Dru’s Short Musing:
Reporter about town, Freddie Archer, is on the case when she becomes entangled in a murder investigation.

This was a fast-paced, character driven, and a nicely executed whodunit with crisp writing making it easy to follow the path the author has set. With visually descriptive narrative and engaging dialogue, the author brought the story alive with 1920’s New York as the backdrop, and you can feel the suspenseful nature especially when our girl goes gallivanting as the nightlife beckons with clues that will help solve the murder. There were a few surprising twists and turns that enhanced my reading pleasure, and I enjoyed this romp and entertaining historical read that also boasts a few celebrity sightings.

Genre: Historical Mystery
Release: December 9, 2025
Format: Print, Digital, Audio
Purchase Link

Book Synopsis:
Inspired by one of the first real-life female columnists at the New Yorker, this enticing historical mystery follows Freddie Archer as she solves crimes while reporting on the glamorous world of the rich and famous in 1920s Manhattan.

This writer just found her next scoop . . . and it’s deadly.

New York, 1925 – Freddie Archer frequents speakeasies and wild parties with her friends Dorothy Parker and Tallulah Bankhead. And the best part is that it’s all in a day’s work. Freddie loves her job writing the nightlife column for Gotham Magazine.

But Freddie’s latest piece just won her a bit more attention than she bargained for—from the police. A man mentioned in her column has been murdered. And Freddie is asked to keep an eye out for his fashionable female dinner companion. She’s told in no uncertain terms to stay out of the case herself.

So naturally, Freddie throws herself into an investigation that takes her from the elegant stores that line Fifth Avenue to the tenements south of Houston Street. Now between sipping gin rickeys with Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald and casting Broadway shows with Groucho Marx, she’s dodging bullets and dating a potentially dangerous bootlegger.

Freddie wanted adventure and excitement. But will she survive it?

FTC Full Disclosure – I received a digital ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.