Book Review: The Red Canary by Rachel Scott McDaniel

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What is this book about?

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 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.

My review:

The fiery nightclub singer and the hardnosed cop. Cliché? Perhaps. But this story went beyond the stereotypes and to the heart of two wounded people needing grace. I loved that they found healing in God and love with each other.

I wasn’t sure if I would like Vera given that she was so rough around the edges, but I really found her pluckiness appealing and was swept up in her story. By the end, I loved her.

Mick, on the other hand, I knew I was going to love. And I did. His struggles were real but he was so honorable. Vera provided a perfect softening to his hard shell. This was sweet attraction melting into love.

There was a little suspense, particularly at the end and I liked that Vera and Mick’s reactions were realistic to the circumstances.

What I enjoyed most about this book:

The sweet romance was definitely my favorite part.

What I didn’t like about this book:

The first few pages of Vera, but then I got to know her and all was well.

Would I recommend this book to others? Yes. There were wounded characters who had rough edges, but the thread of love and redemption was woven well throughout. This is a standalone story.

Note: I received this book complimentary as a participant of the JustReads reviewer tour. I was not required to give a positive review. All of the opinions I have expressed here are honest and my own.

Where can I learn more about this author and their books?

Rachel Scott McDaniel, author website

-Loraine Nunley

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