Rachel Scott McDaniel: The Red Canary

 By Kelly Bridgewater

In 1928, soot from the local mills and music from speakeasies linger in the Pittsburgh air. When the manager of The Kelly Club is found dead, nightclub singer Vera Pembroke is thrust into peril. As the only witness to the crime, she’s sentenced to hide away in the Allegheny Forest with a stuffy police sergeant as her guardian.

Sergeant Mick Dinelo harbors a burning hatred for Pittsburgh’s underworld after the devastation it left on his life—and heart. He should be out exposing the culpable gangsters rather than tending to the impetuous woman who defies his every effort to keep her safe.

Mick and Vera must set aside their differences to solve the murder that someone wants to keep buried beneath the soot of Steel City. 

 

From Goodreads

My Thoughts:

I read Rachel Scott McDaniel's first novel, Above the Fold, and really enjoyed it. Naturally, I was interested in another novel that she had written, so I was so excited to see that she wrote another historical cozy mystery. This time, The Red Canary, takes place in a speakeasy and a cabin out in the middle of nowhere. The story starts out with the dilemma, which a good story should, and allows the heroine and hero to run from the incident and try to figure out what happened. The romance built quick quickly, but realistically in the situation that McDaniels allowed them to find themselves in. The plot, centering around the setting at the speakeasy, was my favorite part because this is where all the action happened. While the hero and the heroine were hanging out somewhere else, it was more about them falling in love with each other, then worrying about what was happening back in town. I wanted to see more of the hunt for what went wrong. Instead McDaniels had the heroine hide and fall in love. I wanted more focus on the mystery. The heroine captures the sass of a 1920's red head with all the voice to capture readers. McDaniels does a terrific job at inviting her readers into 1920's. I felt like I was really traveling through the early twentieth century, and this is McDaniels strength. Overall, Rachel Scott McDaniels does a delightful job at bringing the 1920's to life. There is no doubt about her ability to craft a story to enthrall her readers, but I wanted a little more focus on the mystery.

I received a complimentary copy of The Red Canary by Rachel Scott McDaniel through the JustRead Tours, but the opinions stated are all my own. 

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Purchase The Red Canary