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    Murder at the Flamingo: A Novel
    Murder at the Flamingo: A Novel
    Murder at the Flamingo: A Novel
    Audiobook10 hours

    Murder at the Flamingo: A Novel

    Written by Rachel McMillan

    Narrated by Kristin James

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    “Maybe it was time to land straight in the middle of the adventure…”

    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 nightclub.

    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. 

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherThomas Nelson
    Release dateJul 10, 2018
    ISBN9780785216957
    Author

    Rachel McMillan

    Rachel McMillan is the author of The London Restoration, The Mozart Code, the Herringford and Watts mysteries, the Van Buren and DeLuca mysteries, and the Three Quarter Time series of contemporary Viennese romances. She is also the author of Dream, Plan, Go: A Travel Guide to Inspire Independent Adventure. Rachel lives in Toronto, Canada. Visit her online at rachelmcmillan.net; Instagram: @rachkmc; Facebook: @rachkmc1; Twitter: @rachkmc; Pinterest: @rachkmc.

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    Reviews for Murder at the Flamingo

    4/5

    27 ratings7 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Hamish DeLuca arrives in 1937 Boston to stay with his cousin, Luca Valari. Luca intends to open a new high end dance club, The Flamingo, and would like to use Hamish’s skills while also using the connections of his secretary Regina 'Reggie' Van Buren.
      This is a slow paced, well-written mystery, with well-drawn out characters which allows the scenes to be set before a body is finally discovered. Then Hamish and Reggie want to find the killer.
      A good and enjoyable start to this new series.
      I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
    • 4/5
      I really enjoyed this book and the time period it was set in. I don't know why but I felt like I was transported back to a time where clubs were fun and the music was swinging. The people were having a great time and happy times were on everyone's minds. Not everyone was happy though. Hamish suffers from anxiety and it comes up at the most uncomfortable moments in his life. When Hamish makes a decision to move to Boston, his life will never be the same. Does Hamish remember that you can't run away from your problems?Reggie Van Buren is also on a quest to start a new life and Hamish and Reggie's lives will collide into a mystery that will take them to the seedy side of club life. What better way to open a club than to have a murder take place on opening day. The place is in chaos and Hamish and Reggie team up to solve the case.I love the pairing of these two characters and they reminded me of a duo set to conquer the world. I loved the description of Boston and thought the author did a great job of taking us back to the 1930s in style. Her writing intrigues me and I couldn't wait to see what would happen next in the book. There are a few slow parts that made me almost give up on the story. I'm happy to say that the book shined at the end and I look forward to the next in this new series.I received a copy of this book from The Fiction Guild. The review is my own opinion.
    • 4/5
      Murder and Mayhem, O My! If you’ve been following my reviews for a while, you’ll know Murder at the Flamingo by Rachel McMillan is a little out of my reading comfort zone (as far as the time period and it being a murder mystery). So I am pleasantly surprised by how much I did enjoy this book!The story is a great one that focuses a lot on the characters and not a whole lot on the actual murder, blood and grime, etc. Our main characters, Reggie and Hamish, are both looking for adventure and really trying to find themselves, each in their own way. Hamish is not the usual hero, but one I think many readers will love. Hamish deals with panic attacks and anxiety (mental health is addressed in such a loving way through Hamish’s character). Hamish is very relatable, sweet, bookish and a real gentleman. I really like Hamish’s love of The Hunchback of Notre Dame and the way he uses passages from the book to help calm his anxiety. I enjoyed Reggie’s character as well. She is very adventurous and independent. I didn’t like how Reggie has a boyfriend (who is back in her home town), but at the same time she is sort of developing a romance with another man. Mystery and suspense readers will find much to love in the story of Luca (Hamish’s cousin) and his nightclub, where the mysterious murder takes place. I enjoyed the literary references in Murder at the Flamingo and reading about the pop culture of the time. This is published by a Christian publisher, but there isn’t any overt faith content (except characters visit a church and mention it as a safe haven for all religions) but it is still very clean and has Christian themes, such as sacrificial love.Overall, this is a great read! I listened to part of it through an audiobook which I highly recommend, due to the narrator who does all of the different accents. Murder at the Flamingo presents wonderful themes of family loyalty (characters struggle with how far one should go in being loyal as compared to choosing one’s conscience), being the hero of one’s own story and learning to live in the moment.Content: This is a clean read. I would rate it PG for some minor content. This is a murder mystery that takes place in nightclubs during the 1930s, so keep that in mind. Some examples of the content are: the main character deals with panic attacks and anxiety; references to alcohol; a man makes unwanted physical advances on a woman but is unsuccessful; a mention of the devil and hell; a mention of cursing, but the words aren’t actually written; a woman is a man’s mistress; violence and talk about the mob; a murder takes place; a lot of drinking and smoking in the nightclubs.Rating: I give this book 3.5 stars.Genre: Mystery; Historical Fiction; RomanceI want to thank The Fiction Guild, Rachel McMillan and Thomas Nelson for the complimentary copy of this book for review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I express in this review are my own. This is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s CFR 16, Part 255.
    • 5/5
      A new historical mystery set in the 1930s? I’m in! What I got from Murder at The Flamingo by Rachel McMillan, though, was beyond my expectations. This smart whodunit has a depth not often found in the genre. It is a highly recommended read!From the outset, I knew this novel would be different. Main characters Hamish DeLuca and Regina Van Buren defy stereotypes of historical mystery fiction. These two came alive within the pages of Murder at The Flamingo and continued to develop and grow into dearly loved characters. Hamish is unusual in his challenges. He suffers from an anxiety disorder that has been misunderstood for years. And McMillan gets everything right about Hamish since she herself suffers from the same disorder. Kudos to McMillan for bravely shining a light on a once taboo subject. Perceived weaknesses are shown as strengths as Hamish gains perspective and a sense of self. Regina (Reggie) is the perfect compliment to Hamish with her New Haven upbringing and quest for independence. The novel develops slowly; the murder occurs well after half the book is read. But the great lead-up is what gives the book its depth of context and characterization. The reader comes to believe in all that occurs. The setting of the novel, Boston in 1937, is as much a character as Hamish, Reggie, and the others that populate its streets and squares. Hamish fell in love with the city, and you will too as you visit Charlestown, the North End, Scolloy Square and Fenway Park all through Hamish and Reggie’s eyes. The mystery is fascinating and kept me on my toes. There’s plenty of glimpses of a criminal underworld beneath the glitz and glamor of the Flamingo. I loved how McMillan left a few things unanswered — hopefully that means many more adventures for Van Buren and DeLuca.Fans of McMillan’s earlier Herringford And Watts mystery series, will love references to favorite characters, however, Murder at The Flamingo is the start of a brand new series. I loved it and am eagerly looking forward to more from the intrepid detecting pair.Highly Recommended.Audience: adults.(Thanks to TLC Book Tours and Thomas Nelson for a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)
    • 3/5
      "If I was smart, I would pick up my hat and gloves and never return here. But we're going to solve this." She held on to that. "We are going to solve this murder."Set on accomplishing something independent of his father's help, Hamish DeLuca goes to Boston, where his cousin is opening a posh nightclub. Regina "Reggie" Van Buren is also in search of independence, away from the society life she grew up in. But she and Hamish never expected they'd be joining forces to solve a mystery in Murder at the Flamingo by author Rachel McMillan.After the way I enjoyed all of the Herringford and Watts mysteries by this author, there was no question I'd be reading this novel. McMillan has a distinct way of personifying a city, and 1937 Boston comes to life here, the social climate pulsing between different classes. Plus, I dig a hero (or heroine) who wears glasses!Even with the title, though, murder isn't a part of the plot until more than halfway through the story. While I do appreciate the character development along the way, I found much of the read to be slow, and my interest lagged until about the last third of the novel. Also, due to a "feelings back and forth between two men" kind of love triangle setup I tend not to care for, the end of the book was a downer for me.Now, I feel I should mention to fellow ChristFic lovers that this isn't a "come to Jesus" kind of story. Still, 1) this is a new series, and you can't judge an entire faith arc by one book (or by one "book" or season of any person's life, in real life); 2) I've already seen this author's finesse with faith before, even without quoting scriptures and such; and 3) there are themes in this novel that should indeed be important to people of faith, if you can recognize and appreciate them.All things considered, I'm looking forward to next year's release of the second Van Buren and DeLuca mystery._________BookLook Bloggers provided me with a complimentary copy of this book for an honest review.
    • 5/5
      historical-fiction, historical-research, amateur-sleuth, anxiety-attacks, friendship, Boston, the-mob -----I loved it! So atmospheric I had to recheck that it wasn't a reprint of a mystery written pre WW2. It's even complete with movie references familiar to my grandson at 25 and my kids 35 to ?The story is rather engrossing, the characters are engaging and very realistic, and you can almost FEEL the beat of the music in the clubs. The interpersonal interactions are a great part of what makes this book exceptional. The publisher's blurb gives hints and there is no need for spoilers, but I sincerely hope that many people take the opportunity to read it. I know that I will be buying copies for certain friends. I requested and received a free review copy via NetGalley. Thanks so much!
    • 3/5
      I liked this book. It is a fun and charming and I enjoyed the time period. It felt like I was in the 1930's. Hamish and Reggie are great. They really held the story together as main leading characters. It was nice getting to experience everything for the first time through Hamish's eyes. Reggie may have come from better upbringings than Hamish but she was not stuck up. She was personable. Thus the reason that I liked and could connect with both of them. This is a good start to what appears to be a fun series. It will only get better. While, I was not in love with this book, I did like it. My only issue is that while I liked Hamish and Reggie, I did have some trouble staying focused at times. The other characters were not resonating with me as well. Thus I was not invested as I wanted to be. Readers should check this book out.