Blooming with Books: Murder in the City of Liberty ~ Review

Murder in the City of Liberty
A Van Buren and DeLuca Mystery #2
By Rachel McMillan

It's 1940 and the world is in turmoil. War is spreading across Europe and Hamish DeLuca wants to do his part but the medical board in Canada has refused his offer of service. So Hamish finds himself in the Boston the City of Liberty partnered up with Reggie VanBuren in their business of private investigation. Neither had planned such an occupation it just sort of happened when Hamish's cousin got them caught up in a murder at his Flamingo Club.

More than 2 years have passed since Hamish and Reggie escaped their lives and found themselves in Boston. And during that time Hamish has had feelings for Reggie. But Reggie is from a different world one of money, prestige, society, and expectations. Expectations that include a proper marriage into an equal societal status - not one to a Canadian lawyer of Italian heritage who spends his days not making a profit or a name for himself.

Boston is in turmoil as voices raise in fear, anger, and hate. Change is just waiting to turn the corner and some people are determined to stop it and if possible drive it from the shores of the country. As racial prejudices rise Hamish and Reggie take on a case that finds itself in the very heart of this unrest and this case is one that just might cost them their future.

Murder in the City of Liberty is the second book in the Van Buren and DeLuca Mystery series but it can be read on its own with no problems in following the story. The story doesn't pick up immediately after Murder at the Flamingo so there is a bit of time between books. The case they are working on is one that finds Errol Parker attempting to break the color barrier that is quite firmly in place in baseball. It is sad to see just how divided people have been throughout history - focusing more on differences than similarities. But overall this is an enjoyable read and those who like post-Depression era fiction will want to find a comfortable corner before delving into this historical mystery.

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book with no expectations but that I offer my honest opinion - all thoughts expressed are my own.

About the Book:

Hamish DeLuca and Regina “Reggie” Van Buren have a new case

—and this one could demand a price they’re not willing to pay.

Determined to make a life for herself, Reggie Van Buren bid goodbye to fine china and the man her parents expected her to marry and escaped to Boston. What she never expected to discover was that an unknown talent for sleuthing would develop into a business partnership with the handsome, yet shy, Hamish DeLuca.

Their latest case arrives when Errol Parker, the leading base stealer in the Boston farm leagues, hires Hamish and Reggie to investigate what the Boston police shove off as a series of harmless pranks. Errol believes these are hate crimes linked to the outbreak of war in Europe, and he’s afraid for his life. Hamish and Reggie quickly find themselves in the midst of an escalating series of crimes.

When Hamish has his careful constructed life disrupted by a figure from his past, he is driven to a decision that may sever him from Reggie forever . . . even more than her engagement to wealthy architect Vaughan Vanderlaan.