Last Dance before Dawn is the final book in the luscious, mysterious, and queer Nightingale mystery series by Katharine Schellman, set in 1920s New York.
Vivian Kelly has finally created a home and a family at the glamorous speakeasy known as The Nightingale, where no one cares who you are in the daytime. After all, in the underground world of 1920s New York City, everyone has a secret to keep, and they’re on the Nightingale’s dance floor to leave those secrets behind. But sometimes it takes more than a dance to escape your past.
When a stranger from Chicago shows up at The Nightingale looking to settle old scores, Vivian and the Nightingale’s owner, the mysterious and alluring Honor Huxley, send him packing. They soon discover, though, that the stranger was just a warning. Slowly, the people who have made The Nightingale their home realize that someone is following them. Hunting them. And that someone won’t stop until they unravel a mystery that’s been cold for years: a missing girl, a boy out for revenge, and a truck full of cash that disappeared in a job gone horribly wrong.
Vivian just wants to protect the people she loves, and she’s willing to dig into the dirt of the past to make it happen. But some questions are safer left unanswered, and now that Vivian has built a family for herself, she has more to lose than ever before.
CW – anti-Asian racism
Dear Ms. Schellman,
I’ve enjoyed this series but I thought this book would probably wind it up. Lots of threads that have been wound through the previous three books get tied up so this is definitely not a place for new readers to begin. Much better if they start at the beginning and enjoy all the books.
There’s a fairly large number of characters in this world, many but not all of whom have been in the first three books. Character traits and relationships have been established. One major thing about leading lady Vivian is that she’s the type who tends to act quickly and at times impulsively. She’s also a loyal friend whether or not another person reciprocates. As the employees at the Nightingale speakeasy say, they look after their own. Pretty soon it becomes evident that trouble has arrived at the club that has nothing to do with shake downs by cops to bust the place or demand more hush money.
The villain is that cold, smirking type who makes sure you know he’s bad news while he holds his power over you. Except no one at the club knows who this fella wants or how to get rid of the villain. Vivian is used to being around troublesome people as no one with soft edges can survive in this tough world. Soon though Vivian is about the only person advocating for the villain’s victim rather than tossing the victim into the lion’s mouth in order to save everyone else. Yeah, it makes her a little ‘special.’ Vivian’s relationship with her female boss has changed over time from distrust to warmer feelings though they still have a lot to work out in this book. A female crime boss who has been in Vivian’s orbit is also someone to be wary of and avoid if you know what’s good for you.
Florence, Vivian’s sister, has been trying to track down any family they might have and has married one of the bartenders at the Nightingale, a Chinese-American whose family has welcomed Vivian as well. Yes, the interracial marriage raises eyebrows and Danny has known his fair share of racism and issues while growing up in NYC. A long time friend of Vivian’s is the black sheep of his family, among whom is the police commissioner, because his mother married a Jew. And all of these people are going to be wrapped up in trying to clear out the villain before anyone else turns up dead.
By this point, I know not to be surprised if Vivian acts quickly and ends up putting herself in danger. Vivian’s got her share of rough edges and survival skills. She can turn her hand to, well maybe not blackmail but she’ll use advantages when she sees them. Still yes, there are times when Vivian’s family, friends, and lovers want to shake her for dashing into situations or insisting on trying to look out for people who sometimes don’t even want her concern.
But in the end, it’s usually Vivian who manages to fix things, look out for her friends, or think of a solution to a thorny problem in a way that protects those she cares for while seeing that justice is done. Her seeming recklessness still drives me nuts at times but I have to admit that this isn’t a new trait in her. I guessed some of the secrets and plot twists and had a good idea about others. The series ends with some threads neatly tied off but in ways that make sense given the way the series has been written. There’s a will-she or won’t-she relationship that is left until the end to be decided but in the end, I think most of the characters got what they wanted or deserved and I enjoyed my time at the Nightingale. B
~Jayne
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Jayne
Another long time reader who read romance novels in her teens, then took a long break before started back again about 25 years ago. She enjoys historical romance/fiction best, likes contemporaries, action- adventure and mysteries, will read suspense if there’s no TSTL characters and is currently reading more fantasy and SciFi.
