vanderlaan, announces their engagement at a garden party before soliciting Reggie's own thoughts on the matter. Luca treats Reggie like she's capable, and Hamish, once he meets her, treats her like she's something special. Reggie and Hamish are both starry-eyed about Luca and the Flamingo, though each has growing concerns about some of Luca's business associates. When the Flamingo eventually becomes the site for a murder, Reggie's eager to find the truth. Though she hasn't solved a crime since finding Jenny Wyatt's runaway kitten as a kid, Reggie's self-confidence brings Hamish into the fold, and the two start their apparently ill-informed but ultimately successful quest to find the culprit, even if that means revisiting their hero-worship of Luca.McMillan (The White Feather Murders, 2017, etc.) takes so long on the backstory for her new series that the mystery doesn't get underway till the second half. That's better for readers who are in for the long haul than those who, like the heroine, want to cut to the chase.

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May 28, 2018
Set in 1937, this uneven series launch from Canadian author McMillan (the Herringford and Watts series) introduces 25-year-old Toronto attorney Hamish DeLuca, who suffers from a panic disorder. After a humiliating panic attack in the courtroom, Hamish flees in disgrace to Boston, where he’s welcomed by his cousin Luca Valari, who’s opening a new nightclub, the Flamingo. Hamish soon discovers a kindred spirit in Luca’s secretary, Regina “Reggie” Van Buren, the scion of a distinguished New Haven family, who left home after turning down an offer of marriage her family considered advantageous. When thugs threaten Reggie and Hamish, they’re left feeling that Luca’s keeping dangerous secrets from them. Only late in the book does the murder promised by the title occur, and Hamish and Reggie turn sleuth. Readers should be prepared for thin characters and some sentimental prose (“What if home wasn’t something you were born into but rather something you found”). The mystery’s redeeming strength is McMillan’s sensitive portrayal of Hamish’s illness, which she admits she shares in an author note. Agent: Ruth Samsel, William K. Jensen Literary Agency.