The Last Note of Warning

Schellman’s sharp third outing for Vivian Kelly (after The Last Drop of Hemlock) gives the 24-year-old gumshoe one week to solve a murder. In 1920s New York City, Vivian spends her nights pouring drinks at the Nightingale speakeasy and her days working for a small dress shop. Her day job lands her in trouble when she delivers a dress to Evangeline Buchanan’s Fifth Avenue mansion for a fitting. With Evangeline absent, her husband, Huxley, pours Vivian a cup of coffee before he’s summoned to a business meeting in another room. Vivian dozes off; when she awakens, she rouses an unconscious Huxley, only to find he’s been fatally stabbed. The blood that police find on Vivian’s hands makes her a prime suspect, but a friend connected to the police commissioner helps spring her from jail and brokers a deal that gives her seven days to track down and deliver the real killer to the authorities. As Vivian races to clear her name, she unearths some surprising connections between Huxley and one of her close friends, leading her to fear the truth might hit close to home. The fair-play plotting takes several clever turns that will keep even the best armchair sleuths on their toes. This continues Schellman’s winning streak. Agent: Whitney Ross, High Line Literary. (June)